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  Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and home to over 1.3 million international immigrants, according to a 2020 study by Statistica. Despite the socio-economic and political challenges prevalent in Africa’s most populous nation, she is regarded as the land of opportunities. Being a nation of complex tribal and ethnic societies, Nigeria remains one of the top destinations for Africans and the world. 
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As the regional leader of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), it is not surprising to see various West Africans living and working in Nigeria. This article is going to explore the top leading international immigrants in Nigeria, where they are settled and the occupation they engage in. This amazing thing about migration settlements in Nigeria is that these migrants settle in clusters and engage in similar occupations. 
  1. Togolese
Togo and Nigeria have shared a deep ancestry as far back as the 17th century, when they were one large territory dotted with similar linguistic kingdoms. Nigerians and Togo had interfaced during the tribal wars in Yorubaland in the 17th century. In contemporary times, Togolese immigrants have increased in Nigeria since the colonial period, but their presence became rapid after the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Establishment was signed at Dakar, on May 29, 1979. Currently, there are over 5,000 Togolese living in Nigeria with most of them settling in southwestern Nigeria, especially in Lagos state. Togolese are predominantly contract labourers working in construction sites, restaurant owners, traders and hairstylists. 
  1. Beninese
There are over 70,000 Beninese living in Nigeria today. Nigeria-Benin relations dates as far back as the 17th century when the Kingdom of Dahomey (in present-day Benin) and Badagry, Egba, Oyo and other desperate Yoruba kingdoms related through war, marriage, and diplomacy. Most Beninese are found in all southwestern states where they predominantly live and work in the civil service, trade-in local markets, and are well-known for their expertise in building construction. In case you visit large construction sites in Ogun or Lagos state, I can confidently tell you that 7 out 10 construction workers are from the Benin Republic.
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  1. Chinese
China is Nigeria’s biggest trading partner. The first official Sino-Nigeria contact was in 1960 when an envoy from China led by diplomat Zhou Enlai visited Nigeria to celebrate Nigeria’s independence. However, the bilateral relations between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China were formally established on February 10, 1971 – a decade after Nigeria gained her independence from the British Empire. There is a large population of Chinese people in Nigeria, which comprise Chinese expatriates and descendants born in Nigeria, with Chinese ancestry. As of 2012, there are approximately 20,000 Chinese in Nigeria. Presently, with the recent intense engagement with Nigeria, an estimated 40,000 Chinese is living in Nigeria. They are found in nearly all the states in Nigeria, however, their major domain is in southwestern Nigeria, especially Ogun State. They work as structural, road and railway engineers, builders, owners of restaurants, manufacturers of home and industrial goods and food and beverages. Some of their investments include China Civil Engineering Construction Company Limited, El-alan Construction Company, Golden Gate Restaurant, Prime Chinese Restaurant, Goodwill Ceramics, and many more.
  1. Indians
Indians began a formal relationship with Nigeria in the 1950s. Sharing a similar heritage of being colonised by the British, Nigeria and India have enjoyed a long period of bilateral relations and trade. Between  2012 and 2013, India was Nigeria’s biggest crude oil importer. After Nigeria got independence in 1960, the Indian government assisted in building military and several other projects in Nigeria. India assisted Nigeria in building military establishments, like the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) at Kaduna and the Naval College at Port Harcourt and some other military training facilities. An estimated 25,000 Indian passport holders reside in Nigeria, according to the Indian High Commission in Abuja. Indians reside mostly in southwestern Nigeria (Ogun and Lagos states) and northern Nigeria, where they work in the manufacturing industry, producing automobiles, chemicals, steels, alum, and beverages. In the north, they run mining companies that procure solid minerals. You can find several Indian-owned companies in Nigeria such as Nipco, Conoil, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Tata Africa Services, Airtel, Lacasera, Indomie/Dufil Prima Food, Tower Aluminium (Nigeria) PLC, Aarti Steel, Chi Limited, Bajaj Auto, Springfield Agro Ltd., PANAR Group, SIMBA group, Parco, Bhojsons& Co (Nig) Ltd, Tech Mahindra, Prestige insurance, Sterling Bank Plc, Churchgate, Primlaks Nig Ltd., Contec Global, Hyundai Motors Nigeria Ltd., Oando Plc and so on. Sources Wikipedia Britannica India High Commission in Nigeria Featured image source: Vector stock
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This article was first published on 4th March 2022

nnaemeka-emmanuel

Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.

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