Fundamental Facts About Nigerian Immigrants In The United States
On January 31, 2020, it was announced at a Press Conference by the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and in the presence of Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, that President Donald Trump added Nigeria, to a list of countries whose residents face restrictions on travel into the United States. This policy took effect on February. 22, 2020.
The policy is taken for no justifiable reason, because the facts about Nigeria and Nigerian immigrants in the Unites States of America do not support such action. Here are some fundamental facts about Nigeria and Nigerian immigrants in the U.S., excerpts taken from various previously published reports.

- Nigeria is the seventh most populous country in the world, with estimated 206 million people, the most populous Black nation in the world, and Africa’s largest economy;
- Nigeria’s population is almost evenly split between Muslims (50%) and Christians (48.1%), as of 2015. It has the world’s fifth-largest Muslim population (90 million) and the world’s sixth-largest Christian population (87 million).
- As of 2015, there were about 376,000 Nigerian immigrants and their children living in the U.S. (Migration Policy Institute), making Nigeria the top birthplace among African immigrants in the country.
- As of 2016, around six-in-ten black Nigerian immigrants of the age 25 and older in the U.S. (59%) had a bachelor’s degree or more education – a share roughly double that of the overall American population (Pew Research Center).
- New American Economy (NAE) in 2018 estimated that globally, Nigerians in the Diaspora remitted over $24 billion to Nigeria in 2018. Remittance from the United States was more than from any other country, and equally more than was sent to any other African nation.
- Likewise, NAE in 2018 reported that Nigerians in the United States generated over $14 billion into the US economy, and paid $4 billion in taxes.
- Nigerians have a more positive view of Trump than people in many other countries. According to Pew Research Center a spring 2019 survey, 58% of Nigerian adults said they had confidence in Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs, compared with a median of 29% across 32 nations surveyed by the Center.