It would be great to consciously and intentionally build the Nigerian Character and Brand around this notion of selflessness and giving, coupled with a few other qualities that are liberally practised amongst our diverse identities. The Yoruba notion that wealth has many different types, not just money, but also in terms of titles, the kindness, wisdom, amongst many others, can help shift us from a toxic competition for ascendancy towards a consciously more interdependent national identity.
It is tough to be a nationalist. This is probably because Nigeria is yet to become a nation, as it works its way through the challenges of being a country of at least 371 different ethnicities. From this diversity, the three nationalities that are dominant are caught up in a toxic competition, often manipulated for the ambition of our political elite. This toxicity is often masked in the half-baked history that is mostly shaped by colonial tropes built into the fabric of received oral history, and inducted into many published works that we now cite liberally.
It is rare to read or hear the humility that comes from understanding ethnogenesis or even extending curiosity to the large numbers – the wider 35 – 40 per cent – who are not Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa. Our journey of identity, from being indigenes of whatever ethnicities, tribes, or geographies to becoming citizens of Nigeria, is still emerging, with little intentional design or craft. The challenge is to transform or build attractive platforms of national identity outside the often intermittent efforts of our governments. The world awaits the prospects of an intentional Nigerian nation whose brand and purpose are the flags that fly when you engage our people and products.
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Africa is in the cusp of becoming home to at least 40 per cent of the youth population of the world, and Nigeria is predicted to be the world’s third most populous country. It is time to truly build a nation by intention and determination, not just by expectation. It does not help matters that in the last 40 years, with our alignment with the world order driven by the singular superpower, the United States of America, we are now more materialistic, compared to who we were in the 1970s. The transition started with the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) government from 1979 to 1983, but it was boosted by the military regime that started in 1985, with their commitment to IMF reforms.
In a documented collaboration of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) and the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Nigerians have been found to be the most generous people in the world. This has not been covered by the media as widely as the usual “Nigeria is a failed British experiment” kind of news, or the usual tropes of a poverty capital, or that Insecurity is overwhelming.
Anomalies became evident with the rise of a rash of finance houses with their get-rich-by-deposit schemes, and the decimation of middle class urban centres like Kaduna, Enugu, and Ibadan. In addition to the extraordinary success of Lagos and the emergence of Abuja as centres of consumption. There is now an elite whose definition and identity are largely shaped by what they consume. They are obsessed with an international lifestyle that is defined by their private jets, latest cars, and mansions, both in Nigeria and elsewhere. Driven by a fear of lack and poverty, alongside non-access to the indoctrinated labels and luxury they think exemplify excellence, their rarely decolonised minds do not recognise the caricature they have become.
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In all of these, the everyday Nigerian who struggles with a very low income is a truly generous person. Across the diversity of our cultures and in our basic functions, we are all people who choose to be kind to strangers. Yes, we are often tribalist and easily manipulated to see the worst in our fellow citizens, but our beauty is that we will give first if we encounter a request or see a need, no matter our struggle. The World Giving Report 2025 makes this more than the anecdote of this older nationalist.
In a documented collaboration of the African Philanthropy Forum (APF) and Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Nigerians have been found to be the most generous people in the world. This has not been covered by the media as widely as the usual “Nigeria is a failed British experiment” kind of news, or the usual tropes of a poverty capital, or that Insecurity is overwhelming. The first point is this report, which is based on a global survey, finds that Africa, by 72 per cent, is the most giving continent, in comparison to the global 64 per cent average. The continent, allegedly the poorest, gives more than any other in the world. Even more interesting is that 89 per cent of Nigerians give out of kindness and generosity, at least 2.83 per cent of their incomes. This is the highest in the entire world.
There are far too many fault-lines in a country of such diversity and complexity that both the government and people should be anything less than vigilant, as well as creative, in how we progress towards true nationhood. It is clear that the Nigerian personality is larger than life, resourceful, and generous, but it faces the most danger when we are complacent about its evolution or we take how it will survive for granted.
Inspired by our cultures and entrenched by religiosity, we are loving of our neighbours and helpful to strangers as well. What is even more profound is that Nigerians rank 22nd in how generous they believe they are, even though they give more than anyone else. This is humility that would rarely be ascribed to us by Nigeria-pessimists (both local and international) due to our much vilified loudness and directness. Many argue or see these as arrogance, but it seems a defence mechanism in a country of multitudes; the shakara that masks our vulnerability.
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It would be great to consciously and intentionally build the Nigerian Character and Brand around this notion of selflessness and giving, coupled with a few other qualities that are liberally practised amongst our diverse identities. The Yoruba notion that wealth has many different types, not just money, but also in terms of titles, the kindness, wisdom, amongst many others, can help shift us from a toxic competition for ascendancy towards a consciously more interdependent national identity. We can see Africanisation as modernisation, as the Anambra State Assembly did with the governor recently in signing the Igbo Apprenticeship Scheme into law, using the very successful system that is pan-Igbo to build a formal government approach to vocational education and capacity building. There are many other such virtues – the hardy resilience of the Fulani, the courage and warrior instinct of the Bachama, just to name a few.
There are far too many fault-lines in a country of such diversity and complexity that both the government and people should be anything less than vigilant, as well as creative, in how we progress towards true nationhood. It is clear that the Nigerian personality is larger than life, resourceful, and generous, but it faces the most danger when we are complacent about its evolution or we take how it will survive for granted. Nigeria has a special gift to the world if truly encouraged in its better angels.
Adéwálé Àjàdí, a lawyer, creative consultant and leadership expert, is author of Omoluwabi 2.0: A Code of Transformation in 21st Century Nigeria.
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