Nigerian Exceptionalism

Abstract The United States boasts the largest Nigerian diaspora, a group reputed to be among the most educated and highest achieving diasporans in that country. In explaining the Nigerian successes in the US , this article identifies Nigerian exceptionalism as a key factor, here framed around the concept of national narcissistic grandiosity. Although Nigeria is not a nation-state but a state of many nations, Nigerians in the US are constructing the nearest thing to an ideational national identity outside Nigeria. This identity formation is based on the idea that diaspora, which means dispersing or scattering, often undergoes a three-way evolutionary process of shedding, retaining and acquiring identity, which creates interstitial spaces for the emergence of new identities. The discussion draws mainly on secondary literature to support the thesis and the arguments presented.