Lebanese Nigerians are Nigerians with ancestry from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. They form a community of 30,000-75,000. Some Lebanese families in Nigeria have lived in the country for multiple generations since the British colonial era, while others are more recent immigrants.

History

Colonial era

People from

first migrated to

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

in the 19th-century to flee oppression and economic crisis in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Lebanese migrants often originally intended to reach

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

or the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, but many were stranded in West Africa due to financial problems. Other Lebanese migrants to West Africa mistakenly believed they had traveled to a vague geographic region called "Amerka" (misspelling of "America"), due to either their lack of education or deception by ship captains. Nigeria received a significant amount of Lebanese settlers due to its coastal city of

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

serving as a major point of transit between Lebanon and

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

.The first Lebanese immigrant to Nigeria, in Lagos, was Elias Khoury who migrated from the Lebanese village of

Miziara Miziara (known also as Meziara, Arabic: ) is a town located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. The village is home to Our Lady of Miziara, Mother of Mercies, St Elias Shrines And to Hotel Miziara the village's first hote ...

in 1890. Many of these early Lebanese migrants to Nigeria came from the villages of

and

Jwaya Jwaya ( ar, جويا) or Jouaiya, is a town in Tyre district, Lebanon. Located in the center of Jabal Amel geographically, 95 kilometers from Beirut, and the county seat of Sidon 54 kilometers and 16 kilometers from the city of Tyre towards the ea ...

. Residents of the two villages often rely on remittances from Lebanese Nigerians to survive.

Contemporary

Nigeria continues to receive a significant influx of Lebanese immigrants seeking to escape political and economic turmoil in their homeland. It is estimated that more than 250,000 Lebanese live in West Africa, and in 2021, the Lebanese embassy in Nigeria reported a “noticeable increase” in Lebanese citizens moving to Nigeria. In February 2022, the Nigerian government granted citizenship to 286 foreign nationals, 108 of whom were Lebanese.

Impact on Nigerian society

Tinubu Square, an open space landmark in Lagos, was donated by the Lebanese community as a gift for Nigeria upon Nigerian independence in 1960. The Lebanese Community School is a private school in Lagos operated by the Lebanese.

List of notable Lebanese-Nigerians

* Michael Boulos *

Ely Calil Ely Calil (8 December 1945 – 28 May 2018) was a Lebanese businessman holding British citizenship. He was one of the richest men in Britain; ''The Sunday Times Magazine'' estimated his wealth in 2010 to be around £350 million. Life His anc ...

George Calil George Calil (born 29 March 1973) is an English actor known for his role in the TV mini-series '' Band of Brothers,'' where he portrayed Sergeant James H. "Mo" Alley, Jr. Early life Calil was born in England in 1973. He is the son of Lebane ...

George Calil (businessman) George Calil (died 1967) was a Lebanese businessman who operated his business in the Nigerian city of Kano. He was a major groundnut trader in the 1940s–1960s and was one of the earliest entrepreneurs who invested in manufacturing units in th ...

* Gilbert Chagoury *

Ronald Chagoury Ronald Chagoury (born 8 January 1949) is a Nigerian businessman, the co-founder (with his billionaire brother Gilbert Chagoury), and CEO of the Chagoury Group Chagoury Group is a Nigerian multinational business conglomerate headquartered in L ...

* Sam Darwish *

Bilal Fawaz Bilal Kelvin Fawaz (born 3 April 1988) is a UK-based professional boxer of mixed Lebanese and Benin origin. He came to England when he was 14 years old. He was crowned the Amateur Boxing Association of England light middleweight champion. He has re ...

* Mimi Fawaz * Anwar M. El-Khalil * May El-Khalil *

Lola Maja Lola Maja (born Omolola Maja; 26 January 1978), also known as Lola Maja-Okojevoh, is a Nigerian make-up artist; her specialties include special effects, eyebrows and eyelashes. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of "Sacred Beauty" & ...

* Nicole Moudaber * Laila St. Matthew-Daniel *

Hassan El Mohamad Hassan Jamal El Mohamad ( ar, حسن جمال المحمد; born 24 August 1988) is a Lebanese former footballer who played as a forward. Early life El Mohamad was born on 24 August 1988 in Lagos, Nigeria, to Lebanese parents. His father was ...

References