Where is the Nigerian Diaspora? The Nigerians flying two flags

Young Nigerians are the largest immigrant population from Africa into developed countries, with thousands of Nigerians migrating every year. Countries like Canada and Australia are popular because of their Skilled Migrant programmes, offering express entry. Nigeria also accounted for over 25% of non-immigrant visas to the US in 2018. However, there were enough Nigerians deliberately overstaying their visas in the US for the Trump administration to suspend interview waivers for visa renewals in an effort to promote ‘legitimate travel’.

The most popular reason for emigration from Nigeria is education; young families leave in order to offer more opportunities to their children, as well as for higher education themselves.

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WorldRemit Content Team

3 mins readUpdated
An image of a man standing in front of the Nigerian flag

Hotspots

The largest communities of migrant Nigerians are found in the UK and US, with South Africa, Gambia and Canada closely following.

In the UK, large Nigerian communities have developed in London, Liverpool and other industrial areas, as a direct result of the slave trade bringing enslaved people to British cities. Peckham, in South London, is home to the largest overseas Nigerian population in the UK. Nigerian independence from Britain was gained in 1960, and more permanent migration has followed.

Comparatively, the number of Nigerian-American immigrants is relatively small, with a population of around 25,000 reported in 1980. Since then, the number of Nigerians migrating to the US has grown rapidly, and as of 2013, Nigeria was the African country with the most migrants to the US. In 2019, the reported number of foreign-born Nigerians in the US was 392,811 (from the 25,000 just forty years earlier). Like British-Nigerians, most American-Nigerians originate from southern Nigeria, having originally been brought to the US as enslaved people. Modern migration has been led by political and economic movement, especially post independence.

Famous Two Flags Nigerians

Flying two flags for the UK and Nigeria, actor and filmmaker Chiwetel Ejiofor was born in East London in 1977 to parents of Igbo descent. He has been honoured with a Global Promise Award by the GEANCO Foundation for his charity work in Nigeria.

Nigerian-born singer-songwriter Sade grew up partly in Ibadan, Nigeria before moving to the UK with her mother and older brother. Having attracted the attention of record labels in the UK, Sade signed with Epic Records in 1983. Her music has influenced countless artists, including Aaliyah, Missy Elliott and Kanye West.

Born in South London, Tinie Tempah is an entrepreneur, rapper and singer. He rose to fame in the UK after releasing mixtapes and creating his independent label, Disturbing London.

I Fly Two Flags

With I Fly Two Flags, we’re sharing stories from our community of both staff and customers, opening up conversations about identity, and interacting directly with you, our customers. How many flags do you fly?

Miracle moved to Ontario a year ago, so she now cheers for the Toronto Maple Leafs during the ice hockey season, and the Nigerian Super Eagles when the football kicks off. Miracle flies two flags.

Eniafe was born in London and moved to Nigeria when he was ten years old. With one foot in Lagos and one in London, Eniafe’s favourite music is a fusion of UK artists and Nigerian afrobeats. Eniafe flies two flags.

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