Wikipedia

Lebanese Nigerians

(Redirected from Draft:Lebanese people in Nigeria)

Lebanese Nigerians (Arabic: نيجيريون لبنانيون) are Nigerians with Lebanese ancestry, including Lebanese-born immigrants to Nigeria. With a population approximated between 30,000 and 100,000, the group form one of the largest communities originally from outside Nigeria.[1][2]

Lebanese people in Nigeria
نيجيريون لبنانيون
LebanonNigeria
Total population
30,000 – 100,000[1][2]
Regions with significant populations
Throughout urban Nigeria
In particular Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Ibadan, Jos, Abuja, Sokoto, Birnin Kebbi, Katsina, Potiskum, Damaturu, Maiduguri and Port Harcourt.
Languages
Predominantly
Arabic (Lebanese) · English (Nigerian, Pidgin)
Others
French · Hausa · Yoruba
in addition to other Nigerian languages
Religion
Christianity (Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Melkite, and Protestant) ·
Islam (Shia and Sunni) · Druze
Related ethnic groups
Lebanese diaspora (Lebanese Ghanaians, Lebanese Ivorians, Lebanese Senegalese, Lebanese Sierra Leoneans)

Lebanese immigration to Nigeria started in the late nineteenth century, with migration from Ottoman Syria to the protectorates that later formed British Nigeria. The immigration — mainly from Lebanon but also from other parts of the Lebanese diaspora in West Africa — increased in the early twentieth century after the end of the first World War, being concentrated first in Lagos then in other urban areas throughout colonial Nigeria.[3] While some Lebanese Nigerians have left Nigeria — either permanently or temporarily for education or work — and reduced the original community's size, the further waves of immigration to Nigeria occurring amid the Lebanese Civil War and ongoing Lebanese liquidity crisis have added to the community since the late twentieth century.[4][5][6]

Identity

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During the first waves of Lebanese immigration to Nigeria (and West Africa more generally), modern-day Lebanon comprised part of Ottoman Syria and later the French mandate; due to this political situation, early Lebanese immigrants were grouped together with immigrants from Syria and denoted as "Syrians" in colonial reports.[7] Additionally, immigrants from other parts of the Arab world — including Libya, Morocco, and Yemen along with Mizrahi Jews — often entered into the community. Later estimates from the 1960s approximate that 3% of the community originate from modern Syria with the remainder coming from either Lebanon or other parts of the Arab world.[8] By the mid-twentieth century, "Lebanese" replaced "Syrian" as the predominant identification term for the community. Alternatively, some communities (especially in French West Africa) used variants of "Libano-Syrian" as to include the Syrian community while other sources used and continue to use "Levantine" or "Syro-Lebanese" as umbrella terms.[3]

Additionally, research notes the relative lack of cohesion in the Lebanese community in the first half of the twentieth century, with internal divides based on sectarian, ideological, religious, and subethnic differences.[2] However, there were some collective organisations — such as the Lebanese Union of Nigeria, largely to lobby colonial officials on the community's behalf; these organisations became the precursors to modern Lebanese Nigerian civil society and identity.[2] In post-independence Nigeria, Lebanese identity formed amid racialization, communal tensions, and community-building.[9]

History

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Colonial era

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People from Lebanon first migrated to West Africa in the 19th-century to flee oppression and economic crisis in the Ottoman Empire.[8] Reportedly, the first Lebanese immigrant to Nigeria was Elias Khoury who migrated from the Lebanese village of Miziara to Lagos in 1890.[10] Later Lebanese migrants often originally intended to reach Brazil or the United States, but many were stranded in West Africa due to financial problems.[8] Other Lebanese migrants to West Africa mistakenly believed they had traveled to a vague geographic region called "Amerka" (misspelling of "America"), due to either their lack of education or deception by ship captains.[11] Nigeria received a significant amount of Lebanese settlers due to its coastal city of Lagos serving as a major point of transit between Lebanon and the Americas.[8] Many of these early Lebanese migrants to Nigeria came from the villages of Miziara and Jwaya.[8] The two villages continue to rely on remittances from Lebanese Nigerians into the modern era.[10]

Contemporary

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Nigeria continues to receive a significant influx of Lebanese immigrants seeking to escape political and economic turmoil in their homeland. It is estimated that more than 250,000 Lebanese live in West Africa majority in Ivory Coast.[5] In February 2022, the Nigerian government granted citizenship to 286 foreign nationals, 108 of whom were Lebanese.[12]

Culture and Society

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Language

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As typical with immigrant communities in Nigeria, Lebanese Nigerians often speak both English and the community's native language — Arabic (more specifically, the Lebanese variety). However, many Lebanese Nigerians also speak the indigenous Nigerian languages depending on the dominant language of their home regions. Additional research contends that this "linguistic adaptability" has been a key asset of the community for generations.[8]

Religion

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Reports show that the Lebanese Nigerian community contains adherents of all three of Lebanon's largest religious sects — Maronite Catholicism, Shia Islam, and Sunni Islam — in addition to much smaller communities of other Eastern Christians, Druze, and (historically) Lebanese Jews.[13][14][8] The two largest religious groups have long been the Maronite and Shia communities, with research from the 1960s estimating that Lebanese Nigerians were 60% Christian (mainly Maronite) along with 40% Muslim/Druze (mainly Shia).[8]

The Lebanese Maronite community has been crucial for the establishment of Eastern Christianity in Nigeria; notably, Ibadan hosts the eparchial seat of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of the Annunciation — the Maronite eparchy that covers much of Sub-Saharan Africa.[13] The eparchy has four parishes in Nigeria — in Abuja, Ibadan, Lagos, and Port Harcourt — with several thousand attendees including both Maronites and other Eastern Christians.[15] Similarly, the Lebanese Shia community has played a major role in the history and development of Shia Islam in Nigeria, particularly in Kano.[16]

Cuisine

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See also: Lebanese cuisine
 
Tabbouleh — a common dish in Lebanese restaurants

While the Lebanese Nigerian community itself consumes traditional Lebanese food, it has also introduced Lebanese cuisine to Nigeria.[17] There are numerous Lebanese restaurants and food shops in Lagos, primarily in Victoria Island. Additionally, there are also Lebanese cuisine options in other cities with sizable Lebanese populations like Kano and Ibadan.

Politics

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During the first half of the twentieth century, the main interactions between the Lebanese community and governments were various attempts by groups to lobby colonial administrators.[3][8] However, reports show a more direct role in politics being played by Lebanese community leaders by the late 1950s, with a notable incident in 1959 with the heavily disputed establishment of an "Oriental Branch" of the Northern People's Congress by Lebanese, Syrian, and Yemeni community leaders in Kano.[8] After independence, some individual Lebanese Nigerians took prominent roles in politics including Abbas Hajaig — an engineer who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Jigawa State in 2007 — and Gilbert Chagoury — a businessman known for his close connections to military Head of State Sani Abacha and President Bola Tinubu.[18][19][20]

There is also involvement in Lebanese politics from the community with Nasserism being a major ideology among Lebanese Nigerian youth in the mid-twentieth century.[8] In 2019, there were demonstrations in Lagos in solidarity with the 17 October Revolution.[21] Several thousands in the community are registered to vote in Lebanon and on an individual level, there are various Lebanese Nigerians who later became politicians in Lebanon, including former Member of Parliament Anwar M. El-Khalil.[22]

Impact on Nigerian society

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Tinubu Square, an open space landmark in Lagos, was donated by the Lebanese community as a gift for Nigeria upon Nigerian independence in 1960.[23] The Lebanese Community School is a private school in Lagos operated by the Lebanese.

List of notable Lebanese-Nigerians

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Planes and pyramids: The surreal mansions of Lebanon's Nigeria Avenue". Middle East Eye édition française.
  2. ^ a b c d Olaniyi, Rasheed Oyewole; Ajayi, Oluwasegun Michael (2014). "The Lebanese in Ibadan, Nigeria, 1986-2012". Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria. 23: 131–149. JSTOR 24768945.
  3. ^ a b c Falola, Toyin (1990). "Lebanese Traders in Southwestern Nigeria, 1900-1960". African Affairs. 89 (357): 523–553. ISSN 0001-9909. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  4. ^ May, Clifford D. "Lebanese in Africa: Tale of Success (and Anxiety)". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Lebanese move to west Africa, escaping the crisis at home". The Economist. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ^ Ndukwe, Ijeoma. "'Everyone is hustling here': The Lebanese of Nigeria". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Annual reports on the colonies, Nigeria, [1897-98-1938]". University Library, University of Illinois. Library of Congress. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Winder, R. Bayly (1962). "The Lebanese in West Africa". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 4 (3): 296–333. ISSN 0010-4175. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  9. ^ Kaj, Nisreen. "Why a non-black identity – the Lebanese – as part of Nigeria's national polity has been problematic" (PDF). Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies. University of Leeds. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Transnational Networks of the Lebanese-Nigerian Diaspora". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  11. ^ Akyeampong, Emmanuel K. (August 2006). "Race, Identity and Citizenship in Black Africa: The Case of the Lebanese in Ghana". Africa. 76 (3): 297–323. doi:10.3366/afr.2006.0033.
  12. ^ Okere, Alexander (11 September 2022). "286 Britons, Lebanese, Italians, others get Nigerian citizenship". Punch Newspapers.
  13. ^ a b "Maronite Presence in Africa". Maronite Catholic Eparchy of the Annunciation. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Druze: the great survivors". Arab News. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Parishes". Maronite Eparchy of the Annunciation. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  16. ^ Isa, Kabiru Haruna; Adam, Sani Yakubu (2017). "A History of Shia and its Development in Nigeria: The Case-Study of Kano". Journal for Islamic Studies. 36: 226–256. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  17. ^ "LEBANESE MAKEOVER OF NIGERIA'S FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRY". YouTube. Arise News. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  18. ^ Oyinlola, Muyiwa (18 January 2007). "Lebanese eyes Senate seat". The Sun. Archived from the original on 11 January 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  19. ^ Rupert, James. "Washingtonpost.com: Nigeria Report". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  20. ^ Shehu, Idris. "Gilbert Chagoury listed as Tinubu's 'confidante' in Nigeria's delegation to COP28". TheCable. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Watch: Demonstration in Lagos, Nigeria, in solidarity with Lebanon". MTV (Lebanon). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  22. ^ Hayek, Caroline. "Diaspora voting: is Lebanon ready?". L’Orient Today. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Tinubu Square: A befitting memorial to an Amazon The Nation Newspaper". 22 November 2013.
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