British Nigerians (here meaning
British people of
Nigerian descent[2][3] rather than
Nigerians of British descent) have formed long-established communities in
London,
Liverpool and other industrial cities. Many Nigerians and their British-born descendants in Britain live in
South London, and they are one of the larger immigrant groups in the country.[4]
History
Nigerians have formed long-established communities in
London,
Liverpool and other industrial cities. The earliest known Nigerian presence in London took place over 200 years ago as a direct result of the
transatlantic slave trade.
Olaudah Equiano, born in what is now Nigeria and a former slave, lived in London and was involved in the debate that occurred in Britain over the abolition of the slave trade.[5]
Like many other former British colonies, Nigeria has been a large source of immigrants to the United Kingdom. Prior to Nigerian independence from Britain, gained in 1960, many Nigerians studied in the UK along with other countries such as
Australia and the
United States; with the majority returning to Nigeria upon completion of their higher education.[6][7] In the 1960s, civil and political unrest in Nigeria contributed to many refugees migrating to Britain, along with skilled workers.[5]
Nigerians emigrated in larger numbers in the 1980s, following the collapse of the petroleum boom.[6] This wave of migration has been more permanent than the pre-independence wave of temporary migration.[6] Asylum applications from Nigerians peaked in 1995, when the repression associated with the military dictatorship of
Sani Abacha was at its height.[6]
In 2015, Britain's
Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner expressed concerns about the extent of
contemporary slavery involving Nigerians smuggled to the UK. Of more than 2,000 potential victims of human trafficking referred to the
National Crime Agency in 2014, 244 were from Nigeria. This represented a 31 per cent increase on 2013's figure. According to the BBC, "Campaigners believe the real figure of potential trafficking victims from Nigeria could be much higher".[8]
A
Council of Europe report gives a figure of 100,000 Nigerians in the UK but suggests that this is likely to be an underestimate since it does not include irregular migrants or children born outside of Nigeria. Similarly, Nigerians with citizenship of another EU member state who then relocated to the UK are not necessarily included in this estimate. The report suggests to multiply the figure by between 3 and 8 to reflect the size of the Nigerian community in the UK.[14]
Distribution
The UK's largest concentration of Nigerians is found in the
capital city,
London.
Peckham is now home to the largest overseas Nigerian community in the UK, with 7% of the population of the Peckham
census tract at the time of the 2001 UK Census having been born in Nigeria.[15] Many of the local establishments are
Yoruba and
Igbo owned.[16] Nigerian
churches and
mosques can be found in the area. As immigrants have become assimilated,
English has always been the predominant language of the local Nigerian British population as English is the main spoken language in Nigeria. The
Yoruba language and the
Igbo language are declining in use in the Peckham area despite the growing Nigerian population of
Igbo and
Yoruba descent.[4] Outside London and
South East England, the largest Nigerian-born communities are found in the
East of England and the
North West.[15]
Citizenship
Below is a table showing how many Nigerians were granted
British citizenship and the right of abode in the period 1998 to 2008.
In England and Wales in 2011, 14,914 people (0.03% of all residents aged three and over) spoke Yoruba as a main language, 7,946 (0.01%) spoke Igbo and 6,639 (0.01%) spoke other Nigerian languages.[29] In London, 10,119 people (0.13% of all residents aged three and over) spoke Yoruba as a main language, 5,252 (0.07%) people spoke Igbo and 3,577 (0.05%) spoke other Nigerian languages.[30]
Education
According to the
Institute for Public Policy Research, Nigerian pupils are among best performing student groups in the United Kingdom. Taking data for only England, a 2013 IPPR survey reported that the proportion of British Nigerian pupils gaining 5 A*–C grades at
GCSE (including Maths and English) in 2010–2011 was 21.8 percentage points higher than the England mean of 59.6 per cent. This average was calculated using student data, where available, from various
local authorities in England.[31]
The number of Nigerian pupils at
British private schools is growing. In November 2013, The Spectator noted that Nigerians, along with
Russians, "are now the fastest-growing population in British private schools".[32] In 2013, the number of entrants to private schools from Nigeria increased by 16 per cent.[33]
According to
Higher Education Statistics Agency data, 17,620 students from Nigeria were studying at British public
higher education institutions in the academic year 2011–12. This made them the third largest country-of-origin group behind students from China and India. Of the 17,620, 6,500 were undergraduates, 9,620 taught postgraduates and 1,500 research postgraduates.[34]
Research by Euromonitor International for the
British Council indicates that in 2010, the majority (66 per cent) of Nigerian foreign students attended universities in the UK. The students are mainly drawn to these institutions' English language academic system. Their time studying in Britain is also facilitated by an established and large Nigerian community and by "the relative proximity of the UK to Nigeria".[35]
^"Immigration from sub-Saharan Africa". Report, Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Doc. 11526. 11 February 2008. Archived from
the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2009.