Unlike most other nations, however, Nigeria had not just one or two but several other cities of major size and importance, a number of which were larger than most other national capitals in Africa.
In two areas, the Yoruba region in the southwest and the Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri areas of the north, there were numbers of cities with historical roots stretching back considerably before the advent of British colonizers, giving them distinctive physical and cultural identities.
As ever greater numbers of people moved to a small number of rapidly expanding cities (or, as was often the case, a single main city), the fabric of life in both urban and rural areas changed in massive, often unforeseen ways.
With the largest and one of the most rapidly growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria has experienced the phenomenon of urbanization as thoroughly as any African nation, but its experience has also been unique--in scale, in pervasiveness, and in historical antecedents.
A common complaint shared by seasoned online daters who have tried various dating sites is that, rarely do the multitude of matchmaking services live up to their claims.
For a monthly fee, dating sites claim they'll do the math for you and spit out your soul mate in return.
Truth is, many boomers often reach their 50s and older and find themselves uncoupled, either through death or divorce; they don't know where to turn.
Many haven't been on the dating scene for decades and, feeling lonely and vulnerable, turn to their nearest computer for help.
There have been a rash of complaints against online dating sites, according to the Better Business Bureau.
And there is a class action lawsuit pending in the U. District Court that claims more than 60 percent of the profiles on are fraudulent -- something spokesman Matthew Traub calls an "unfounded allegation in a money-seeking litigation." Then there is another, perhaps darker, side to the consumer complaints: People reporting that they were bilked out of money by those they connected with through an online dating site.
The Better Business Bureau listed online dating sites among its top 10 scams for 2011, and one consumer advocacy group says its members have lost millions from online dating scams.
Is it a case of looking for love in all of the wrong places, or just a few bad apples in an otherwise happy bushel?
People aged 50 and older represent 25 percent of membership on the popular dating site -- a 45 percent jump in the last five years, a spokesman said.