As I sit here trying to decide what to write for our first article, I find myself overwhelmed by choices.

I could tell you fun facts about Nigeria – things like Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with an estimated 242 million people. I could talk about the country’s economic struggles, including rapid hyperinflation that has dramatically reduced the value of the Nigerian Naira over the past few years from 400 Naira to 1 US Dollar in the early 2020’s to now almost 2000 Naira to 1 US dollar. I could discuss current travel restriction advisories and the dangers some regions of the country are experiencing. I could just keep things lighthearted and share the recipe for jollof rice, a traditional Nigerian food and my personal favorite.

But if there is one thing I want people to understand about Nigeria, it is this:

There is no single Nigerian experience.

While all Nigerians share a nationality, that means many different things to many different people.  Nigeria is home to more than 500 languages and hundreds of ethnic, cultural and tribal groups.  These different languages, traditions, foods, religious practices and lifestyles all exist within the borders of one nation.

All of these diverse cultures live in very close proximity to one another. To appreciate the scale of Nigeria, consider that the country is roughly the size of California, Nevada, and Utah combined. Within that area lives a population of approximately 242 million people. Nigeria’s population density is about 266 people per square kilometer, compared to about 38 people per square kilometer in the United States. And the population continues to grow.

With such a large and rapidly growing population, opportunities can be difficult to find. Many Nigerians work incredibly hard to build better lives for themselves and their families, but economic realities often limit their options. While some dream of immigrating abroad, pathways to permanent immigration are available to only a small fraction of those who seek them.

This reality is one of the reasons our organization exists.

In future articles, we’ll explore Nigerian culture, food, history, current events, and the challenges facing communities across the country. But before discussing any of those topics, we wanted to start with a simple truth:

Nigeria is not one story.  It is millions of stories, spoken in hundreds of languages, lived by millions of people, each with their own dreams, struggles, and hopes for the future.