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Nsibidi characters for an "ikpe" judgement as recorded by J. K. Macgregor (a collector of Nsibidi symbols).
Nsibidi characters for an “ikpe” judgement as recorded by J. K. Macgregor (a collector of Nsibidi symbols).
The title ‘Nigeria, the giant of Africa’ is not a myth or a mere saying. History has shown through Facts, Events, Culture, Biodiversity, Tribes, Languages and Natural Heritage that Nigeria is the most blessed Nation on Earth. In recent times people’s view of Nigeria has majorly been based and wrapped around Oil, but Nigeria’s true greatness goes beyond the borders of Oil. History is a pool that we can fetch knowledge and references from. Nigeria has some strange and fascinating facts, a lot still in existence, which make it Africa’s giant. Come with us as we take a journey through the annals and explore the heart of our beautiful Nation. Nigeria is residence 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 on the planet. Nigeria contains two species of Apes, found nowhere else in the world; the lowland Gorilla and the drill Monkey of Afi Mountain (Southeast Nigeria) according to the World Resources Institute. Nigeria counts for seven percent (7%) of the total languages spoken on earth. Languages listed for Nigeria are 527. Of those, 514 are living languages, 2 are second languages without mother-tongue speakers, and 11 have no known speakers. Taraba state alone has more languages than 30 African countries. Sarki Abdullah Burja of Kano created the first Golden Age in Northern Nigeria and ushered in a period of great prosperity. Burja (Ruled 1438-1452 AD) was the 18th ruler of Ancient Kano. In his reign, Hausa became the second most spoken indigenous language in Africa, after Swahili. The Dufuna canoe is Africa’s oldest known boat, discovered in Dufuna village, Yobe state, by a Fulani Herdsman in May 1987, while in the act of digging a well. Radio-carbon tests indicates that the canoe is over 8,000 years old, thus making it the oldest in Africa and 3rd oldest in the world. Nsibidi is an ancient form of writing that existed in Nigeria over 1,000 years ago. Nsibidi is Heiroglyphic and Hieratic in Nature. (Hieroglyphic is a writing system that uses symbols or pictures to denote objects, concepts, or sounds, originally and Hieratic is linguistics of ancient writing system: relating to a cursive version of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics) The Niger Delta covers 20,000 km² within wetlands of 70,000 km² formed primarily by sediment deposition (which makes it the second largest delta on the planet), and has the highest concentration of monotypic (sole member of biological group) fish families in the world. Igbo-Ora, a small town in Oyo state, has the highest rate of twin births in the world. It 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 1,000 births. The indigo bird, smallish in size and reddish- brown in colour, is a beautiful a bird found nowhere else on the planet Earth but Plateau state, Nigeria. A small bird of many gorgeous colours called the Anambra Wax Bill is found nowhere else on earth aside the Southern part of Nigeria. The areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State, contain the world’s largest diversity of butterflies. The earliest anatomically modern Human fossils in West Africa were found in Nigeria, in the area now called Akure, now the state capital of the present Ondo state. These fossils are over 10,000 years old. The earliest forms of Art produced in West Africa are found in Nigeria – This is the Iron Age Nok Culture (500 B.C.–200 A.D) The Wall of Benin (800-1400AD) at over 16,000km long, in present day Edo State, is the longest ancient earthwork in the world, and probably the largest man-made structure on earth. In recent times it has raised a lot of comparison with the Great Wall of China. It encloses 6,500 square kilometers of community lands that connected about 500 communities.   … To be continued 
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This article was first published on 13th July 2013

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