Who Owns Nigeria?

In January 2023, Nigerian comedian, Helen Paul, took to Google to ask, “Who is the owner of Nigeria?” Google’s response was to bring up Aliko Dangote, the billionaire businessman. Soon enough, it became a trending issue as other people confirmed the same result from the search engine.

Although it’s considered a Google algorithm error, it has brought up random answers to queries it has no specific answers to, like claiming Jack Ma was the owner of China or Agbani Darego being Nigeria’s ugliest woman.

Google may not always be your friend, but we won’t disappoint you like that. That’s why we want to give a definitive answer to the question: Who owns Nigeria?

Who owns Nigeria?

No one person “owns” Nigeria, not even the President. Nigeria is a sovereign state whose ownership is vested in the Nigerian people. As we’ve explained in a separate article, Nigeria is both a federal republic and a democracy. By federal, we mean that Nigeria is a federation of states—36 in all (excluding the Federal Capital Territory).

By republic, we mean a system of government where people choose representatives through elections to represent them in the public interest. In this sense, it differs from military rule or a monarchy. But it does sound very similar to a democracy, which also elects leaders. Like Nigeria, most democracies are also republics. Examples include the US and France.

A slight difference is that democracy is the government of the majority, which allows the majority to impose its will on the minority. On the other hand, a republic allows everyone—whether the majority or the minority—to have inalienable rights. The Constitution protects these rights in Nigeria.

Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960, but only became a republic on October 1, 1963. Since then, we’ve alternated between Republican and military rule. Nigeria is in its Fourth Republic, which began on May 29, 1999.

What else should you know about Nigeria?

Nigeria is an ethnically diverse country comprising over 250 ethnic groups. Its largest ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. We already wrote about other ethnic groups you should know about.

Nigeria is also unique in its composition, being perhaps the only country with a roughly even split of Christians and Muslims.

Nigeria is an oil-rich nation plagued with many issues like poor leadership, insecurity, economic mismanagement, and corruption. However, Nigeria has historically excelled in sports and the arts and is a prominent force in the African tech scene. Below are five interesting facts to know about Nigeria.

Five fun facts about Nigeria

Nigeria is the originator of the team sport Loofball, which combines features of handball and volleyball. It began in 2017.

[Loofball / Wikipedia]

Nigeria is home to Igbo-Ora, situated in Oyo state. With 158 twin births per thousand, it has been described as the Twin Capital of the World.

[Nigerian Twins / Reuters]

Nigeria’s Nollywood is the second-largest film industry in the world. Nigeria is also the home of Afrobeats, championed by stars like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, and Tiwa Savage.

[Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa, Burnaboy / Intel Region]

Nigeria remains the only African country to have medalled in all categories in Olympic football, winning gold in Atlanta 1996, silver in Beijing 2008, and bronze in Rio 2016.

[Nigeria’s male football team at the 2018 World Cup / Sportskeeda]

Nigeria has one of the youngest populations in the world. About 50.4% of its population is under 18 years old. Its commercial capital, Lagos, is projected to become the world’s most populous city by 2100.