56 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NIGERIA YOU SHOULD KNOW

As Nigeria celebrates her 56th Independence anniversary today, we bring to you 56 things about Nigeria that you should know. 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.

3. T.B. Joshua's Emmanuel TV, originating from Nigeria, is one of the most viewed television stations across Africa.

4. Nigeria has produced five presidents from the minority ethnic groups. They include; Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar (Gwari), Yakubu Gowon (Angas), Umar Musa Yaradua (Fulani) and Goodluck Jonathan (Ijaw).

5. In April 1994, the Super Eagles ranked 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest ranking ever achieved by an African nation.

6. The Nigerian Stock Exchange is the second-largest in Africa.

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

8. 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.

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

10. 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.

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

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

13. Areas surrounding Calabar in Cross Rivers State, towards the south of Nigeria are home to the largest diversity of butterflies in the world.

14. 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”.

15. 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.

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

17. Nigeria’s Folorunsho Alakija is the richest woman in Africa.

18. Nigeria’s movie industry, Nollywood is the second largest in the world, behind Bollywood and ahead of Hollywood.

19. Nigeria has one of the fastest growing telecommunications market in the world.

20. Nigeria’s Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State has the most beautiful campus in Africa. It was founded in 1962.

21. The Igbos of Eastern Nigeria launched a series of massive riots that put an end 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

22. The highest selling novel in African history, “Things Fall Apart” was written by Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe. The book has sold millions of copies in many languages, and Achebe is hailed as the 'father' of modern African literature. 

23. Okobaba Sawmill, situated at Ebute Meta Lagos, Nigeria is the largest sawmill in Africa.

24. The largest Christian gatherings in the world have been held in Nigeria. The Holy Ghost Festivals of the Redeemed Christian Church of God was attended by more than 10 million people.

25. After Egypt, Nigeria ranks the second highest with the largest newspaper market in the continent.

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

27. Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan had the highest vehicle convoy in the whole of Africa.

28. Nigeria is among the top three countries with the highest number of musicians in the world.

29. Nigeria’s NigComSat-1 was Africa's first communication satellite.

30. 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.

31. Nigerian pidgin is a common lingua franca. Roughly a third of Nigeria's population speaks Pidgin English (which uses a primary English lexicon).

32. 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.

33. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies, and is one of the fastest growing economy in the world.

34. Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos is the tallest hotel in West Africa. It's a 23-storey building at a cost of N30 billion and contains 358 rooms and 37 suites and a Presidential suite.

35. Lagos in South West Nigeria 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.

36. 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

37. Nigeria is among the top five countries with the largest unexplored natural gas reserves.

38. Nigeria has more writers and authors than the rest of West African combined. And Professor Wole Soyinka is the first West African Nobel Prize Laureate.

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

40. There are more Muslims in Nigeria than there are in Saudi Arabia – Nigeria boasts of 60 million against Saudi Arabia’s 20 million. In fact, there are more Muslims in Nigeria than there are in any country in Africa.

41.  Nigerians are 1/5th the total population of Black Africa. 

42. There are three ecological zones that are commonly represented in the country Nigeria - The northern Sudan Savanna, The Guinea Savanna zone or Middle Belt and The southern rain forest zone.

43. The Nigeria Economy is highly dependent on oil revenue which accounts for over 70% of our exports and brings in over 60% of government total revenue.

44. The major system of transport in Nigeria is road transportation.

45. There are three basic religions in Nigeria, the Islamic religion which is prevalent in the northern part of the country, the Christian religion which is widely practiced in the south and the traditional religion. However, in the South, Osun, Lagos, Ogun and Oyo have a higher population of Muslims than Christians. And in the north, Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau have Christian majorities.

46. The Walls of Benin (800-1400AD), in present day Edo State, are the longest ancient earthworks in the world, and probably the largest man-made structure on earth. They are over 16,000km long, second only to the Great Wall of China which is about 21,000km long.

47. The Yoruba tribe in western Nigeria has the highest rate of twin births in the world. Igbo-Ora, a 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.

48. Nigerians to be the highest educated ethnic or racial group in America.

49. The north was once upon a time, the more literate part of Nigeria with 25,000 Qur’anic Arabic schools and about 250,000 pupils.

50. Nigeria has 5 of the 10 richest pastors in the entire world, with net worth’s according to Forbes, from $10-150 million. They are Pastors, David Oyedepo, E. A. Adeboye, Chris Oyakhilome, Mathew Ashimolowo and Temitope Joshua.

51. The oldest discovered boat in Africa, and 3rd oldest on the world, the 8500 yr old Dufuna canoe was discovered by a Fulani herdsman in 1987 in Dufuna village, Fune LGA of Yobe state.

52. Nigeria along with Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Uganda and Mauritania are the nations with the highest number of coups in Africa.

53. The Nigerian Stock Exchange is the second-largest in Africa.

54. The third mainland bridge in Lagos, south west Nigeria, is the longest bridge in Africa. It measures about 11.8km.

55. Nigeria took its first loan from the World Bank in 1977.

56. It is believed that Nigeria has what it takes to become one of the 20th largest economy in the world by 2020.