Literature: Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Music: Fela Kuti, Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, P Square, 2Face

A Thriving Film Industry – Nollywood

Nigerian English & Pidgin - which has been copied across the continent due to the influence of Nollywood movies e.g. words like Oga, Wahala, Oyibo

An abundance of natural resources in Oil, Rubber, Cocoa, Timber etc

Highest rates of post-first degree holders of any immigrants to the USA and UK
Fashion - Nigeria's influence has also spread to the rest of the continent with non-Nigerian women sporting Geles (headties made of jacquard fabric) and Aso Ebi (the wearing of the same fabric in various styles for a special occasion).

Food - Moi Moi, Egusi, Ogbono, Efo Riro, Edikaikan, Akara, Asaro, Suya

Most populated country in Africa - over 160 million people

Natural Born Hustlers! Entrepreneurial and clever. Very good at thinking up ways (good or bad) to make money.

UPDATE

Since I wrote the above nearly 4 years ago, there have been a number of developments so I thought I would update my list.

11. Formidable online presence - be it via Nigerian websites e.g. BellaNaija, YouTube personalities or being the top African users of Twitter and Instagram, Nigerians are visible and making waves. See Facebook’s chief, Mark Zuckerberg, recent visit to Nigeria for evidence.

12. Keen football fans - having won the Olympic gold football medal in 1996, reached the knock-out stages of the World Cup and produced some of the world’s best footballers (Kanu, Okocha), Nigeria’s Super Eagles team are well known. However, it's their support of EPL teams be it Arsenal (Gooners!), Man U, Chelsea or even Bolton that has made them amongst the most well known football supporters in the world. Think I'm kidding? Check your Twitter feed during an EPL match.

13. Weddings - the popularity of YouTube has uncovered a phenomenon known to Nigerians for years but now known to everyone - Nigerian Weddings! To say Nigerians throw the best parties for their nuptials is an understatement. From the traditional engagements to the colourful “white” weddings, no one does it better.

14. Evangelical and Pentecostal churches - Nigeria has been leading the revival of the Christain faith across the world for a number of years. But it's their innovative leadership and style of worship that have been replicated (for good and bad) across Africa. Leaders like Kumuyi, Adeboye, Olukoya, Adefarasin, Ashimolowo, Oyakhilome, TB Joshua etc. have spearheaded a movement that has gradually become the norm.

15. Terrorism - Sadly, Islamic terrorism mainly carried out by Boko Haram has blighted the north of the country. Initiatives such as #BringBackOurGirls have ensured that this hasn't been swept under the rug and neglected by the world.


Source: https://www.quora.com/What-is-Nigeria-famous-for