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How many people are in Nigeria? 150M? 155M? 170M? Well whatever the number its certain that in every city wther it be Lagos, Benin City, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Calabar, Jos and etc. there is a substantial population of the Igbos.
A people found wherever there is money to be made, and advancement to be attained, the Igbo's are most likey Nigeria's largest ethnicity probably numbering 40 million in Nigeri and millions more world-wide.

Doubtful? Forget Census Reports, Nigeria has been known for providing inadequate and unreliable. In the census of 1991? Igbos were pronounced eighteen percent of Nigeria--a percentage which holds much controversy. With the 100 million people of Nigeria at that time, it meant that Igbos were only 18 million. How's this possible. Most fingures are pointed at the North which is supected of downplaying the numbers of the Igbos in an attempt to increase theirs and create the illusion that "most Nigerians are Northerners" which has been downplayed with common sense. It is possible to estimate that Igbos are anywhere from 35-40 million 23-26% of Nigeria.

So let us as Igbos, wherever we are in Nigeria celebrate our numbers and our unity and strength as a people.

hmm! celebrate our numbers??

you say forget the census,
am guessing we should forget the 1991 census too, coz its the same "nigerian system" abi.

so why should i forget the census (statistical proof) and accept your conjecture?

If we are to guess, as you are,
i would give it to the yorubas ( coz a couple of em are muslims)
or maybe the hausas for same reason.

muslim, many wives permitted, many children outcome, higher population.

But which ethnicity among the three is found everywhere in substantial numbers?

Hausas are not as large as they may seem. Remember in Nigeria, Hausas and Fulanis are counted as One group. Subtract Fulani and thats 2-3%. Now also subtract the number of Non-Hausas counted as Hausas because they speak Hausa, and also subtract the number added by the census beureas.

odumchi:

But which ethnicity among the three is found everywhere in substantial numbers?

Hausas are not as large as they may seem. Remember in Nigeria, Hausas and Fulanis are counted as One group. Subtract Fulani and thats 2-3%. Now also subtract the number of Non-Hausas counted as Hausas because they speak Hausa, and also subtract the number added by the census beureas.

i'll agree with you if you say igbos are the most spread, across the nation.

I apologize if i may sound bigotic but everything agrees with my statement:

How many of our footballers are Igbo?

How many of our actors are Igbo?

Howmany of our businessmen/busineswomen are Igbo?

The numbers are purely evident.

I am Igbo, but i wouldn't agree with you just coz I am.
I know we're well spread
it doesn't mean the guys that decide to stay in their part of the country are not more populous.

Its mere conjecture, I understand what you're getting at,
but proof and not guesses are the things that convince.

Then who do you spectulate the most populous ethnicity in Nigeria are and why? And also, if I understand you clearly, Igbos are the third largest. Why is this also?

I don't see igbos as the largest because
we occupy just 5states (i know we're well spread, still we occupy just 5states)
we're generally monogamous,
there have been/ are plenty circumstances were a man begets up to 10kids from just one wive
i think that trend is changing.

Hausas, occupy a larger land mass, they practise Islam which permits more than one wive,
if in their not distant past, a man begets 10 kids from one wive that would be double if he has 2wives and so on,
this is only theoritical aite.

WE (igbos) might be the second largest after the hausas,
coz I believe the Yorubas have a lot of christians and they tend to give birth to fewer kids (my guess).


Generally i would like to believe statistics which projects that igbos are the 3rd largest ethnic group.

^^^
Thats where you are wrong, my brother. Igbos are found indeginously in 8 states : Abia State, Rivers State (70-80% of Rivers is Igbo), Delta Sate (Here they make a bit over half of the population) , Anambra State, Benue State, Imo state,  Ebonyi State and Enugu State. The SE geopolitical zone is only 3/5 of Igboland.
Also Hausaland is not as desnley populated as the East (Which is the most densely populated place in Nigeria). Also much of Hausaland is sparesly populated (Excluding Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto) since a large number of the inhabitants partake in herding.

However, I agree with Islam allowing more than one wife. But remmeber space isn't everything. The Fulanis can be found anywhere from Guinea to Sudan however their world-wide numbers dont exceed 10 million.

odumchi:

I apologize if i may sound bigotic but everything agrees with my statement:

How many of our footballers are Igbo?

How many of our actors are Igbo?

Howmany of our businessmen/busineswomen are Igbo?

The numbers are purely evident.

maybe because some of those jobs are not attractive to Yorubas who would probably prefer sitting in some air-conditioned office and recieving a steady salary. That doesnt mean they are better. just saying.


Besides, the so-called nollywood as constituted is controlled by the igbo marketers who also bankroll those movies and have a say in who gets invited. Definitely some tribalism will be involved (maybe a little).

I agree with Odumchi and have known this for a while. The largest non-indigenous ethnic group in every city in Nigeria is Igbo. Even in Abuja itself, you hardly can walk around without hearing conversations in Igbo. I was very surprised about this when I flew into and visited Abuja for the first time in 2009. I believe we Ndigbo need to conduct a census via Ohanaeze, in other to determine our realistic population figures.

BTW an Hausa friend here in London who has toured every corner in Nigeria and can speak fluent Igbo, Hausa and very little Yoruba believes that Ndigbo make up anywhere between 40-50 million people but, I wouldn't go with his words. We need an ethnic census by Ohanaeze.

amblors:

I don't see igbos as the largest because
we occupy just 5states (i know we're well spread, still we occupy just 5states)
we're generally monogamous,
there have been/ are plenty circumstances were a man begets up to 10kids from just one wive
i think that trend is changing.

Hausas, occupy a larger land mass, they practise Islam which permits more than one wive,
if in their not distant past, a man begets 10 kids from one wive that would be double if he has 2wives and so on,
this is only theoritical aite.

WE (igbos) might be the second largest after the hausas,
coz I believe the Yorubas have a lot of christians and they tend to give birth to fewer kids (my guess).


Generally i would like to believe statistics which projects that igbos are the 3rd largest ethnic group.

Boy, you are not Igbo. If you are, why then do you have to learn from here that Ndigbo are outside the five south-east states. I believe the dowry paid on your mother's head is a waste.

^^^
thanks for the insult, thats plenty mature.
call an ikwerre man or opobo man igbo n c if u wont b slapped.

amblors:

^^^
thanks for the insult, thats plenty mature.
call an ikwerre man or opobo man igbo n c if u wont b slapped.

Mazi, they're Igbo. We've been through such arguments here on NL. You as an Igboman should be the last person to be saying we only exist in the SE.

^^^ok sir, i rest my case.

I will like to add that Yoruba are largest.

1. Muslim polygamy.

2. Highest twin birth rate in Africa.

3. Ifa priests also practice polygamy.

4. Traditional population spread across West Africa.

amblors:

^^^
thanks for the insult, thats plenty mature.
call an ikwerre man or opobo man igbo n c if u wont b slapped.

Don't be silly lil boy, If an Ikwerre man or Opobo man denies Igbo, does it mean Igbo is only in the south east?. What do you call Ndoki, Obigbo, Omuma, Egbema etc in Rivers state.
Just stop displaying stupidity here. Nonsense.

yea lol. My dad married one 

Ngodigha:

Don't be silly lil boy, If an Ikwerre man or Opobo man denies Igbo, does it mean Igbo is only in the south east?. What do you call Ndoki, Obigbo, Omuma, Egbema etc in Rivers state.
Just stop displaying stupidity here. Nonsense.

WE call the north : hausa, if you don't coz of your immense wisdom,
that's what the rest of nigerians call em.
benue, jos & fulani's are a different tribe.
so it doesn't really matter what YOU call em, its what they call themselves.

I have friends from Omuma & Egbema, you know what they call em selves? Ikwerre

amblors:

I have friends from Omuma & Egbema, you know what they call em selves? Ikwerre

Which Omuma-Etche friends do you have that they call themselves Ikwere? Etche people have do not claim to be Ikwere. They aren't even fond of the "Ikwere/Etche" constituency, talk less of "they call themselves Ikwere".

amblors:

Omuma people are not Ikwerre as well as Egbema people.

Ngodigha:

Don't be silly lil boy, If an Ikwerre man or Opobo man denies Igbo, does it mean Igbo is only in the south east?. What do you call Ndoki, Obigbo, Omuma, Egbema etc in Rivers state.

Obigbo is Ndokiland, Omuma are Etche, and Egbema in Rivers are kin to Egbema in Imo state; virtually the same people from what I hear.

yesoooo

How did you guys shift from headcount to land grab?

It is not certain between Ndigbo and Hausa-Fulani which group is more in number?.
But it is easy to get this figures. Let there be an ethnic section in the next head count in Nigeria.

Yorubas aren't the most populous. It's very hard for you to find Yorubas outside of the SW and Kwara. It's definitely Igbo, let there be a census

Now this is my analysis and since i am not hausa/yoruba/igbo I can be objective

1. the land mass of hausa/fulani land is about 40 % of Nigeria thus it is easy to say they are the largest ethnic group

the hausa/fulani occupy states like all the core northern states, abuja, niger, kwara, adamawa, nassawara, taraba, benue, plateau.

they are also in other countries outside nigeria that they can easlly migrate

2. the land mass of the yorubas about 20-25% and are states like kwara, niger, kogi, delta apart from the core SW states and also in other countries outside Nigeria

3. the land mass of the igbos is about 10-15 % and are in the core 5 SE states and are in states like delta, rivers. But the problem is some of the groups say they are not igbos and have there own distinct identities. Calling them igbo against there wish would only work against the wider igbos as when the emulators come for count, they would tell them otherwise instead of saying they are igbos.

this is the problem but even if they say they are, with me analysis i still believe this groups are larger than igbos. I might be wrong. it is just a suggestion

another thing is that yorubas are a lot in the north but can really blend in well. You might think he is an hausa fulani. Also in the SS but blend well as well. I remember a man that could speak igbo well and also looks igbo but said he was yoruba.

Also the igbos are easly noticed as they have a distinct way of life and accent which is easlly noticable. again i might be wrong and don't want to look like a hater. please lets make it a civil discussion

BEFORE I GO


does it matter if igbos or hausa are the most populous group

it changes nothing.  If tomorrow we count is it s proven false, what would you and ohaneze do ? would u all not say it is cheating etc

yes if igbos are the most populous, then good it adds nothing or take anything from you people

if yorubas are the most populous, then good as well

same with hausa

^^^
Land mass is not a determinant in head count. Niger republic is bigger than Holland in land mass by x50, yet Holland is more numerous than Niger republic. So if Igboland is 15% of the land mass of Nigeria, does not mean they are less than Hausas. You guys have not been to Igboland and that is why you chat so much irrelevancies.
For your information, the Igbo border areas where there is identity crisis are very sparsely populated. The bulk of Igbo population is the South east and the population of this area alone is bigger than the entire south west including half of Kwara state Yorubaland.
Only Mbaise alone has a population bigger than the entire Lagos state indigenes.

Furthermore, even if some groups say they are not Igbo, there will be more groups from Yorubaland who will say they are not Yorubas. We have seen that already in Kwara state, Kogi state, Ogun and Lagos. While in Hausaland, Fulanis will easily say they are not Hausas, this will actually live Ndigbo as the biggest ethnic group in Nigeria if we go by the logic of Alh Harem.

Andre Uweh:

^^^
Land mass is not a determinant in head count. Niger republic is bigger than Holland in land mass by x50, yet Holland is more numerous than Niger republic. So if Igboland is 15% of the land mass of Nigeria, does not mean they are less than Hausas. You guys have not been to Igboland and that is why you chat so much irrelevancies.
For your information, the Igbo border areas where there is identity crisis are very sparsely populated. The bulk of Igbo population is the South east and the population of this area alone is bigger than the entire south west including half of Kwara state Yorubaland.
Only Mbaise alone has a population bigger than the entire Lagos state indigenes.

my friend you are being illogical here. really it makes no sense. i mean brother listen to urself

1. Niger is not Nigeria. Niger is more or less a desert while even northern nigeria is savanna

2. Niger indigenes are more than Holland indigenes but is it not obvious that holland has a lot of migrates due to it economy as an european country thus the population count does not really matter as u do not kno the indigenes from migrates

3. I don't really want to argue with you, to be Honest here and you can comfirm from anyone, yorubaland more than half of kwara so trying to say half of kwara alone is wrong information. don't forget okun in kogi.

4. All 5 SE states can fit in OYO state.

5. if you believe the SE is bigger than the SW then there is no point in me discussing with you as u are not honest with yourself again.

6.Lastly, a state of 18 millon people of 30% indigenes is less than a state of about 3 million of which mbaise are a third of the population. Again if you are not honest with urself then there is no point.

I would leave you wit 1 thing and it is a fact whether you believe it or not.

The hausas alone are more than all the igbo clans, with all the claimed igbos(ika and co) + ijaw, ibiobio etc apart from the fulani

another thing I would leave u with is that

the ijebu and the egba alone in yoruba and are more than the population of ebonyi, anambra and enugu. forgeting about the ekiti, that are found everywhere etc

do you even know the apoi ijaws are now claiming yoruba. go figure brother.

You sounded annoyed in ur post, and I would want u to relax and digest with I wrote. Remember, lets remain civil, i mean at the end of the day it is all specualtion until we do head count and igbos might be the most populous group in nigeria, who knows ONLY ALLAH/GOD.

here is the ethnic map of nigeria by BBC updated 2008 or so u see hausa in abuja

[img]http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSY64EjSlZa3P5-FuVCmekHuIRLv3T04te3rr--3QzUa0SMM1m8[/img]

here is are ur states

[img]http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcRvOeUCtkWZBw2vdUoAzAm531AY_NzTTpPwsv5PiMgKdDWQ3S[/img]

here is kwara and yorubas part of kogi
[img]http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-E4T8pWg_xLn_W2_z7WPEflCnegckfpICc8EaNXopPO0bs9el[/img]

Andre Uweh:

Furthermore, even if some groups say they are not Igbo, there will be more groups from Yorubaland who will say they are not Yorubas. We have seen that already in Kwara state, Kogi state, Ogun and Lagos. While in Hausaland, Fulanis will easily say they are not Hausas, this will actually live Ndigbo as the biggest ethnic group in Nigeria if we go by the logic of Alh Harem.

like which group in yorubaland and hausaland. please be specific.

not individuals but groups

andre I can help u out

A group denying its yoruba identity right now are the Nupe people. but just like the edo people, they had there own empire and can choose to have there identity

for the hausas/fulani, it is those silly southern kaduna people, beroms and kanuri

but then again kanuri never fell for the Dan folio

and beroms and southern kaduna are just lost children but would be gotten back