53 THINGS ABOUT NIGERIA @53

As Nigeria celebrates her 53rd Independence anniversary today, Daily Times serves our readers 53 unique things about the nation. Happy reading:

1. The most commonly spoken phrase in Nigeria is "How far?”

2. Nigeria is home to seven percent (7%) of the total languages spoken on earth. Taraba State alone has more languages than 30 African countries.

3. The Walls of Benin (800-1400AD), in present day Edo State, are the longest ancient earthworks in the world.

4. The Yoruba tribe has the highest rate of twin births in the world. Igbo-Ora, a little town in Oyo state, has been nicknamed ‘Twin capital of the World’ because of its unusually high rate of twins that is put as high as 158 twins per 1000 births.

5. Sarki Muhammad Kanta The Great of Kebbi, was the only ruler who resisted control by Songhai, West Africa’s greatest empire at that time. He founded and ruled the Hausa city-state of Kebbi around 1600 A.D.
6. Africa’s oldest known boat is The Dufuna canoe, which was discovered in Dufuna village, Yobe State, by a Fulani Herdsman in May 1987, while he dug a well.

7. Sungbo’s Eredo, a 160 km rampart equipped with guard houses and moats, is reputed to be the largest single pre-colonial monument (or ancient fortification if you like) in Africa. It is located in present-day Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State

8. The Jos Plateau Indigobird, a small reddish-brown bird, is found nowhere else on the planet but Plateau State.

9. The Anambra waxbill, a small bird of many beautiful colours, is found only in Southern Nigeria and nowhere else on earth.

10. The Niger Delta (which is the second largest delta on the planet), has the highest concentration of monotypic fish families in the world, and is also home to 60 percent of Nigeria’s mangrove forests.

11. Nigeria’s mangrove forests are the largest in Africa and third largest on earth.

12. According to the World Resources Institute, Nigeria is home to 4,715 different types of plant species, and over 550 species of breeding birds and mammals, making it one of the most ecologically vibrant places of the planet.

13. Ile-Ife, in present day Osun State, was paved as early as 1000AD, with decorations that originated from ancient America.

14. Though the country has three dominant tribes, Hausa- Fulani, Yoruba and the Ibo (Igbo), there are over 250 ethnic groups.

15. Nigeria derives her name from the Niger River which is the largest and the longest river in West Africa and is about 4,180 kilometres long.

16. The Nigerian movie industry which produces between 150-200 movies every week is known as Nollywood – it is ranked as the world’s second-largest producer of movies and trails just behind the Indian Bollywood industry.

17. Areas surrounding Cross State River and Calabar towards the south of Nigeria are home to the largest diversity of butterflies in the world.

18. Sarki Abdullah Burja of Kano (ruled 1438-1452 AD), the 18th ruler of Ancient Kano, created the first Golden Age in Northern Nigeria and ushered in a period of great prosperity. During his reign, Hausa became the biggest indigenous language spoken in Africa after Swahili.

19. Two of the world’s rarest species of animals live in the mysterious Nigerian forests - the Drill monkey that lives in the Afi Mountain ranges and the lowland Gorilla.

20. Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets became the first team from Africa to win a FIFA competition when they won the U16 (now U17) World Cup in China in 1985.

21. Nigeria is the first African nation to have won the football gold medal of an Olympics achieving this feat at Atlanta’96.

22. The 50,000-seater ‘Faith Tabernacle” of Winners Chapel Churches is the largest church auditorium in the world. Its 2008 Guinness Book world record has not been broken even in 2013.

23. The University of Nigeria was the first full-fledged indigenous and first autonomous university in Nigeria. The origins of the university are in Yaba College, founded in 1932 in Yaba, Lagos as the first tertiary educational institute in Nigeria.

24. Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Finance Minister is Forbes’ 83rd Most Powerful Woman in the World.

25. Nigeria’s Mrs Esther Taiwo Olukoya and Mrs Emily Kehinde Olukoga-Ogunde, who looked almost identical, are probably the third set of twins in the world to hit the century age and perhaps the first in Africa.

26. A Nigerian man, Aliko Dangote – founder of Dangote Group, is the richest man in Africa and richest black man in the world.

27. The richest woman in Africa, Folorunsho Alakija, is a Nigerian. She is worth about $600 million (N97 billion).

28. Iwe–Irohin, Nigeria's first newspaper was established by a missionary, Henry Townsend in 1859.

29. It is on record that Daily Times Nigeria is the only Nigerian newspaper to attain a 500,000 copy circulation with one title. The Daily Times had emerged a colossus.

30. Nigerian terror sect, Boko Haram carried out its first known attack in Borno in January 2011.

31. A Nigerian university, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State has the most beautiful campus in Africa. It was founded in 1962.

32. The Igbos of Eastern Nigeria launched a series of massive riots that put paid to Colonialism in Nigeria. This was led by the women of Aba, protesting the heavy taxation of the colonial lords. They marched on the colonial offices and chased the administrators away

33. President Musa Yar'Adua is the first democratically elected president to die in office.

34. Okobaba Sawmil, situated at Ebute Meta Lagos, Nigeria is the largest sawmill in Africa.

35. The largest Christian gatherings in the world have been held in Nigeria - (Holy Ghost Festivals; Redeemed Christian Church of God; 5 to 12 million People).

36. If you go to some areas in the Niger-Delta and step firmly on the soil, crude oil will gush out.

37. Goodluck Jonathan is the first democratic president that was not elected after assuming the mantel of leadership with the death of President Musa Yar’Adua in 2010. He went on to win the Presidential election a year later.

38. Late Musa Yar'dua was the first president to declare his assets according to the provision of 1999 constitution of Nigeria.

39. The pastor of the largest church in the United Kingdom is a Nigerian; Matthew Ashimolow of the Kingsway International Christian Centre.

40. Since Nigeria made her first FIFA World Cup finals appearance at USA’94; she has gone on to appear in three other finals but has never gone beyond the second round.

41. Liberty Stadium Ibadan Oyo State, Nigeria is the first stadium to be built in Africa. The stadium was opened in 1960 during the tenure of Chief Obafemi Awolowo as the Premier of the Western Region.

42. Hubert Ogunde was the first professional theatre man in Nigeria who lived entirely by the art.

43. According to reports, the late MKO Abiola sent $10m to Youeri Museveni to help topple the despot, Idi Amin Dada.

44. Nigerian pidgin (which uses a primary English lexicon) is also a common lingua franca. Roughly a third of Nigeria's population speak Pidgin English which is a simplified form of the language.

45. Some traditional cultural expressions are found in the various masquerades of Nigeria, such as the Eyo masquerades, the Ekpe and Ekpo Masquerades of the Efik/Ibibio/Annang/Igbo peoples of coastal south-eastern Nigeria, and the Northern Edo Masquerades. The most popular Yoruba wooden masks are the Gelede masquerades.

46. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies, and is one of the fastest growing in the world with the International Monetary Fund projecting growth of 9 per cent in 2008 and 8.3 per cent in 2009.

47.In Intercontinental Hotel, Nigeria has the tallest hotel in West Africa built at a cost of N30 billion located in Lagos, with a 23-storey building containing 358 rooms and 37 suites and a Presidential suite.

48. Lagos is the second fastest growing city in Africa and the seventh fastest growing city in the world. The newest reports of the Nigeria Census estimate the population is now 21 million, making Lagos the largest city in Africa.

49. Nigeria has the highest maternal mortality rate in Africa. Nigeria accounts for 10 per cent of maternal deaths in the world, ranking the second highest after India

50. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) generates only 3,200 megawatts while the nation needs at least 8, 000 megawatts.

51. Nigeriahas more writers and authors than the rest of West African combined. And in Professor Wole Soyinka has the region’s first Nobel Prize winner

52. Nigeria has the 4th largest number of doctors in the world.

53. There are more Muslims in Nigeria than there are in Saudi Arabia - 60 million v 20 million. In fact, there are more Muslims in Nigeria than there are in any other country in Africa.