Wondering which handles to follow on Twitter this weekend?
Knowledge of where you’re coming from is important to get you to where you’re going. Some savvy Nigerians have taken their time to collate interesting and enlightening facts about the Giant of Africa. Here are a few handles that will help you discover more about Nigeria’s past and present, and important things about other African countries as well:
1. @ AfriFacts
Bio: AfriFacts is a babble about loads of stuff about Africa and the world.
Tweets We Love:
- Zuriel Oduwole, an 11-year old Nigerian girl is the youngest person ever to be interviewed by Forbes magazine.
- 70 percent of the world’s cocoa is produced in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon.
- Francis “I Go Dye” Adogan has performed in more countries than any other Comedian in Africa.
- The fifth President of Liberia, Edward James Roye was also a Nigerian; he was of pure Igbo descent.
- Tunisia has the highest number of female university lecturers in Africa.
2. @SeeMeSeeNigeria
Bio: The Bad, The Beauty & The Blurry. Using social media to curate and share the Nigeria you rarely see and barely know.
Tweets We Love:
- The Pidgin word ‘Sabi’ came from ‘Saber’, Portuguese & Spanish for ‘to know’. Both country’s ships traded slaves from the Bight of Benin
- Abacha was involved in every successful coup in Nigeria. He was part of the 1966 Counter-coup from the Conceptual Stage.
- From 1884 until 1906, old Calabar was the headquarters of the Niger coast protectorate, after which Lagos became the main center.
- Jollof rice,chicken breast,serve of ice cream,tea, coffee or Bournvita,with full cream milk & sugar | Meal Cost: 50kobo | UNILAG Late 1970s
- Nigeria’s first Asylum (House for mentally challenged people) was built in Calabar in 1904. The second was established in Yaba in 1907.
3. @AfricaFactsZone
Africa’s biggest facts brand. Owned by @IsimaOdeh
Tweets We Love:
- Nigeria has the highest number of PhD holders in Africa.
- There are 209 countries in the world. Africa has more countries than any other continent with 54.
- Ethiopia is Africa’s fastest growing big economy.
- At the age of 20, Nigerian player, Asisat Oshoala, @asisato1 became the first winner of the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award in 2015
- British-Nigerian, Esther Okade enrolled at college at the age of 10 in 2015.
4. @naijatoday
Bio: NaijaToday is designed to inform you on significant happenings in Nigeria’s history. Follow us to learn a new thing about Nigeria’s history, every day.
Tweets We Love:
- #TodayInHistory 1959, The Central Bank of Nigeria issued first Nigerian currency notes and coins
- #TodayInHistory 1923, Nigeria’s 1st political party, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) was founded by Herbert Macaulay.
- #TodayInHistory 1981, The first civilian governor of Kaduna State, Alh Balarabe Musa was impeached by the State Assembly.
- #FirstsAboutJune12Election: It was the 1st and only time two candidates ran for presidential race. #June12
- #FirstsAboutJune12Election It was also the first time that presidential candidates participated in a live TV debate #June12
5. @naijafunfacts
Bio: Fun historical facts about Nigeria for the sake of winning arguments with friends & family members
Tweets We Love:
- 1979- The year Nigeria appointed its first female ministers Chief (Mrs.) Janet Akinrinade & Mrs. Adenike Ebun Oyagbola.
- Groundnut pyramids were the invention of prominent nut trader Alhassan Dantata (Dangote’s grandfather).
- By land size, Niger State alone is twice the size of Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu & Abia combined.
- There is one Nigerian Policeman for every 462 people.
- King Sunny Ade’s “365 is my number” was a soundtrack on Hollywood 1983 movie “Breathless” starring Richard Gere.
