please can we leave this gatwick distraction and return to topic

Nigerians (some) are unbelievably arrogant

Now shoot me

often arrogance is a front for inferiority/insecurity

@Poster,

you make a very good point my general analysis is

Nigerians can be brilliant on thier own, but collectively as a group we are useless

Nigerians often hears only the begining of the story and then rushes off to claim full understanding.

The Nigerians often lacks humility and is full of unecessary pride.

The Nigerian wants to fly before they learn to walk

monkeyleg:

@Poster,

you make a very good point my general analysis is

Nigerians can be brilliant on thier own, but collectively as a group we are useless

Nigerians often hears only the begining of the story and then rushes off to claim full understanding.

The Nigerians often lacks humility and is full of unecessary pride.

The Nigerian wants to fly before they learn to walk

Seconded.You took the words right out of my mouth.

@OP

I agree totally with you.
Most Nigerians do not have an idea of what smart means.

Imagine someone jumping a queue to get into a bus and thinking that is "smart" , for me that is stupidity.

Imagine driving "one way" to get to the office late, thinking that is smart !; another stupid act for me.

Not taking  away the hard-work by some Nigerians, one thing i can attribute to Nigerians is just the ability not to fear  challenges.

So the good ones and the bad ones conquer fear and use  in both positive and negative ways respectively

I am a Nigerian, 'm intelligent, 'm SMART and determined! I compete with the best in my field all over the world.

During my days in the university in the UK, from undergraduate to post graduate, year in year out, faculty to faculty, Nigerians always came out tops!

I remember being asked way back in university by my British year tutor (or lecturer) why Nigeria is not among the best developed country in the world as she claimed that any year she happens to have a Nigerian in her programme, that Nigerian always come out tops and she admitted that of all the African students she has tutored, Nigerians are miles ahead intellectually. This person who made this remark is one of the genuises in her field and a global consultant in her field.

Again, the author's assertion that indians and chinese are way smarter is laughable because it is like saying the jews are way smarter than the germans, yet each has her uniqueness intellectually.

Nigerians are NOT proud going by the dictionary definition of proud rather they are BOASTFUL which in itself is not evil! After, we christians make BOAST in christ Jesus!

follow this link, read and comprehend the definition given therein and tell me if those descriptions truly describe nigerians! In my own opinion, it certainly doesn't

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/dict.aspx?word=proud

If you are seeking for a PROUD people going by the definition in that link, then meet the English -Yes the English and not British.

@Omo_tier1

Good for you. Now why don't you turn that brilliance of yours into a positive force that will improve Nigeria as a country? Soon you will meet up with opposing and competing forces that will challange that very essence of your brilliance.

Like as I said, individually the Nigerian might be good, but collectively we are no good.

The British might be proud, but there is evidence to suggest why they are. Ftom making you are I learn english language for one to inventing some of the most game changing products of this world, and most importantly, they use that brilliance to benefit thier society

at omo tier

we are not  talking about being smart in school . we are talking about the real world. being clever at learning other peoples ideas is the stuff of undergraduate life.

real smartness is solving real human problems

adding something to the  world that was not here before you.

that involves thinking and generating ideas =output

not just learning redundant book knowledge =input

where is the nigerian output

aribisala0:

adding something to the  world that was not here before you.

that involves thinking and generating ideas =output

not just learning redundant book knowledge =input

where is the nigerian output

P.S. You might want to expand a bit more on what constitutes output.

output is the product of mental activity that changes lives or commands a price =goods /services
in the context of this thread i.e internationally

e.g medicines,computers,phones,fridges,electric phones household consumer goods ,paper ink think about everything you have used today or this week even

expertise in mineral extraction,engineering,financial services or anything that will command a fee . note; i am not talking individual but organized groups of people/firms
what do we contribute to the world

monkeyleg:

@Omo_tier1

Good for you. Now why don't you turn that brilliance of yours into a positive force that will improve Nigeria as a country? Soon you will meet up with opposing and competing forces that will challange that very essence of your brilliance.

Like as I said, individually the Nigerian might be good, but collectively we are no good.

The British might be proud, but there is evidence to suggest why they are. Ftom making you are I learn english language for one to inventing some of the most game changing products of this world, and most importantly, they use that brilliance to benefit thier society

The obvious reason Nigerians 'may look' not to be 'good' collectively is because as a nation, we have not lived together long enough to share in the common joy, pain and sorrow of nationhood! Hence, the vision is blurred and our 'collective aspiration' is awolf. Take for example the last general election senseless killings in some part of the country; North and South inclusive, that could only happen because we still do NOT see ourselves as a PEOPLE irrespective of our tongues. And this obscurity has nothing to do with one not being SMART rather, it's all down to NOT enough time for proper cohesion!

Take a simple analogy,in the Engineering world,we take two materials, (one serves as pure, the other as impure), combine thier constituents by a way of 'alloying' to get an improved material. Originally when these two materials are combined, depending on how long you leave them for -cohesive period- amongst other factors, what you get at the end of the day will be vastly different, albeit in the 'better' positives - same goes for a country to truly become a 'people'

Take England for example, when you work with a liverpoooodian, a maccuunia or a bristolian,you hardly can tell of any disparity among them, and all seems to have a 'collective aspiration' of what they as a 'people' must remain yet when you closely examine them historically, you would marvel how they ever could come to a point where 'collective aspiration' becomes thier keyphrase! At those period when they struggled to define who they are and what they stand for, nobody ever claimed the English were NOT SO SMART - so why then will some use nigeria's period of 'cohesion'as a yardstick of our collective intellectuall abilities?

As for your clarion call; I believe and 'm confident that my generation will unlock Nigeria's intellectual abilities on humanity and for the good of humanity.And we are already working at it! I do not know if same goes for your generation!

aribisala0:

at omo tier

we are not  talking about being smart in school . we are talking about the real world. being clever at learning other peoples ideas is the stuff of undergraduate life.

real smartness is solving real human problems

adding something to the  world that was not here before you.

that involves thinking and generating ideas =output

not just learning redundant book knowledge =input

where is the nigerian output

I think any body who works in cooperate UK will shake his/her head after reading your post.

Obviously, I think its really unproductive having a discussion on a thread like yours when your mind is already made up.

We might not have designed a computer, nor land a man in LEO- Who says we must re-invent the wheel- that certainly does NOT mean we are not SMART!

I know of the calibre of Nigerians I havd come across in several 'coporate control rooms' in the UK, and 'm pretty sure they aint occupying that position/office by your asserted 'classroom' SMARTNESS!

In short wordings, goodbye to your thread - You obviously do not have anything to bring afore aside the usual 'bashing' which futher reveals your pesudo inf-complex!

oh by the way, your add shows birmingham, UK. Can you take a stroll to peugeot down midlands and ask them a few questions about some Nigerians who have graced there and then come marry thier response with your 'classroom' smartness ratings of Nigerians.

I take my leave, more coding work to be done!

Omo_Tier1:

The obvious reason Nigerians 'may look' not to be 'good' collectively is because as a nation, we have not lived together long enough to share in the common joy, pain and sorrow of nationhood! Hence, the vision is blurred and our 'collective aspiration' is awolf.

We haven't? How long do you really think it takes for a people to start being productive? Even if just as a tribe?

Omo_Tier1:

As for your clarion call; I believe and 'm confident that my generation will unlock Nigeria's intellectual abilities on humanity and for the good of humanity.And we are already working at it! I do not know if same goes for your generation!

But following your own post, Nigeria's intellectual abilities are not locked away somewhere --- we do not lack in that area at all.

@aribisala0, @OMo_tiers post above is reason why I suggested you break apart that post of yours as it was almost clear from my first seeing it that some folks will still have a hard time grasping the message.

Kobojunkie:

We haven't? How long do you really think it takes for a people to start being productive? Even if just as a tribe?
But following your own post, Nigeria's intellectual abilities are not locked away somewhere --- we do not lack in that area at all.

Before I take my leave;
Answering your first question; the obvious answer is no we haven't really lived together long enough for us as a people to begin to unleash what I often call '7th Generation' level of productive on humanity! I believe you probably are close to the generation that experienced civil war in Nigeria, such I believe is among the reason Nigeria has not experience further civil war despite what many had postulated in recent past - a result of cohesive living.

Answer your second question; I talked about 'unleashing' the intellectual abilities as a 'people'- a creative-productive collective aspiration to define the world by the practical way we solve our own problems - something I think the poster seems to be at crossroad with, hence the probable reason for the thread.I.e. Nigerians should prove they'r a smart people by providing solutions to the challenges we currently face in Nigeria - but he forgot that even in the 'stone age' within the then different tribes that constitute present day Nigeria, we built our houses out of muds yet never plastered them with clay even though we knew clay could well be used for that! - An act that reveals so much

To put it in the poster's reasoning, we should prove our REAL SMARTNESS (as oppose to the VIRTUAL SMARTNESS we supposedly display currently) by designing and making things - An expression that exposes his knowledge about the exploits of Nigerians the world over! Maybe I should remind him of the brain behind 'chevy' that's now the dream of every american youth! Maybe I should also remind of the brain behind the 'algorithm' that was the first to correctly map oil and gas deposit that is now widely used the world over. Or even the brain behind the anti-corrosive substance that now ensure his house gets 'gas' to power the heating/cooking and is now being used the world over!

And to answer his unfounded question about what Nigeria has contributed to the world; I will at his level by saying We are the only country of our size that has not invaded another country whether close of afar off for economic gains, perhaps you know what means to the world if you can quantify it.

Nigerians are BRAINS - yeah SURELY NOT BRAIN BOXES!

Omo_Tier1:

Before I take my leave;
Answering your first question; the obvious answer is no we haven't really lived together long enough for us as a people to begin to unleash what I often call '7th Generation' level of productive on humanity! I believe you probably are close to the generation that experienced civil war in Nigeria, such I believe is among the reason Nigeria has not experience further civil war despite what many had postulated in recent past - a result of cohesive living.

I think you would need to provide a better answer for the above as your "obvious" answer does not seem to work at all, at least for me. The name "Nigeria" may only be about 100 years old, but the entity has existed for about 200 years, and the people for probably 1000 years before.

The civil war of 1966 has little to do with this particular issue -- it is clear the same pattern can be observed even at the ethnic levels, all over the country.

Omo_Tier1:

Answer your second question; I talked about 'unleashing' the intellectual abilities as a 'people'- a creative-productive collective aspiration to define the world by the practical way we solve our own problems - something I think the poster seems to be at crossroad with, hence the probable reason for the thread.i.e. prove your smart by providing solutions to the challenges we currently face in Nigeria - 

He is NOT referring to the creative spirit of the people. He is not referring to the intelligence of individuals. It has nothing to do with proferring solutions which seems what many have chosen to replace this with -- solutions abound, we have never been lacking those either. Please take a look again at the contribution from others who have tried to explain this , eg. @: deor03

We have a PHD holder as President -- only this same has held public office for 12 straight years with nothing to show for all that time and money invested. We hired a former Goldmann Sachs employee as Minister of Finance last year and we all know the rest of that. We hired PHD holder after PHD holder into top offices and so far, we have nothing to write home about. I believe this is beyond individual booksmarts, and proferring of solutions.

Nigerians are smart, individually.

Collectively they're the most wasted people I've yet to come upon. Primitive bush babies.

I'm not talking in terms of academically, they lack the ability to apply common sense into things that could help them collectively. Mostly because they're selfish and hate to see each other thrive.

Someone tell me why Latino/Asian/Indian students/immigrants are succeeding more than Nigerian students (with brain). Organizations are coming in each day to employ Latino students even before they graduate and then you see Nigerian students still looking for jobs after graduation. Why can't we stand up for that if we cannot collectively stand up for anything?

we have lived together about as long as the singaporeans and malaysians.

hmmmm

Ileke-IdI:

Nigerians are smart, individually.

Collectively they're the most wasted people I've yet to come upon. Primitive bush babies.

I'm not talking in terms of academically, they lack the ability to apply common sense into things that could help them collectively. Mostly because they're selfish and hate to see each other thrive.

Someone tell me why Latino/Asian/Indian students/immigrants are succeeding more than Nigerian students (with brain). Organizations are coming in each day to employ Latino students even before they graduate and then you see Nigerian students still looking for jobs after graduation. Why can't we stand up for that if we cannot collectively stand up for anything?

True.
@ OP it not's that we are not smart. The curse of languages is against us.

by the way does anyone know this guy tope

http://www.419eater.com/html/tope.htm

[b]LOL! @ some Nigerians that are attacking and Insulting Nigeria. They are calling themselves fools, eediots and Bushbabies.

As for me o, I don't think so. Nigerians are the best. If you call Nigerians illiterates, what will you call  Ghanians, South Africans and Africans from other African countries? Deaf and Dumb?

People often insult Nigerians of being 419ners, yet they turn and say Nigerians are not smart!? Do you know what it takes to talk someone into handing over his/her life savings, in return for nothing from a very long distance,  without being forced to do so? It takes skills, Intelligence and hard work. Yes it is bad, but it does not show illiteracy. It is only smart people that can do that.

Does citizens from other countries not brag? The difference between Nigerians and others is that we brag whether situations favor us or not. That is not a sin. It shows that we keep our swags intact no matter what. That is what makes people like the poster wanna cook him/herself up and eat.

If you are Nigerian and you feel that Nigerians are not smart, then you gat a problem. Maybe, it is you and your family members that are not smart, hence your feeling that Nigerians are not smart.

One last thing, HAVE ALL OF YOU EVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP? There is a difference between good leadership and smartness. In essence, that Obama is the president of an organised country like the U.S does not make him smarter than GEJ, who is the president of Nigeria.

Anyway, I just bumped into this stinking thread, and found it amusing. I'm out cos it stinks in here.[/b]

even if a nigerian owns heathrow,gatwick,stansted and jfk combined it is[b] irrelevant[/b].
if you don't get that you get nothing.
i will not try explaining that

Why do you think it's irrelevant?Why do you consider the achievements of the Indians, Chinese etc as a sign of smartness and then that of Nigerians irrelevant?Yes, Nigerians may be boastful, and tend to be caught in crimes, but does that by any means make them less smart?Balance your arguments properly and do not be skewed only on denigrating Nigeria and Nigerians.When i saw the caption of this thread i thought it would be another interesting thread on NL but i got disappointed at your nonobjective comments. Juxtaposing the points and facts will make a whole lot of sense.

we have lived together about as long as the singaporeans and malaysians.

What is your point here?Do you think Malaysia and Singapore were developed by indigenous people?

Kobojunkie:

I think you would need to provide a better answer for the above as your "obvious" answer does not seem to work at all, at least for me. The name "Nigeria" may only be about 100 years old, but the entity has existed for about 200 years, and the people for probably 1000 years before.

The civil war of 1966 has little to do with this particular issue -- it is clear the same pattern can be observed even at the ethnic levels, all over the country.

He is NOT referring to the creative spirit of the people. He is not referring to the intelligence of individuals. It has nothing to do with proferring solutions which seems what many have chosen to replace this with -- solutions abound, we have never been lacking those either. Please take a look again at the contribution from others who have tried to explain this , eg. @: deor03

We have a PHD holder as President -- only this same has held public office for 12 straight years with nothing to show for all that time and money invested. We hired a former Goldmann Sachs employee as Minister of Finance last year and we all know the rest of that. We hired PHD holder after PHD holder into top offices and so far, we have nothing to write home about. I believe this is beyond individual booksmarts, and proferring of solutions.

Brilliant analogy Kobo,you last pharagraph sums it all up.

In regards to the general response to the thread, I think Gbawe misunderstood aribisala's message ,at the same time i think aribisala could have been more accommodating to Gbawe.This is a great thread where each and everyone of us can learn something from so i implore parties on both corners to be less aggressive and more accommodating.Let us share our views without insulting each other or our nation.

Brilliant analogy Kobo,you last pharagraph sums it all up.

For me, i think the problem with Nigeria and Nigerians is an attitudinal thing not really smartness.Nigerians are smart but our attitude to life, work, situations and values is our major setback.Ph.Ds will not develop Nigeria, it requires people with right values and perception to invoke the desired change.If you notice, whenever and wherever Nigerians apply the right attitude the result is always amazing, be they in academics, work and business.

Nigerians in my opinion are the most delusional set of human beings on the face of the planet.

How on earth can any nigerian say with a straight face that they are a nation of smart people when they havent even been able to throw off the shackles of colonialism?

surely a smart people would first of all focus on the right to self determination before any other thing.

I couldnt help but laugh when one poster mentioned the nigerian that is involved in the Gatwick airport partnership - okay for the sake of argument - so what if he "owns" it - what difference does that make to the average nigerian? does he have any say in the hiring and firing that goes on in that company?  
Does his presence in that company add value to the lives of the average nigerian?

The fact of the matter is that nigerians brag about superficial minutiae that make no real difference when you take the time to look at the bigger picture.  

Nigeria is a wealthy nation but  still under the control of  foreigners - Shell, Chevron and Exxon Mobil  exert massive control over the nigerian govt, the international banking institutions which incidentally are controlled and run by Jews exert massive financial control over our own central bank, lebanese , indians and chinese are moving into nigeria at a rapid rate and are setting up businesses, hiring indigenous  nigerians and paying them a pittance (with the support of the nigerian govt) and some nigerians still have the nerve to talk about being smart.
Where have  you seen a nation that gives prefere4ntial treatment to foreigners at the expense of its own people?
Can a nigerian dream of going to india, china or lebanon to buy up a business for next to nothing and then hire the indigenous people and pay them a pittance with the support of that country's govt?

There is a big difference between acquiring academic knowledge (which by the way is not that difficult to do, because all you really need to have is the ability to regurgitate information fed to you by somebody else) and developing wisdom and self awareness.  Nigerians are good at soaking up western education and extollign the virtues of western ideology, forgetting that many of these ideas were tailored to suit the western culture that they were created for.  Isnt it about time we came up with our own economic theories and ideals which will be more suited to our own unique cultures and traditions instead of being proud to be told by western academics how good we are at learning, copying and regurgitating THEIR ideas?

The fact of the matter is that it is so easy to  copy somebody else's template, nobody respects people who cant come up with their own ideas.  The reason that the europeans respect the japanese and chinese is because they are innovators and pace setters not followers, this is why they are treated as equals and allowed a seat at the table of important nations of the world.  Nigeria is a follower nation - content to copy and pretend as if that somehow makes you a nation to be reckoned with.

Lets stop this self deception and start looking inward, we need visionaries and innovators not half baked copy cats who are content to keep doing what has been done centuries ago.

chamber2:

For me, i think the problem with Nigeria and Nigerians is an attitudinal thing not really smartness.Nigerians are smart but our attitude to life, work, situations and values is our major setback.Ph.Ds will not develop Nigeria, it requires people with right values and perception to invoke the desired change.If you notice, whenever and wherever Nigerians apply the right attitude the result is always amazing, be they in academics, work and business.

Yes that is very true if only we could apply it to our politics.

cap28:

Nigerians in my opinion are the most delusional set of human beings on the face of the planet.

How on earth can any nigerian say with a straight face that they are a nation of smart people when they havent even been able to throw off the shackles of colonialism?

surely a smart people would first of all focus on the right to self determination before any other thing.

I couldnt help but laugh when one poster mentioned the nigerian that is involved in the Gatwick airport partnership - okay for the sake of argument - so what if he "owns" it - what difference does that make to the average nigerian? does he have any say in the hiring and firing that goes on in that company?  
Does his presence in that company add value to the lives of the average nigerian?

The fact of the matter is that nigerians brag about superficial minutiae that make no real difference when you take the time to look at the bigger picture.  

Nigeria is a wealthy nation but  still under the control of  foreigners - Shell, Chevron and Exxon Mobil  exert massive control over the nigerian govt, the international banking institutions which incidentally are controlled and run by Jews exert massive financial control over our own central bank, lebanese , indians and chinese are moving into nigeria at a rapid rate and are setting up businesses, hiring indigenous  nigerians and paying them a pittance (with the support of the nigerian govt) and some nigerians still have the nerve to talk about being smart.
Where have  you seen a nation that gives prefere4ntial treatment to foreigners at the expense of its own people?
Can a nigerian dream of going to india, china or lebanon to buy up a business for next to nothing and then hire the indigenous people and pay them a pittance with the support of that country's govt?

There is a big difference between acquiring academic knowledge (which by the way is not that difficult to do, because all you really need to have is the ability to regurgitate information fed to you by somebody else) and developing wisdom and self awareness.  Nigerians are good at soaking up western education and extollign the virtues of western ideology, forgetting that many of these ideas were tailored to suit the western culture that they were created for.  Isnt it about time we came up with our own economic theories and ideals which will be more suited to our own unique cultures and traditions instead of being proud to be told by western academics how good we are at learning, copying and regurgitating THEIR ideas?

The fact of the matter is that it is so easy to  copy somebody else's template, nobody respects people who cant come up with their own ideas.  The reason that the europeans respect the japanese and chinese is because they are innovators and pace setters not followers, this is why they are treated as equals and allowed a seat at the table of important nations of the world.  Nigeria is a follower nation - content to copy and pretend as if that somehow makes you a nation to be reckoned with.

Lets stop this self deception and start looking inward, we need visionaries and innovators not half baked copy cats who are content to keep doing what has been done centuries ago.

I am 100% behind you on this ,truer words have never been spoken.

Of course Nigerians are smart. They just need to channel their energy into more positive endeavors.
And to the OP saying jews, chinese, indians are smarter- sorry if you've got inferiority complex. Seems like you are looking down on yourself. No one has a monopoly on intelligence.

Yes that is very true if only we could apply it to our politics.

I just wish it could.Politics remains a veritable instrument of change and transformation.Unfortunately for Nigerians, we have not been very lucky to have had good leaders, right from the time of independence.We had people (during independence) who felt deprived of what rightfully belonged to them which thereby necessitated the fight for independence.Nigeria has a very large pool of talented people but the environment fueled by political abuse and selfishness have suppressed the ingenuity and creativity of Nigerians.

Kobojunkie:

I think you would need to provide a better answer for the above as your "obvious" answer does not seem to work at all, at least for me. The name "Nigeria" may only be about 100 years old, but the entity has existed for about 200 years, and the people for probably 1000  years before.

The civil war of 1966 has little to do with this particular issue -- it is clear the same pattern can be observed even at the ethnic levels, all over the country.

He is NOT referring to the creative spirit of the people. He is not referring to the intelligence of individuals. It has nothing to do with proferring solutions which seems what many have chosen to replace this with -- solutions abound, we have never been lacking those either. Please take a look again at the contribution from others who have tried to explain this , eg. @: deor03

We have a PHD holder as President -- only this same has held public office for 12 straight years with nothing to show for all that time and money invested. We hired a former Goldmann Sachs employee as Minister of Finance last year and we all know the rest of that. We hired PHD holder after PHD holder into top offices and so far, we have nothing to write home about. I believe this is beyond individual booksmarts, and proferring of solutions.

Okay maybe it is pertinent for me to stay alittle while and I will respond thus;

Firstly, I seek to differ  with your assertion that solutions abound in Nigeria, but the reverse (looking at Nigeria as a whole)is actually the case!How can you arrive at solutions when you fail to comprehend in entirety your challenges? Obvious case of which Nigeria belongs.
Look at Nigeria geographically and you would see a picture clearly spelt out; more progress is made regionally (i.e by collective groups of people who have live there for over 100years) than as a whole!
Permit me to use this trivia example albeit in the hope you would 'see' the picture clearly. It is far easier to find several road networks connecting town and cities within each regions in Nigeria (albeit most not in good shape currently) than you would for region to region and you wonder why this is? The answer lies in living cohesiveness that has developed between the tribes/groups within these region for years, as a result,they now have a collective aspiration of what they want to be like or be known for. Same can not be said of the country as whole 'cos the time frame we have been together as a country is not enough to bring about nationhood 'collective aspiration' and this only come about as time passes by. Can you say collectively but separately, the Hausas, Yorubas, Igbos,Binis,Ijaws are not productive or lack collective aspirations?

What we have currently in Nigeria can be described thus; Individual 'progressive ring' of severally groups ALL inter twined by a 'Massive ring'. And it this massive ring which mends all the individual progressive rings that is failing, and that 'massive ring' is leadership at the FG - the central. Hence such failures, no doubt due to the importance of that massive ring will paint a picture such as postulated by the OP - an opinion I seek to differ on.
In a nutshell, for SMARTNESS to manifest nationally, there must be a nationhood 'collective aspiration' which can only come about by long period of 'living cohessiveness'. China is a very good example. Years ago, Chinese were not seen as SMART atleast by most Westerners however that picture is gradually changing as the peoples through her central leadership has now defined a 'collective aspiration', which is being realized on the platform of 'living cohessivness' albeit with some moral reservations.

@Ilekede-Idi
While your assertion might be true in the US, you fail to consider the proportion of working class population wise. Currently approximately 6millions Nigerians are said to reside in the US compared to how many Latinos/Hispanics? Again issues of social-cultural barriers is another factor!
Unlike in the US, in the UK, Nigerians who graduate from places of higher learning do readily get jobs and currently, despite thier decimated population, Nigerians in UK still rank among groups (other than  BRITS) VERY LIKE to be employed, only slightly behind Indians, and very marginally below Pakistanis even though these two groups have far larger population of working class compared to Nigeria's.Again this is possible 'cos Nigerians in the UK does not suffer much from social-cultral factors (compared to those in the US)mainly due to the period of time Nigerians have "customized" themselves in the UK compared to that of US - Again none of these factors have anything to do with whether Nigerians are SMART or not. They are external factors which can not be used as a yardstick to measure the "SMARTNESS" or otherwise of Nigerians.

If you want to know if "A PEOPLE" is SMART, then examine how they respond to challenges that confront them daily due mainly to EXTERNAL FACTORS. And I am sure when one examines Nigerians through that perspective, no doubt that Nigerians will be adjudged as very SMART!