Queen Elizabeth II was monarch of Nigeria and head of state, and Nigeria was a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations. By the end of the 18th century, some Muslim ulema began articulating the grievances of the common people. During the 14th and 16th centuries, the demand for gold increased due to European and Islamic states wanting to change their currencies to gold. Foreign exchange earnings and government revenues increased spectacularly with the oil price rises of 197374. The earliest iron technology in West Africa has also been found to be contemporary with or predate that of the Nile valley and North Africa, and some archaeologists believe that iron metallurgy was likely developed independently in sub-Saharan West Africa.[30][29]. [43] The Fulani began to enter the Hausa country in the 13th century and by the 15th century, they were tending cattle, sheep, and goats in Borno as well. This is a figure that seems to be in the midst of a conversation. Neither Abacha nor Abubakar lifted the decree suspending the 1979 constitution, and the 1989 constitution was not implemented. Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial. Biram was the original seat of government, while Zaria supplied labor and was known as the "Chief of Slaves." Archaeological findings pieced together show that by the . Songhai collapsed in 1591 when a Moroccan army conquered Gao and Timbuktu. George's . [77] Unrest continued in the West and contributed to the Western Region's reputation for, violence, anarchy and rigged elections. The party leadership under Awolowo disagreed and replaced Akintola as premier of the West with one of their own supporters. The Yoruba-dominated AG became the opposition under its charismatic leader Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Prehistoric inhabitants adjusting to the encroaching desert were widely scattered by the third millennium BC, when the desiccation of the Sahara began. Much of Nigeria is covered with plains and savannas. Author of, Professor of History, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The initiation rite of a new king shows that the ritual process of becoming Ezenri (Nri priest-king) follows closely the path traced by the hero in establishing the Nri kingdom. [81] In the Northern Region, however, the Hausa and Fulani people demanded that the detainees be placed on trial for murder.[81]. The vast country Kanem-Bornu reaching from Libya to Nigeria was created by the people of Zaghawa in nomadic Nilodic in the North-East of Nigeria by 700. [42] 4 January 2016. The Niger delta is a vast low-lying region through which the waters of the Niger River drain into the Gulf of Guinea. These were cancelled due to fraud and subsequent primaries scheduled for September also were cancelled. Outline Map. [46] Urbanisation was accompanied by high levels of artistic achievement, particularly in terracotta and ivory sculpture and in the sophisticated metal casting produced at Ife. The Kingdom of Nri was a religio-polity, a sort of theocratic state, that developed in the central heartland of the Igbo region. In early 1989 a constituent assembly completed a constitution and in the spring of 1989 political activity was again permitted. [87], Following the civil war, the country turned to the task of economic development. Later groups like the Igala traders from the hinterland settled in Onitsha in the 18th century. However, the spike in oil prices from $3 per barrel to $12 per barrel, following the Yom Kippur War in 1973 brought a sudden rush of money to Nigeria. Nonetheless, Kano and Katsina, with their famous mosques and schools, came to participate fully in the cultural and intellectual life of the Islamic world. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the Northern and Southern Provinces and Lagos Colony. From the outset, Nigeria's ethnic and religious tensions were magnified by the disparities in economic and educational development between the south and the north. [15][16][17] Shaw's excavations at Igbo-Ukwu revealed a 9th-century indigenous culture that created highly sophisticated work in bronze metalworking, independent of Arab or European influence and centuries before other sites that were better known at the time of discovery. In the vote, widespread electoral fraud was alleged and riots erupted in the Yoruba West where heartlands of the AG discovered they had apparently elected pro-government NNDP representatives. The Lake Chad basin and the coastal areas, including the Niger River delta and the western parts of the Sokoto region in the far northwest, are underlain by soft, geologically young sedimentary rocks. River basin development projects have created many large man-made lakes, including Lake Kainji on the Niger and Lake Bakolori on the Rima River. Nigeria is bordered to the north by Niger, to the east by Chad and Cameroon, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by Benin. Yar'Adua's sickness and Jonathan's successions. Despite its relative political weakness in this period, Borno's court and mosques under the patronage of a line of scholarly kings earned fame as centres of Islamic culture and learning. In the precolonial period the country normally produced enough agricultural commodities to feed its population, and it even maintained a surplus for export. Loose sandy soils consisting of wind-borne deposits and riverine sands are found in the northern regions, although, in areas where there is a marked dry season, a dense surface layer of laterite develops, making these soils difficult to cultivate. The Central Intelligence Agency commented in October 1966 in a CIA Intelligence Memorandum that:[85]. Large freshwater swamps give way to brackish mangrove thickets near the seacoast. [18][19], The earliest known example of a fossil human skeleton found anywhere in West Africa, which is 13,000 years old, was found at Iwo-Eleru in Isarun, western Nigeria, and attests to the antiquity of habitation in the region. The Oyo Empire held supremacy over other Yoruba nations like the Egba Kingdom, Awori Kingdom, and the Egbado. The country became independent on October 1, 1960, and in 1963 adopted a republican constitution but elected to stay a member of the Commonwealth. Others have suggested that the technology moved west from the Nile Valley, although the Iron Age in the Niger River valley and the forest region appears to predate the introduction of metallurgy in the upper savanna by more than 800 years. Aro and Abiriba cooperated to become a powerful economic force.[64]. The most mountainous area is along the southeastern border with Cameroon, where the Cameroon Highlands rise to the highest points in the country, Chappal Waddi (7,936 feet [2,419 metres]) in the Gotel Mountains and Mount Dimlang (6,699 feet [2,042 metres]) in the Shebshi Mountains. The name Nigeria formulated by a British journalist Flora Shaw who later got married to Lord Frederick Lugard, the mastermind behind the creation of our beloved nation. Breunig, Peter. The primary exports were slaves, leather, gold, cloth, salt, kola nuts, and henna. [79] The dominant northern NPC went into a conservative alliance with the new Yoruba NNDP, leaving the Igbo NCNC to coalesce with the remnants of the AG in a progressive alliance. [51] Nri and Aguleri, where the Igbo creation myth originates, are in the territory of the Umueri clan, who trace their lineages back to the patriarchal king-figure, Eri. Daily . However, the opposition had accusations of electoral fraud in polls. These parties were the People's Democratic Party (PDP), the All People's Party (APP), and the predominantly Yoruba Alliance for Democracy (AD). The Yorubaland now consists of different tribes from different states which are located in the Southwestern part of the country, states like Lagos State, Oyo State, Ondo State, Osun State, Ekiti State and Ogun State, among others. Their capital city was situated about 100km north of present-day Oyo. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The oldest fossil remains found by archaeologists in the southwestern area of Iwo Eleru, near Akure, have been dated to about 9000 bce. In April 1990 mid-level officers attempted unsuccessfully to overthrow the government and 69 accused plotters were executed after secret trials before military tribunals. Gently undulating plains, which become waterlogged during the rainy season, are found in these areas. Lagos was occupied by British forces in 1851 and formally annexed by Britain in the year 1865. Pin the Capital on the Country: Fact or Fiction? They crossed the river to Urupkam (Usukpam) west of the Cross River and founded two settlements: Ena Uda and Ena Ofia in present-day Erai. The Northern People's Congress (NPC) represented conservative, Muslim, largely Hausa and Fulani interests that dominated the northern region of the country, consisting of three-quarters of the land area and more than half the population of Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. The military Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) under Abubakar commuted the sentences of those accused in the alleged coup during the Abacha regime and released almost all known civilian political detainees. Olusegun Obasanjo inherited a country suffering economic stagnation and the deterioration of most democratic institutions. This led to an increase in trans-Saharan Trade. Foreign scholars often associated with the school include Michael Crowder, Abdullahi Amith, J. While that may be a lot of people, population . By these same routes, Islam made its way south into West Africa after the 9th century. The Benin Empire (14401897; called Bini by locals) was a pre-colonial African state in what is now modern Nigeria. On 20 December 1997, the government arrested General Oladipo Diya, ten officers, and eight civilians on charges of coup plotting. Almost immediately, the revenues from oil began to make Nigeria a wealthy nation. They can be found in Idah, Igalamela/Odolu, Ajaka, Ofu, Olamaboro, Dekina, Bassa, Ankpa, omala, Lokoja, Ibaji, Ajaokuta, Lokoja and kotonkarfe Local government all in Kogi state. During the 16th century, the Songhai Empire reached its peak, stretching from the Senegal and Gambia rivers and incorporating part of Hausaland in the east. [34], Borno's history is closely associated with Kanem, which had achieved imperial status in the Lake Chad basin by the 13th century. Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna fled to Kwame Nkrumah's Ghana where he was welcomed as a hero. [75], Capturing 89 seats in the federal parliament was the second-largest party in the newly independent country the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC). The former military head of state Olusegun Obasanjo, freed from prison by Abubakar, ran as a civilian candidate and won the presidential election. Modern Nigeria dates from 1914, when the British Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were joined. [citation needed] The Songhai Empire also occupied part of the region. Lagos, however, is not perceived as the "spiritual and bureaucratic capital of Africa"; Addis Ababa has that role.". Nigeria is a patchwork of distinctive regions, including deserts, plains, swamps, mountains, and steamy jungles. In August 1998 Abubakar appointed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections for local government councils, state legislatures and governors, the national assembly, and president. B. Webster, R. J. Gavin, Robert Smith, and John D. Omer-Cooper. Although he had led Babangida's Transitional Council since 1993, Shonekan was unable to reverse Nigeria's economic problems or to defuse lingering political tension. Yar'Adua's presidency was fraught with uncertainty as media reports said he suffered from kidney and heart disease. The origin of the name Niger, which originally applied only to the middle reaches of the Niger River . Pending the promulgation of the constitution written in 1995, the government observed some provisions of the 1979 and 1989 constitutions. In October 2001, hundreds were killed and thousands displaced in communal violence that spread across the states of Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa. By tradition, the territory was conferred on the heir to the throne to govern during his apprenticeship. Head of State Babangida promised to return the country to civilian rule by 1990 which was later extended until January 1993. At stake now are the most fundamental questions which can be raised about a country, beginning with whether it will survive as a single viable entity. The neat protrusion from the chin represents a beard. Jack McCaslin is a . This lack of primary ethnic support makes Jonathan a target for militaristic overthrow or regional uprisings in the area. [8] From the 15th century, European slave traders arrived in the region to purchase enslaved Africans as part of the Atlantic slave trade, which started in the region of modern-day Nigeria; the first Nigerian port used by European slave traders was Badagry, a coastal harbour. [66] Igbo people formed the majority of enslaved Africans which were sold as slaves from Calabar, despite forming a minority among the ethnic groups in the region. The Sokoto Plains and the Borno Plains are located in the northwestern and northeastern corners of the country respectively. The Igl are one of the ethnic groups found in Nigeria. But Benin's fame is based on factors other than power. For local elections, nine parties were granted provisional registration with three fulfilling the requirements to contest the following elections. The famous Kano Chronicle records the conversion of Kano's ruling dynasty by clerics from Mali, demonstrating that the imperial influence of Mali extended far to the east. [104] In May 2010, the Nigerian government learned of Yar'Adua's death after a long battle with existing health problems and an undisclosed illness. At Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria, the Islamic Legitimist school arose that rejected Western models in favour of the scholarly tradition of the Sokoto Caliphate and the Islamic world. km. Igala people are majorly found in Kogi state. Notably, as First Speaker of the House, Jaja Wachuku received Nigeria's Instrument of Independence, also known as Freedom Charter, on 1 October 1960, from Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Queen's representative at the Nigerian independence ceremonies. The national capital is Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory, which was created by decree in 1976. During his first days in office, President Babangida moved to restore freedom of the press and to release political detainees being held without charge. The Yoruba people ( Yoruba: ran Yorb, m Odduw, m Kr-ojire [21]) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The judiciary system continued to be hampered by corruption and lack of resources after Abacha's death. The early independent kingdoms and states that make up present-day state of Nigeria are (in alphabetical order): Benin Kingdom, Borgu Kingdom, Fulani Empire, Hausa Kingdoms, Kanem Bornu Empire, Kwararafa Kingdom, Ibibio Kingdom, Nri Kingdom, Nupe Kingdom, Oyo Empire, Songhai Empire, Warri Kingdom, Ile Ife Kingdom, and Yagba East Kingdom. The Nigerian Civil War led some to question whether Nigeria was, in fact, a unified nation with a national history. [99] Particularly notable disasters in this area have been: 1) October 1998, Jesse, 1100 deaths, 2) July 2000, Jesse, 250 deaths, 3) September 2004, near Lagos, 60 deaths, 4) May 2006, Ilado, approx. Thus, the AG was reduced to an opposition role in their own stronghold.[77]. The situation is uncertain, with Nigeria, ..is sliding downhill faster and faster, with less and less chance unity and stability. As in most African art styles, the Nok style focuses mainly on people, rarely on animals. Rioting broke out in the North. On 15 January 1966, a group of army officers (the Young Majors) mostly south-eastern Igbos, overthrew the NPC-NNDP government and assassinated the prime minister and the premiers of the northern and western regions. "Nigeria is likely to take a more active role in funding liberation movements in southern Africa." However, the bloody nature of the Young Majors coup caused another coup to be carried out by General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. [70] From 1884 until 1906 Old Calabar was the headquarters of the Niger Coast Protectorate, after which Lagos became the main center. Iboland is an overpopulated, economically depressed area where massive unemployment is likely to continue for many years. The Niger River, for which the country is named, and the Benue, its largest tributary, are the principal rivers. Corrections? Sonni Ali seized Timbuktu in 1468 and Djenn in 1473, building his regime on trade revenues and the cooperation of Muslim merchants. Rather than relaxing colonial strictures in gratitude after the war, the European presence in Africa intensified. In response, petroleum workers called a strike demanding that Abacha release Abiola and hand over power to him. Archaeological research, pioneered by Charles Thurstan Shaw, has shown a long history of human settlement in Nigeria. The Hausa Kingdoms began as seven states founded according to the Bayajidda legend by the six sons of Bawo, the unique son of the hero and the queen Magajiya Daurama in addition to the hero's son, Biram or Ibrahim, of an earlier marriage. According to the Bayajidda legend, the Banza Bakwai states were founded by the seven sons of Karbagari ("Town-seizer"), the unique son of Bayajidda and the slave-maid, Bagwariya. Jaja Wachuku replaced Sir Frederick Metcalfe of Britain. In February 2010, Goodluck Jonathan began serving as acting president in the absence of Yaradua. Unless present army leaders and contending tribal elements soon reach agreement on a new basis for the association and take some effective measures to halt a seriously deteriorating security situation, there will be increasing internal turmoil, possibly including civil war. A new republic was planned to be established in 1993 but was aborted by General Sani Abacha. The Southwest part of Nigeria was formed recently as a nation by 850, it was also established as the basics of the Eastern Akan tribes. The middle two-thirds of the country, the savanna regions, contain reddish, laterite soils; they are somewhat less fertile than those of the north because they are not subject to as much seasonal drying, nor do they receive the greater rainfall that occurs in the more southerly regions. Now called Calabar, the city remained an important port shipping ivory, timber, beeswax, and palm produce until 1916, when the railway terminus was opened at Port Harcourt, 145km to the west.[71]. In the 15th century the region brought under central control is a mere seventy-miles across (people and places being harder to subdue in the tropical forest than on the savanna), though a century later Benin stretches from the Niger delta in the east to Lagos in the west. This lack of communication left the new acting President Jonathan with no knowledge of his predecessor's plans. A constituent assembly was elected in 1977 to draft a new constitution, which was published on 21 September 1978, when the ban on political activity was lifted. On 17 August 1994, the government dismissed the leadership of the NLC and the petroleum unions, placed the unions under appointed administrators, and arrested Frank Kokori and other labor leaders. 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