As Nigeria celebrates 60 years today! Happy Independence Day! We are celebrating by sharing 60 interesting things you should know!
On this day, October 1st, sixty years ago, after decades of British colonial rule, Nigeria gained its independence. Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa took on the reins of power. The celebrations lasted for weeks in some parts of the country and for those present at the Race Course (now Tafawa Balewa Square) in Obalende, Lagos, on 1 October 1960, it was an unforgettable experience.
Facts and History
1.Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa
2. Lagos was the former capital of Nigeria before it became Abuja. It is the most populated city in Africa with over 21 million people and one of the most populated in the world.
3. Nigerians consider the left hand as dirty, and as such, it is considered poor taste to eat, shake hands, or receive items with this hand.
4. The Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos is one of the longest bridges in Africa
5. The drill monkey is local to Nigeria
6. We are a large population and furthermore, Nigeria’s population is estimated to reach 444 million by 2050.
7. The Yoruba group in Nigeria has the highest rate of twin births and some believe that this is due to the high consumption of yam.
8. The population of Lagos is more than all the eastern United States combined!
9. The Niger Delta which is located in Nigeria is the third largest delta in the world.
10. Nigeria is the 4th country with the most languages in the world with 521 languages. Her official language is English.
11. Nigeria derived her name for the Niger River which runs through the south and west of the country.
12. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups. The three largest are Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba & Igbo.
13. Ikeja, the capital of Lagos, is actually an abbreviation for “Ikorodu And Epe Joint Administration”. The colonial masters coined this name for ease of administration.
14. Due to the country’s poor health care and low standard standards of living, the life expectancy of its citizens is 53 years.
15. The Obasanjo military regime converted Nigeria from a parliamentary system to a presidential system.
Tourism
16. The Ibeno Beach is one of the beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the longest sand beach in West Africa.
17. The Anambra waxbill is a small bird of many beautiful colours and can not be found anywhere else in the world.
18. Jos is the only place in the world where the Indigo bird, a small reddish-brown bird, can be found.
Entertainment
19. Flora Nwapa is the mother of modern African literature. And her novel, Efuru, is among the first English-language novels to be published by an African woman.[Read more about 10 Notable Nigerian Heroines]
20. Agbani Darego, is a Nigerian model and beauty queen and is the first native African to win Miss World.
21. Nollywood produces a total of about 50 movies per week and this results in about $590 million annually.
22. The Country’s film industry, Nollywood, is one of the largest film producers in the world and is second only to India’s Bollywood.
23. In 2016, Nigeria’s entertainment and arts contributed 54 billion naira to the country’s GDP
[Tweet “24. Nigeria is known for its afrobeat music (which is not to be confused with Fela Kuti’s afrobeat)”]
25. Nigeria is home to some of Africa‘s richest musicians, Wizkid, Davido, Don Jazzy, and Burna boy
26. When it comes to actors, Richard Mofe-Damijo is reported as the highest-paid Nollywood actor.
27. Nigeria’s national male football team are called the Super Eagles, and they had their first World Cup appearance in 1994.
28. Mo Abudu is a Nigerian media mogul and is described as Africa’s most successful woman by Forbes.
30. Filmhouse is the largest string of movie theatres. The first one opened its doors in Surulere, Lagos Nigeria in 2012.
31. Nigerian movies have started appearing on Netflix. Some of which are Merry Men, Chief Daddy, King of Boys, The wedding party and more!
32. The first movies in Nollywood were created by historical filmmakers such as Ola Balogun and Jab Adu, in the 1960s.
Economy
32. The official currency of Nigeria is naira
33. Aliko Dangote who is the richest man in Africa with a business worth more than $12 billion, is a Nigerian. Mike Adenuga is the 3rd richest Nigerian with a wapping net worth of 6.1 billion dollars!
34. A brand new car sold for 2000 naira In 1975, while a ticket to London was less than 100 naira.
35. The name Nigeria is derived from the Niger River. This river runs through the country.
36. Nigeria is a member of both the British Commonwealth and the African Union
37. Nigeria has the highest percentage (41%) of female entrepreneurs in the world. 4 in every 10 Nigerian women are entrepreneurs.
38. In 2020, Nigeria had 99.05 million internet users. This figure is projected to grow to 131.7 million internet users in 2023. Currently, the internet penetration rate in Nigeria is approximately 46.6 per cent.
39. According to the International Labour Organisation, in Nigeria, over 80% of working people are employed in the informal sector. Some of these activities include street trading, micro and small scale manufacturing, home-based enterprises, and informal employees of formal enterprises. As a result of the pandemic, this sector has been hit hard.
Innovation and Technology
40. Silas Adekunle is the highest-paid robotic engineer in the world. In addition, he built the world’s first gaming robot and reportedly signed a mouth-watering deal with Apple Inc.
41. The top how-to searches in Nigeria in 2019 according to Google Trends, include: How to create an email account and how to start a blog. In addition high on the list of trending searched were searches for how to write a formal letter and how to make egusi and buns.
42. Chika Madubuko is using technology to support Nigerians, one elderly and disabled person at a time. She is passionate about making life easier for the elderly and disabled which she offers through her caregiving online platform Greymate Care. Chika was listed as one of Forbes Africa 30 Africans Under 30.
43. Kareem Waris Olamilekan started drawing at the age of 6 and became the youngest professional artist in Nigeria when he was 8.
[Tweet “He describes his work as “hyperrealism pencil work” and shares that he is inspired by artists Michelangelo and Arinze.”]
44. Facebook announced that it will be opening a new office in Lagos, Nigeria. The office will be home to several teams across our business. As part of their investments across the continent to support the tech ecosystem; Facebook’s 2Africa is the world’s largest subsea cable project that will deliver much-needed internet capacity and reliability across large parts of Africa.
45. Google’s Developers Space, located in Ikoyi, Lagos, is the flagship startup and developer hub in Africa.
46. In a space of five years, Nigeria’s fintech companies have raised over $600 million in funding. The youthful demographic, and increasing smartphone penetration are fuelling the growth of the sector. Some of the top fintech companies in Nigeria are, Paystack. Flutterwave and Paga. [Read here for the top approved 15 Fintech companies]
Culture and Food
47. The name “Jollof” originates from a Senegambian kingdom called the Jolof Empire. The ongoing feud between Nigeria and Ghana regarding whose jollof rice is better may never be resolved. However, for Nigerians, there is only one king of rice! Visit here to learn what it takes to make your own firewood jollof rice.
48. Nigeria has a rich cultural heritage. For an online exhibit about Nigeria; visit the culture page here to get a detailed background about Nigeria. You can learn more about the spread of religious beliefs, the slave trade and more.
49. The Mamluk metal bowl from the 14th century discovered in northern Nigeria, displays the oldest archaeological evidence to date of Arabic writing in northern Nigeria.
50. Some of the most popular meat dishes in Nigeria are Nkwobi, Peppered Ponmo, Spicy Beef Offals, Bushmeat, suya and Chicken.
51. The Chapman, is a non-alcoholic cocktail that is a Nigerian speciality. It is believed that the cocktail originated in Ikoyi Club, Lagos, Nigeria. The drink was created by a bartender at the country club who was asked to make something special for his favourite customer named Chapman.
Nigerian Fashion
52. Adire is common among the people of Egbaland in Ogun State. “Adire” means “tie and dye”. Nigeria is also known for its two-tone indigo designs, created by repeat dyeing of cloth painted with cassava root paste to create a deep blue.
53. In Nigeria, the head-tie is known as gele; which is a Yoruba-language word; and can be rather large and elaborate.
54. Within a decade, Nigeria’s fashion industry has grown in size and sophistication, attracting global attention. Events such as Lagos Fashion Week have championed this movement through their anticipated annual runway shows and incubator-style techniques used to grow brands.
55. Amaka Osakwe is a Nigerian designer and has dressed the likes of Michelle Obama. Some of her other star-studded client roster includes Lupita Nyong’o, Solange, and Issa Rae.
56. The most popular e-stores in Nigeria include Jumia, Konga, and Amazon and it is interesting to note that one of the more popular categories is fashion products. It seems like this category is in high demand among young adults.
57. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie launched a “Wear Nigerian Campaign in 2017 and her goal was to sensitize and encourage people to buy from both upcoming, and well-established designers.
58. Some of the top Nigerian designers include Lisa Folawiyo, Lanre DaSilva Ajayi, Deola Sagoe, Mai Atafo, Ade Bakare and many others.
Hope for the Future
Citizens are hopeful about the future and are looking forward to better governance and development.
59. Nigeria has a valuable asset; its young people and their resilience. Young Nigerians have chosen to fight injustice in new ways and the results are clear for all to see. Kiki Mordi’s documentary was instrumental in exposing the “Sex for Grades” scandal. After the release of the documentary, the Nigerian Senate passed a sexual harassment bill to fight abuse. We can all agree that while there is still a long way to go, the impact is already evident.
60. Fous on education is critical and must be a priority. Nigeria has the largest number of children out of school in the world, which is currently more than 10 million. There is also an urgent need to meet up to review the scope of educational delivery to meet with the demands of the new century.
