scholes0:


Fulaman we can't possibly believe a book written in 1921 by some colonialist who must have made numerous errors, is true in 2015 can we?


This is the result of the 1961 Census. The Yoruba and Hausa populations were neck to neck at the time.
Hausa population might have surged ahead between 1961 and now, but Yoruba would still very much solidly in 2nd place, knowing fully well that they have a higher birth rate compared to Igbos who at the time had a much less population, not to even talk of now.

Since you are Fulani, the fula number might also surprise you. I was personally pleasantly surprised, that we had that many beautiful Fulanis in Nigeria, as at 1963. If there were almost 5 million Fulas at the time, they are most probably around 15 million by now.... lets even assume 70% of them can't speak Fulfulde, that still leaves about 4.5 Million of them who can- which is definitely more than the 1.9 Million quoted in the OP's article.

Anyone interested in the full list can PM me, or quote me and demand for the rest.

oladosuphemmy:
HOW ON EARTH WILL SOMEONE TELL ME THAT IGBO IS MORE SPOKEN THAN YORUBA.
THE POPULATION ALONE TELLS YOU ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE.
DEFINITELY HAUSAS HAS THE MOST POPULATION FOLLOWED BY THE YORUBAS AND THEN THE IGBO.
LAGOS IS ABOUT 15MIL IN POPULATION AND MORE THAN 90PEFCENT OF THIS POPULATION SPEAKS YORUBA, NOT TO TALK OF OYO STATE, EKITI, ONDO, OGUN, KWARA, OSUN, PART OF KOGI, EDO, BENIN REPUBLIC, COTE VORE, TOGO, THERE IS EVEN A COMMUNITY IN BRAZIL THAT SPEAKS YORUBA
IF YOU ARE STILL CONFUSED PLS READ THE LIST OF THE MOST SPOKEN NATIVE LANGUAGES IN THE WORLD HERE
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers
HERE WE SEE YORUBA AND HAUSA AMONG THE MOST SPOKEN NATIVE LANG WITH THE EXCEPTION OF IGBO.
PLS, MAKE SURE U CARRYOUT YOUR RESEARCH CAREFULLY, DILIGENTLY, AND ACCURATELY BEFORE POSTING HERE SO AS NOT TO MIS-INFORM NAIRALANDERS.

bigfrancis21:


You need to do a further research yourself to find out that in precolonial Nigeria, Igbo had more population than Yoruba, by an exceeding margin of 1.8 million. JAMB, WAEC, First school leaving certificate exam statistics all show the Igbo to be higher than Yoruba in statistics given. Go to the south east, it is the most densely populated area in the entire West Africa. Travelling to the east and crossing the Niger bridge and on arrival in Onitsha you will notice a surge in population and you will see people seething everywhere like flies. Going inside further into Awka, Owerri, Aba, Enugu and you will be met with teeming Igbo population. The Igbo are found in south east + Delta, Rivers, Benue state, Kogi, Akwa Ibom, tiny bits of Bayelsa and Cross River state. All bia-speaking Igbo clans might actually be the majority in the Niger Delta region. Leaving the south east and going to Lagos, Igbo can be comfortably said to be number 2 in population after the native Yorubas, rivalling the natives by not much of margin in population. Go to Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, and most states in Nigeria, the Igbo population comes 2nd after the population of the natives in most states in Nigeria. These factors strongly point to favourable population statistics for the Igbo people.

Having 6 states + stakes in 2 other states does not automatically mean that the inhabiting tribe is more populated. Land mass does not equate to population size. The Yoruba seem to be concentrated mostly in the south west region and a proper census taken of the Yoruba in SW, including an extra 100,000 to account for those in other states of Nigeria will give you the actual Yoruba population whereas you would need to add up all the seething Igbo population in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Benue, Jos, Katsina, Ibadan etc + densely populated South East + Delta Igbo + Rivers Igbo + Benue Igbo (approximately 1 million spread out over 300 villages in Benue state) + Akwa-Ibom Igbo etc to obtain the true Igbo population figure which would actually shock you than you imagined.

Not to forget the about 2 million Igbo people who were slaughtered during the civil war.

Fulaman198:


I think the 3 majority groups of Nigeria over-exaggerate their populations (well maybe Hausa do not since they typically have lots of children, no offence my Hausa neighbours). However, Yoruba and igbo people don't typically have many children, so where is this huge population increase coming from?

Fulaman198:


In Nigeria I put Yoruba people anywhere between 18 million and 25 million, so the 19 mil figure is probably accurate. I think Yorubas only have two countries that they are based in natively, Nigeria and Rep of Benin.

Fulaman198:


You are completely spot on I almost pulled out my beard reading that nonsense

Funjosh:


Togo and Ghana inclusive. I never knew that of Ghana until last year when I board a bus from Auchi to Lagos sitting beside a Ghanian man. He made me to understand that they have Ghanian that are Yoruba he even mention if I know one Kayode that he is a minister or so. If we travel and meet people we will underatand a lot of things we don't .

Funjosh:


Have you travelled to some densely populated cities in the South

diamondpaul:
Whatt's all this thrash written up here , forget abt all those how many population re speaking the language u can't possibly put an igbo language ontop of the most widely knwn nd spoken languagein africa yor...even till south american's country such as brazil nd cuba it's widely knwn there..take a look for example at the way our language are being generally commercialised nd indicating the extinction in other language.I won't restart this point but so to say my fact's is yoruba is the most widely spoken nd used in nigeria as far as am concerend simply because it's the general language in lagos the most commercialised city in west africa.even the igbo's must succumb to it's usage for their daily survival there.

ChristyG:
hahaha,and u must be a fo.ol to believe dat.go and see many yoruba polygamous families compared to ibo where it is mostly one man and one wife(common sense should tell u dat)yoruba population is almost 40 million in nigeria,so its definately more than 19 million speakers,also with non yorubas in lagos,there are way more non yorubas who speak yoruba compared to ibo lang.ibos are actually d leastnot yorubas

McLuhan:
Is this some kind of ethnic posturing or what? Who conducted this research? I hate it when people try to score cheap political points by bandying statistics and supremacist rhetoric. If Hausa is the most widely spoken native language in Nigeria, what am I expected to do? Abandon my mother tongue and learn Hausa? Or can we compare Hausa and Yoruba to English in terms of linguistic development, universal acceptability, versatility and sheer utility? Those who blow the trumpet of these so-called majority langauages should know that in the global setting these Nigerian languages are practically inconsequential. Whether Fulfulde or Annang or Igbo or whatever, they are all peripheral to English, French, Spanish, etc.

FolarinLondon:


Don't you know them? They do this to feel good.

Igbo language has more speakers than Yoruba language could only be imagined by these Halfwits

Do you know how many of their children that have dumped their tick Igbotic language for Yoruba Language? Come to the West, UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia and see how fast their language is being dumped by their children for Yoruba language.

Do you know how many foreigners in Nigeria universities in the West, taking Yoruba Language as a course which is not happening with other languages in Nigeria?

I presume the Op lives in the East and he us yet to step out of that place...............

Funjosh:


Togo and Ghana inclusive. I never knew that of Ghana until last year when I board a bus from Auchi to Lagos sitting beside a Ghanian man. He made me to understand that they have Ghanian that are Yoruba he even mention if I know one Kayode that he is a minister or so. If we travel and meet people we will underatand a lot of things we don't .

bigfrancis21:


You need to do a further research yourself to find out that in precolonial Nigeria, Igbo had more population than Yoruba, by an exceeding margin of 1.8 million. JAMB, WAEC, First school leaving certificate exam statistics all show the Igbo to be higher than Yoruba in statistics given. Go to the south east, it is the most densely populated area in the entire West Africa. Travelling to the east and crossing the Niger bridge and on arrival in Onitsha you will notice a surge in population and you will see people seething everywhere like flies. Going inside further into Awka, Owerri, Aba, Enugu and you will be met with teeming Igbo population. The Igbo are found in south east + Delta, Rivers, Benue state, Kogi, Akwa Ibom, tiny bits of Bayelsa and Cross River state. All bia-speaking Igbo clans might actually be the majority in the Niger Delta region. Leaving the south east and going to Lagos, Igbo can be comfortably said to be number 2 in population after the native Yorubas, rivalling the natives by not much of margin in population. Go to Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, and most states in Nigeria, the Igbo population comes 2nd after the population of the natives in most states in Nigeria. These factors strongly point to favourable population statistics for the Igbo people.

Having 6 states + stakes in 2 other states does not automatically mean that the inhabiting tribe is more populated. Land mass does not equate to population size. The Yoruba seem to be concentrated mostly in the south west region and a proper census taken of the Yoruba in SW, including an extra 100,000 to account for those in other states of Nigeria will give you the actual Yoruba population whereas you would need to add up all the seething Igbo population in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Benue, Jos, Katsina, Ibadan etc + densely populated South East + Delta Igbo + Rivers Igbo + Benue Igbo (approximately 1 million spread out over 300 villages in Benue state) + Akwa-Ibom Igbo etc to obtain the true Igbo population figure which would actually shock you than you imagined.

Not to forget the about 2 million Igbo people who were slaughtered during the civil war.

Eluwilussit:


I am not doubting you. In one of my posts, I stated that I had thought, based on popular belief or info, that Yorubas were more. I am not in any way arguing your position. If anything, I am only stating what I thought, which might be wrong.

So if you have anything or source that can help me understand your position, I am open to it. Here to learn and not to argue. Thanks a lot. I appreciate your effort.

splashbaby:

Two countries in West Africa Togo and Benin have Yoruba as the largest ethnic group...

Fulaman198:


In Nigeria I put Yoruba people anywhere between 18 million and 25 million, so the 19 mil figure is probably accurate. I think Yorubas only have two countries that they are based in natively, Nigeria and Rep of Benin.

Radoillo:


Easy. Yoruba is not the largest ethnic group in Benin. And in Togo, they are an even smaller minority.

splashbaby:




You claimed Igbos travelled a lot I agree but they are more Yorubas in diaspora than Igbos, if we are to count that we will need two countries the size of Sudan to accommodate them.
Two countries in West Africa Togo and Benin have Yoruba as the largest ethnic group...just because we have few noisy Igbo men selling provisions, crayfish, spare parts and cloths around towns in Nigeria do not make them twice as much in population of their host town...in major towns in Nigeria including your Aba and Onitsha Yorubas control the taxi industry, wood industry and the engineering/building industry. It's a common scene in Port Harcourt to hear Yoruba spoken on the streets and in taxis.

Jokay07:
you answered/quoted me as if we are quarelling. Well i have no time argue but let me engage ur mind with this http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_people and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people U cn reply me when u read them

splashbaby:
Sabe, Ketu, Dassa and many part of Port Novo all speaks Yoruba. The common spoken language in Benin and Togo apart from French and some few dorminant native language is Yoruba

Fulaman198:


Well by population Igbo maybe 2nd (I don't know as Yoruba are bountiful too).

The thing is that respectively, Both Igbo and Yoruba people don't have as much offspring as the Hausa. I don't know if that is due to education or the mentality of being "modernised".

With that said, you are right about the fact that many people who speak Hausa are not even pure Hausa themselves. The number of pure Hausa is unknown really. You have a cluster of smaller minority groups who often want to be clustered with the Hausa, like the Bolewas, Ngas, Tangale, Buras, Ga'anda people, etc. etc. etc. I still live by the statement that the only true Hausa today can be found in the republic of Niger (near areas such as Zinder, Maradi, etc.) and some core parts of Nigeria. However, it is hard to find a Hausa who isn't mixed with a neighbouring ethnic group. The way Hausas are often clustered with Fulanis kind of disgusts me sometimes honestly because they can't differentiate from an Eagle and an Ostrich.

With that said, I also wanted to bring to your attention that many Igbo people of your generation and younger are not caring much for the Igbo language anymore. I've met several Igbo people (work, here in Nigeria, and even in school in the United States) and many of them couldn't even speak Igbo language......I mean no offence, but I believe that any person who can't speak their native language is a disgrace. I say that about everyone Fulani people especially in the North West who can't speak 1 kobo of Fulfulde.

Nigeria's census is indeed a huge issue and needs to be readdressed. But as long as corruption plays a huge part of Nigeria, it may never be even in our young lifetimes.

saxywale:

You forgot the Yoruba's in sierra Leone and ivory coast. There is a Yoruba tribe in ivory coast that traced their root to onipopo, one of the sons of odua.
They speak some "lost" Yoruba language. E.g I have just finished eating=mo ti dun inu(I just made my stomach happy).
Some Brazilians and Cubans too speak "lost" Yoruba language.
lost here means ancient Yoruba language.

Someone said Yoruba moved to Ghana around 100 years ago. It's centuries before that.before that.lol

"The Ooni , who said that traditional rulers in West Africa
were getting in
touch with one another, stated that one of the rulers
from Accra ,
Ghana had written a
letter of proposed visit to Ile Ife ,
claiming that his ancestors hailed from Yorubaland."
The ooni was referring to the ewe people. The ewe speak some ancient Yoruba too.

These ones are different from the freed Brazilian slaves of Yoruba ancestry(the tabon) and Yoruba traders that settled in Ghana in the early 1800.

zendy:




Please don't make me laugh. It is actually a very rare thing to see a Yoruba person in Igboland (with the exception of civil servants who have no choice with their postings). However,it is a very common thing to see Igbos in Yorubaland,even inside where they do their 'Orisa'

scholes0:


Bro, don't be ridiculous.
The Wikipedia figures quoting that Igbos are 18% of nigeria is probably even a bonanza- it is not based on any empirical facts, but rather, from the CIA world factbook- which was the same factbook that claims Ijaws are 10% of nigeria.... now you can see how ridiculous this is becoming.
, look at the figures I posted above- Igbos were 16.6% of the country, so unless somehow igbos have found a secret way to multiply that remains unknown to the Yorubas and the Hausas- I doubt they have become the number 1 or 2 group in the country ahead of the former two.

Also, this thread is about language, and considering the well known fact that Igbos tend to speak and proliferate/propagate their language at much less frequency than the Yorubas or the Hausas.... I doubt it is the number 2 language in the country. More like Number 4 sef... After Hausa Yoruba and Pidgin.

splashbaby:


Igbos are not friendly enough to accommodate them...the truth is Igbos like to integrate into other people community, speak their language and behave well like the locals but back home rejects foreigners... I can hardly find any Yorubas that speaks Igbo... Hardly! But have many Igbo friends that speaks Yoruba better than I do. Yet we still manage to have Yoruba population in transport and building industry. The economic situation in the East is not as viable as in other region.


This cannot be said of the Hausa/Yoruba relationship.

90% of bread traders in the North are Yorubas who loved their host community with passion. They speak the language and behave like Hausas.