Nigerians Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

are one of the most misunderstood people in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, by both other Africans and non-Africans. There are some

stereotypes In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...

typically associated with

and these are both positive and negative. Apart from the general stereotypes, there are peculiar stereotypes concerning the

ethnic groups in Nigeria Nigeria is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with approximately 218.5 million people in an area of , and is also the country with the largest population in Africa and the sixth largest population in the world. Approximately ...

that even other Nigerians believe and propagate.

Negative stereotypes

Nigerians are into advance fee fraud

This stereotype is mainly a product of the many Nigerian prince 419 scams which were popular. Many people believe that a large percent of Nigerians are into internet scam and fraud. While it is true that some youths take to it, the stereotype is essentially misplaced as the number of youths partaking in this is minimal. Most internet scammers simply prefer to use Nigeria and Nigerian identities in their schemes.

Nigerians are poor

This stereotype stems from the general perception that Africans are poor and in need of

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

. It is important to note that Nigerians have some of the richest people in the world.

Aliko Dangote ''For people with the given name, see Aliko (given name).'' Aliko ( sq-definite, Alikoi; ) is a village and a former commune in Vlorë County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Finiq ...

, a Nigerian, is the richest black man alive. The percentage of

poverty in Nigeria Nigeria had one of the world's highest economic growth rates, averaging 7.4% according to the Nigeria economic report that was released in July 2019 by the World Bank. Following the oil price collapse in 2014–2016, combined with negative produc ...

is not as high as this stereotype portrays it.

Nigerians are uneducated

This is one of the negative stereotypes about Nigerians and being

criminals In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

. It is generally believed by most non-Nigerians that Nigerians are not well

educated Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

and cannot speak

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. This is a myth as Nigerians have one of the highest

literacy rates This is a list of countries by literacy rate. The global literacy rate for all people aged 15 and above is 86.3%. The global literacy rate for all males is 90.0%, and the rate for all females is 82.7%. The rate varies throughout the world, with ...

in Africa and English is the official language in Nigeria due to its multi-ethnic status. However, English is not the sole language of instruction in much of the nation, nor is it the sole official language, as the constitution recognises all native languages as being equal.

References

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