People & Culture
A land of many people
Within its vast area, Nigeria has over 250 different ethnic groups, all with their own languages and heritage.
The largest groups are the Hausa in the north, the Yoruba in the
southwest and the Igbo (or Ibo) in the southeast, who account for around
a fifth of the population each. The languages of these three groups can
therefore be used in government. Other large groups include the Ijaw in
the east and the Fulani in the north.
The religious divide
Nigeria is divided into 36 states. In the 13 northern states, the
vast majority of people are Muslim. The Hausa have been Muslims for
almost a thousand years, having been converted to Islam by Arab traders
and merchants from the 10th century.
Extremist groups have grown more popular in the north, mainly because
of widespread poverty and frustration over corruption and lack of
development –
see North.
In the southern states, the majority of Nigerians are Christian,
while some groups continue to practice indigenous beliefs. Generally,
religion is taken very seriously. Most people will attend church on a
Sunday and make frequent references to God or Jesus in everyday
conversation.
Southern indigenous faiths centre around a belief in spirits and also
in a supreme being or creator, known as Olorun/Olodumare in Yoruba
culture and Chineke/Chukwu by Igbo people.
Traditional culture and dress
Dyeing and weaving

Local craftsmen are skilled in dyeing and weaving techniques. Hand-patterned cloth is known as
adire, where patterns are created by making certain parts of the material resistant to dyes –
see Textiles.
Asa-oke is made up of hand-woven strips of colourful cloth.
In the north, women wear long flowing robes and headscarves, though
they rarely cover their faces. In the south, women may choose to wear
Western-style clothes for everyday wear, often buying cheap second-hand
items in markets.
But on Sunday, most women in the south will put on their best
traditional clothes and headdresses. These are frequently made from
locally produced and dyed fabrics.
Sharia law
Sharia law was introduced into the northern Nigerian states from
2000. This is a code for how Muslims should lead their lives. It is
thought to have been drawn up by Muslim scholars in the early centuries
of Islam, with parts of it taken directly from the Koran. As in other
countries, northern Nigeria uses the code as a basis for its criminal
law. However, some of the harsher penalties, such as death-by-stoning
for adultery, have never been carried out.
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