33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

4 NIGERIA respected. The most common greeting is a handshake. Smiling is considered very important; men may place their left hand on the other person’s shoulder while shaking hands. Observant Muslims will generally not shake hands with the opposite sex . Nigerians are generally sociable and outgoing. They often use hand gestures in their communication; they may also use indirect eye contact to show they respect for the other person. Direct eye contact from strangers is generally considered inappropriate. Extended families are still the norm and are in fact the foundation of the social system. Hierarchy and seniority lie at the basis of family relationships, and the family is expected to provide financial aid and guidance to all its members (even extended family) 8 . GENDER RELATIONS: Nigeria is in the top 30 most unequal countries in the world when it comes to income distribution. Of the numerous people who enter the labour market every year, a mere 10% secure a job in the formal sector, and just one third of these are women 9 . Women and girls in Nigeria have significantly worse life chances than men and women elsewhere, although there are non-negligible geographical disparities, particularly between north and south. Poverty levels are much higher in the south, where health and education outcomes for girls are also significantly worse. Moreover, lack of opportunities contributes to exacerbating ethnic and religious conflict. Most women live in rural areas, and work mainly in the informal sector in subsistence agriculture and off farm activities. They are five times less likely than men to own land, and women with dependants are subjected to higher taxes than men. Regardless of their qualifications, women employed in the formal sector earn much less than their male counterparts. Women occupy less than 30% of public sector posts, and only 17% of senior positions 10 . The maternal mortality rate is extremely high, with one Nigerian woman dying in childbirth every ten minutes, due to poor access to safe childbirth services, and lack of adequate ©World Bank Photo Collection and affordable emergency obstetric care. Nigeria’s f ertility rate has declined, but remains high in the north-west, where use of contraceptives is very low 11 . Early marriages are extremely common, with girls being married off to older men, as is polygyny (the practice of having multiple wives). As a result of extreme 8 http://www.commisceo-global.com/country-guides/nigeria-guide 9 https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/british-council-gender-nigeria2012.pdf 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid.