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Some of Nigeria's Best - As Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria has exported a plethora of talented individuals from all walks of life. In honor of the West African nation’s 53rd year of independence, keep reading to learn more about a number of remarkable Nigerian writers, activists, athletes, actors and performers. —Patrice Peck(Photos from left: Larry Busacca/Getty Images, Jerod Harris/Getty Images, AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - An Igbo writer born in the town of Enugu, Nigeria, 36-year-old Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been heralded as one of the most prominent young authors by a number of esteemed outlets, including BBC and The New Yorker. Her acclaimed debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, which she subsequently won for her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. The former novel was recently adapted for film, starring fellow Nigerian Chiwetel Ejiofor.(Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty Images)

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Fela Kuti - Multi-instrumentalist musician and composer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, better known as Fela, blazed the trail for Afrobeat music, a vibrant genre that ignited a generation. The legendary musician was also a human rights activist and political rebel. Fela died of AIDS at age 58 on Aug. 2, 1997.(Photo: Reuters)

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Seal - British R&B and soul singer-songwriter Seal was born to a Nigerian mother and Brazilian father, but he was raised by a foster family. The multiple award-winning performer sang the major hit song “Kiss From a Rose” among others and has won four Grammys.(Photo: Ragnar Singsaas/Getty Images)

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Seun Kuti - Born Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, musician Seun Kuti leads Egypt 80, the band of his late legendary father Fela Kuti. He became the lead singer of Fela’s band at 14 years old shortly after the Afrobeat innovator died in 1997.(Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)

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Chinua Achebe - Though Chinua Achebe’s extensive work has propelled him to idolized heights, the Nigerian writer and critic’s tour de force was his debut novel, Things Fall Apart, the most widely read book in modern Africa. His stories often centered on the clash of Western influence and traditional African values during and after colonialism. Influential figures from all backgrounds and professions mourned when “The Grandfather of Nigerian literature” died at age 82 in March 2013.(Photo: AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)

Photo By Craig Ruttle/AP Photo

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Femi Kuti - The oldest son of Fela Kuti, Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti — best known as Femi Kuti — took after his father’s love for music and commitment to social and political causes. His extensive discography includes 16 albums, which have earned him Grammy nominations in 2003, 2010 and 2012.(Photo: Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)

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King Sunny Ade - An internationally acclaimed performer, King Sunny Ade is best known for spreading Yoruba Nigerian jùjú music and modern world music to a wider, global audience. Sometimes called the Minister of Enjoyment, Ade has been called one of the 100 most influential musicians of all time.(Photo: Patrick Aventurier/Equus/Getty Images)

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Sophie Okonedo - Born to a Nigerian father and an Ashkenazi Jewish mother in London, U.K., actress Sophie Okonedo has starred in several critically acclaimed British and American productions. Her performance in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda earned her an Academy Award nomination.(Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

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Ben Okri - Poet and novelist Ben Okri has been placed in the same canonized category of renowned authors like Salman Rushdie and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Best known for his novel The Famished Road, for which he received the Booker Prize in 1991, Okri rose to international acclaim thanks to his distinctively nuanced portrayals of post-modern and post-colonial traditions.(Photo: David Levenson/Getty Images)

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Chiwetel Ejiofor - Throughout his extensive television, film and theater career, British Nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has garnered a bevy of awards and nominations, including three Golden Globe nominations and a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in Othello. His recent performance in 12 Years a Slave has sparked major awards buzz for the 2013 Academy Awards.(Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

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Genevieve Nnaji - Called Nollywood’s “Julia Roberts,” movie star Genevieve Nnaji has starred in dozens of films since 1998. In addition to wining an award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2005 African Movie Academy Awards, the high-profile actress has also received several lucrative endorsement deals and launched her own clothing line. (Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty Images)

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Ken Saro-Wiwa - A jack of all trades, Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian writer and television producer whose extensive work as an environmental activist in his homeland won him the Right Livelihood Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize. He was arrested and ultimately hanged at age 54 by the military government in 1995 on unfounded and widely contested charges. Nigeria was consequently suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations for more than three years.(Photo: Wikicommons)

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Wole Soyinka - Wole Soyinka achieved a history-making feat in 1986 when he became the first person of African descent to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. At 79 years old, the acclaimed writer is best known for his plays, including The Lion and the Jewel, Death and the King’s Horseman, The Strong Breed and Dance of the Forests. (Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Grey Goose)

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Sade - This Nigerian-born British singer-song writer is an international household name. Born Helen Folasade Adu, but better known as Sade, she is the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Grammy Award winning British group Sade. In 2012, VH1 placed the singer at number 30 on its list of 100 greatest women in music. Her widely acclaimed talents even earned her an an order of chivalry from Prince Charles in 2002. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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Nwankwo Kanu - Known simply as Kanu, this retired football player was a member and captain of the Nigerian national team for 16 years from 1994 through 2010. A highly decorated athlete, he has won medals and titles in both Africa and Europe, including two African Player of the Year awards, three FA Cup Winner medals and an Olympic gold medal. (Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

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Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon - At 7 feet tall, retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player Hakeem Abdul “The Dream” Olajuwon used his towering stature and his versatile skills to cement his status as one of the greatest players in history. He played the center positions for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors from 1984 to 2002, during which he became the only player to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards in the same season. (Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images