54 Incredible Facts That You Might Not Know About Nigeria
Hmmm I'm sure many of us did not know
some of these incredible facts about naija.
Time to learn Nairalanders...
1. The River Niger Bridge at Onitsha was
constructed between 1964 and 1965 by
Dumez- a French construction company and
cost £5 million.
2. Patience Jonathan is one of Nigeria’s
most-educated First Ladies, with an NCE, a
B.Ed, and a PhD from University of Port-
Harcourt.
3. The highest peak in Nigeria is located in
Taraba and is called Chappal Waddi which
means “The Mountain of Death”.
4. There are 196 countries in the world and
at least one Igbo person from Nigeria lives
in every one of them.
5. The Pidgin word ‘Sabi’ came from ‘Saber’,
Portuguese and Spanish for ‘to know’. Both
country’s ships traded slaves from the Bight
of Benin.
6. Katsina College (now Barewa College in
Zaria) has produced 5 Nigerian Presidents/
Heads of State since it was founded in 1921
in Katsina.
7. Ojukwu taught Murtala Mohammed and
Ben Adekunle at Regular Officers Special
Training School, Ghana. Both ‘fought’ their
teacher during the civil war.
8. At Nigeria’s independence in 1960, there
were 41 Secondary Schools in the North and
842 Secondary Schools in the South.
9. In 1983, Senator Arthur Nzeribe spent
$16.5 million to win a Senatorial seat in Orlu
(in Imo State).
10. In 1973, the Federal Government of
Nigeria considered officially changing the
name of “Lagos” to “Eko”. Regarding
“Lagos” as a colonial name.
11. The geographical area now referred to
as Nigeria was once referred to as ‘Soudan’
and ‘Nigiritia’.
12. Offences punishable by death sentence
after the 1966 coup included embezzlement,
rape and homosexuality.
13. MKO Abiola was named Kashimawo (Let
us wait and see) by his parents. He was his
father’s twenty-third child, but the first to
survive infancy.
14. Jaja Wachucku was the first person to
refer to Lagos as a “no-man’s land” in 1947,
provoking a national controversy.
15. Jollof rice, chicken Bosom , serve of ice
cream, tea, coffee or Bournvita, with full
cream milk and sugar: Meal Cost = 50Kobo-
Unilag in the late 1970s
16. At the point death in 1989, Sam
Okwaraji was a PhD candidate and qualified
lawyer with an LL.M in International Law
(University of Rome)
17. When British Bank of West Africa (now
First Bank) opened a branch in Kano in
1929, Alhassan Dantata (Dangote’s
Grandfather) opened an account depositing
20 camel-loads of silver coins.
18. Jaja Wachuku is reputed to have owned
the biggest one-man library in West Africa.
Balewa sometimes referred to him as “Most
Bookish Minister
19. The colonization of Nigeria took more
than 40 years to achieve and the territories
were integrated by the use of force.
20. Yoruba is spoken as a ritual language
the Santeria cult in Carribean and South-
Central America.
21. Slavery existed in the Nigerian territory
before the 15th century and was abolished
in the 19th century- 1807 by the British.
22. At least 55 women were killed in South-
East Nigeria, in 1929 when the women
forced the Umuahia warrant chiefs to
submit to their rule.
23. The coinage ‘Supreme Court’ was first
used in 1863 by the colonial administration
through the enactment of the Supreme
Court Ordinance No. II.
24. MKO Abiola died suddenly on July 7,
1998, exactly one month after General Sani
Abacha died mysteriously on June 8, 1998.
25. Agbani Darego was the only one to wear
a maillot as opposed to a bikini during the
Miss Universe contest in 2001.
26. The ‘Ankara’ material is not indigenous
to Nigeria. Our indigenous textiles include
the Akwete, Ukara, Aso-Oke and Adire.
27. Aloma Mukhtar is the first female lawyer
from the North and went on to become the
first female Chief Justice of Nigeria.
28. The area known as Makoro town in
Lagos was first a swamp, later sand-filled by
the colonial government and served as the
first bridge to the Island.
29. Esie Museum is Nigeria’s first museum,
established in 1945. Once reputed to have
the largest collection of soapstone images in
the world.
30. Aminu Kano formed the Northern
Teachers’ Association (NTA) in 1948, the first
successful regional organization in the
history of the North.
31. George Goldie, who played a major role
in founding Nigeria, placed a curse on
anyone who attempts to write his
biography.
32. In 1996, John Ogbu, a Nigerian
Anthropologist firmly advocated for the use
of African-America n Vernacular to teach in
the U.S
33. Hause Language indigenous to Northern
Nigeria is spoken in 11 African States.
Germany, French, U.S., and British
International radio stations broadcast in
Hausa.
34. The surgeon who ‘killed’ Stella Obasanjo
was sentenced to 1 year in prison,
disqualified for 3 years and fined €120,000.
35. The word ‘asiri’ means ‘secret’ in Hausa,
Yoruba, Nupe and Igarra. It also means
‘gossip’ in Igbo.
36. Igbo-Ora in Oyo State, Kodinji in India
and Candido Godoi in Brazil are the towns
that produce the highest number of twin
births in the world.
37. Bishop Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba, in 1857
produced a reading book for the Igbo
Language and a full grammar and
vocabulary of NUPE in 1864.
38. The first TV broadcast in Nigeria and
Tropical Africa was on October 31, 1959.
39. In 1978, a 50Kobo increase (from #1.50
to #2) in the cost of University Students’
meal per day caused the ‘Ali Must Go’
protests.
40. Albert E. Kitson discovered coal in Enugu
in 1909. This discovery led to the building of
Port-Harcourt town in 1912.
41. Today, only Nigeria has a larger black
population than Brazil. More than 3.5 million
Africans were captured, enslaved and
transported to Brazil.
42. Groundnut pyramids were the invention
of Alhaji Alhassan Dantata to stack bags
before export.
43. In 1967, old traditional ruler, Oba Akran
and A. Ademiluyi were jailed for 14 years (7
each) for stealing £504,750 (#2.5b).
44. Since 1960, Nigeria has been either
ruled by an ex-lecturer/ ex-teacher or
military
man. The only exceptions are Azikiwe and
Shonekan.
45. If you visited Lagos in 1975, you could
spend a day at the Presidential Suite of
Federal Palace Hotel for #100, single room
for #19.
46. The first aircraft to land in Nigeria
landed in Kano in July 1925. A British fighter
jet flew from Khartoum (present day Sudan).
47. In 1895, Koko of Nembe (now in
Bayelsa) took 60 white men hostage. When
the British refused his demands, more than
40 of those men were eaten.
48. The ‘Naira’ was coined by Chief Obafemi
Awolowo when he was serving as the
Federal Commissioner of Finance.
49. Koma Hill (settlement in Adamawa where
people lived and practised the killing of
twins) was discovered in 1986 by a NYSC
corps member.
50. The pilot (Francis Osakwe) that flew
Ojukwu away from Biafra (1970) was the
same pilot that flew Gowon to Uganda (last
flight as Head of State).
51. In 1986, Shehu Shagari was banned
from participation in politics for life. The ban
has still not been lifted.
52. As the wife of the deputy Head of State
(Vice President of Nigeria) in 1984, Biodun
Idiagbon personally ran a small ice cream
shop in Ilorin..
53. Koma Hills (Adamawa State) inhabitants
when discovered were observed to engage
in the practise of borrowing wives among
themselves.
54. Juju, Dashiki, Yam and Okra are words in
the English dictionary that originated from
ethnic groups located .
Source:
http:// www.akposupdate.
com/2015/10/54-
some of these incredible facts about naija.
Time to learn Nairalanders...
1. The River Niger Bridge at Onitsha was
constructed between 1964 and 1965 by
Dumez- a French construction company and
cost £5 million.
2. Patience Jonathan is one of Nigeria’s
most-educated First Ladies, with an NCE, a
B.Ed, and a PhD from University of Port-
Harcourt.
3. The highest peak in Nigeria is located in
Taraba and is called Chappal Waddi which
means “The Mountain of Death”.
4. There are 196 countries in the world and
at least one Igbo person from Nigeria lives
in every one of them.
5. The Pidgin word ‘Sabi’ came from ‘Saber’,
Portuguese and Spanish for ‘to know’. Both
country’s ships traded slaves from the Bight
of Benin.
6. Katsina College (now Barewa College in
Zaria) has produced 5 Nigerian Presidents/
Heads of State since it was founded in 1921
in Katsina.
7. Ojukwu taught Murtala Mohammed and
Ben Adekunle at Regular Officers Special
Training School, Ghana. Both ‘fought’ their
teacher during the civil war.
8. At Nigeria’s independence in 1960, there
were 41 Secondary Schools in the North and
842 Secondary Schools in the South.
9. In 1983, Senator Arthur Nzeribe spent
$16.5 million to win a Senatorial seat in Orlu
(in Imo State).
10. In 1973, the Federal Government of
Nigeria considered officially changing the
name of “Lagos” to “Eko”. Regarding
“Lagos” as a colonial name.
11. The geographical area now referred to
as Nigeria was once referred to as ‘Soudan’
and ‘Nigiritia’.
12. Offences punishable by death sentence
after the 1966 coup included embezzlement,
rape and homosexuality.
13. MKO Abiola was named Kashimawo (Let
us wait and see) by his parents. He was his
father’s twenty-third child, but the first to
survive infancy.
14. Jaja Wachucku was the first person to
refer to Lagos as a “no-man’s land” in 1947,
provoking a national controversy.
15. Jollof rice, chicken Bosom , serve of ice
cream, tea, coffee or Bournvita, with full
cream milk and sugar: Meal Cost = 50Kobo-
Unilag in the late 1970s
16. At the point death in 1989, Sam
Okwaraji was a PhD candidate and qualified
lawyer with an LL.M in International Law
(University of Rome)
17. When British Bank of West Africa (now
First Bank) opened a branch in Kano in
1929, Alhassan Dantata (Dangote’s
Grandfather) opened an account depositing
20 camel-loads of silver coins.
18. Jaja Wachuku is reputed to have owned
the biggest one-man library in West Africa.
Balewa sometimes referred to him as “Most
Bookish Minister
19. The colonization of Nigeria took more
than 40 years to achieve and the territories
were integrated by the use of force.
20. Yoruba is spoken as a ritual language
the Santeria cult in Carribean and South-
Central America.
21. Slavery existed in the Nigerian territory
before the 15th century and was abolished
in the 19th century- 1807 by the British.
22. At least 55 women were killed in South-
East Nigeria, in 1929 when the women
forced the Umuahia warrant chiefs to
submit to their rule.
23. The coinage ‘Supreme Court’ was first
used in 1863 by the colonial administration
through the enactment of the Supreme
Court Ordinance No. II.
24. MKO Abiola died suddenly on July 7,
1998, exactly one month after General Sani
Abacha died mysteriously on June 8, 1998.
25. Agbani Darego was the only one to wear
a maillot as opposed to a bikini during the
Miss Universe contest in 2001.
26. The ‘Ankara’ material is not indigenous
to Nigeria. Our indigenous textiles include
the Akwete, Ukara, Aso-Oke and Adire.
27. Aloma Mukhtar is the first female lawyer
from the North and went on to become the
first female Chief Justice of Nigeria.
28. The area known as Makoro town in
Lagos was first a swamp, later sand-filled by
the colonial government and served as the
first bridge to the Island.
29. Esie Museum is Nigeria’s first museum,
established in 1945. Once reputed to have
the largest collection of soapstone images in
the world.
30. Aminu Kano formed the Northern
Teachers’ Association (NTA) in 1948, the first
successful regional organization in the
history of the North.
31. George Goldie, who played a major role
in founding Nigeria, placed a curse on
anyone who attempts to write his
biography.
32. In 1996, John Ogbu, a Nigerian
Anthropologist firmly advocated for the use
of African-America n Vernacular to teach in
the U.S
33. Hause Language indigenous to Northern
Nigeria is spoken in 11 African States.
Germany, French, U.S., and British
International radio stations broadcast in
Hausa.
34. The surgeon who ‘killed’ Stella Obasanjo
was sentenced to 1 year in prison,
disqualified for 3 years and fined €120,000.
35. The word ‘asiri’ means ‘secret’ in Hausa,
Yoruba, Nupe and Igarra. It also means
‘gossip’ in Igbo.
36. Igbo-Ora in Oyo State, Kodinji in India
and Candido Godoi in Brazil are the towns
that produce the highest number of twin
births in the world.
37. Bishop Ajayi Crowther, a Yoruba, in 1857
produced a reading book for the Igbo
Language and a full grammar and
vocabulary of NUPE in 1864.
38. The first TV broadcast in Nigeria and
Tropical Africa was on October 31, 1959.
39. In 1978, a 50Kobo increase (from #1.50
to #2) in the cost of University Students’
meal per day caused the ‘Ali Must Go’
protests.
40. Albert E. Kitson discovered coal in Enugu
in 1909. This discovery led to the building of
Port-Harcourt town in 1912.
41. Today, only Nigeria has a larger black
population than Brazil. More than 3.5 million
Africans were captured, enslaved and
transported to Brazil.
42. Groundnut pyramids were the invention
of Alhaji Alhassan Dantata to stack bags
before export.
43. In 1967, old traditional ruler, Oba Akran
and A. Ademiluyi were jailed for 14 years (7
each) for stealing £504,750 (#2.5b).
44. Since 1960, Nigeria has been either
ruled by an ex-lecturer/ ex-teacher or
military
man. The only exceptions are Azikiwe and
Shonekan.
45. If you visited Lagos in 1975, you could
spend a day at the Presidential Suite of
Federal Palace Hotel for #100, single room
for #19.
46. The first aircraft to land in Nigeria
landed in Kano in July 1925. A British fighter
jet flew from Khartoum (present day Sudan).
47. In 1895, Koko of Nembe (now in
Bayelsa) took 60 white men hostage. When
the British refused his demands, more than
40 of those men were eaten.
48. The ‘Naira’ was coined by Chief Obafemi
Awolowo when he was serving as the
Federal Commissioner of Finance.
49. Koma Hill (settlement in Adamawa where
people lived and practised the killing of
twins) was discovered in 1986 by a NYSC
corps member.
50. The pilot (Francis Osakwe) that flew
Ojukwu away from Biafra (1970) was the
same pilot that flew Gowon to Uganda (last
flight as Head of State).
51. In 1986, Shehu Shagari was banned
from participation in politics for life. The ban
has still not been lifted.
52. As the wife of the deputy Head of State
(Vice President of Nigeria) in 1984, Biodun
Idiagbon personally ran a small ice cream
shop in Ilorin..
53. Koma Hills (Adamawa State) inhabitants
when discovered were observed to engage
in the practise of borrowing wives among
themselves.
54. Juju, Dashiki, Yam and Okra are words in
the English dictionary that originated from
ethnic groups located .
Source:
http:// www.akposupdate.
com/2015/10/54-
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