Nigerian British

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Nigerian British
Total population
Notable Nigerian Britons: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Shirley Bassey, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje Seal, Christine Ohuruogu, Olaudah Equiano Osi Umenyiora, Lemar, Tupele Dorgu

Nigerian-born residents 88,378 (2001 Census) 140,000 (2008 ONS estimate)
Regions with significant populations
Throughout the United Kingdom In particular Greater London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff, Sheffield
Languages
Predominantly English, Yoruba, Igbo, Edo Others Nigerian languages
Religion
Predominantly Christianity Others Islam, Traditional beliefs

Nigerian British is the term given to describe British people of Nigerian descent.^[1] Many live in South London.^[2] The UK is home to the world's second largest Nigerian-born population, behind only Nigeria itself and slightly ahead of the United States.^[3]

1 History
2 Population
3 Famous Nigerian Britons
4 References
5 External links

History

Nigerians have formed long-established communities in London, Liverpool and other industrial cities. One of the most famous Nigerian Britons of the 17th century was Olaudah Equiano, a former slave who spoke out in the British debate for the abolition of the slave trade.

Calabarian sailors also have reported ties with the UK (notably Cardiff in the 19th century). Due to the slave trade, links between Benin chiefs and British merchants were established over three centuries ago. The Nigerian community makes up the oldest Black community in the United Kingdom.

Population

The 2001 UK Census recorded 88,378 Nigerian-born people resident in the UK.^[3] More recent estimates by the Office for National Statistics put the figure at 140,000 in 2008.^[4]

A Council of Europe report gives a figure of 100,000 Nigerians in the UK but suggests that number should be multiplied 3 to 8 times since it does not include irregular migrants or children.^[5] Meanwhile, in its country profile for Nigeria, the British Foreign Office states that the Nigerian community in the UK has between 800,000 and 3 million members.^[6]

Economics

61.15% of recent Nigerian immigrants to the UK of working age are employed (compared to 73.49% for British born people regardless of race or ethnic background). 18.48% of recent immigrants are low earners, which is pay less than £149.20 a week (compared to 21.08% for British-born people), and 13.04% are high earners, which is more than £750 per week (compared to 6.98% for British-born people). The percentages for settled immigrants are slightly different, 72.93% are employed, with 14.17% being low earners and 15.00% high earners.^[7]

Citizenship

Below is a table showing how many Nigerians were granted British citizenship and the right of abode (1998-2008).

	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	Total in past decade
Persons granted citizenship	3,550^[8]	3,481^[9]	5,594^[10]	6,290^[11]	6,480^[12]	6,300^[13]	6,280^[14]	^[15]	5,875^[16]	6,030^[17]	4,530^[18]	Over 60,000

Distribution

Location	Nigerian-born population (2001)
London	68,907^[19]
- Southwark	10,673^[20]
- Lambeth	6,121^[21]
- Lewisham	5,297^[22]
South East England	4,737^[23]
East of England	3,112^[24]
North West England	3,011^[25]
- Manchester	975^[26]
- Liverpool	579^[27]
West Midlands	1,778^[28]
- Birmingham	753^[29]
South West England	1,467^[30]
Yorkshire and the Humber	1,401^[31]
Wales	588^[32]
North East England	573^[33]
Scotland
Northern Ireland

The UK's largest concentration of Nigerians is found in the capital city, London. The first Nigerians came to London over 200 years ago as a result of the transatlantic slave trade. Olaudah Equiano, born in what is now Nigeria, was involved in the debate that occurred in Britain over the abolition of the slave trade.

In the 1960s, civil and political unrest in Nigeria contributed to many refugees arriving in London, along with skilled workers migrating to the country that had been Nigeria's colonial power.^[34]

Peckham is now home to the largest overseas Nigerian community in the UK, with 7 per cent of the population of the Peckham census tract at the time of the 2001 Census having been born in Nigeria.^[35] Many of the local establishments are Yoruba owned. Nigerian churches and mosques can be found in the area. As immigrants have become assimilated, English has increasingly become the predominant language of the local Nigerian British population. The Yoruba language is declining in use in the Peckham area despite the growing Nigerian population.^[2]

Ouside London and South East England, the largest Nigerian-born communities are found in the East of England and the North West.^[35] Some Nigerians in Liverpool can trace their roots back ten generations; the city is home to the UK's oldest Black community, with the first Black people arriving in Liverpool around 1730. In common with those in London, these first Nigerians were often enslaved.^[36]