Nigeria is officially known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria and is located in the western part of Nigeria. The name which was taken from the Niger River running through the country was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British journalist Flora Shaw, who later married Baron Frederick Lugard, a British colonial administrator.
Although it is internationally recognised as the giant of Africa, it may not be known to many that Nigeria has many interesting facts.
Here are a few of these facts:-
1800 – Sokoto caliphate established through jihad; goes to war against the Yoruba states.
1845 – The first building in Nigeria was built in Badagry, Lagos State.
1846 – Christian Missionary Society (CMS) sets up mission at Abeokuta.
1859 – Naira was introduced
1861 – British annexes Lagos, with status of Crown Colony
1914 – Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated into Nigeria. British Crown gained monopoly rights over mineral extraction
1959 – The new Nigerian currency was introduced.
October 1, 1960 – Nigeria gained independence from Britain.
October 1, 1961 – Southern Cameroon ceases to be a part of Nigeria and became a part of Cameroun, following the UN-organised plebiscite of February 11, 1961.
October 1, 1963 – Nigeria became a republic.
1965 – Cocoa house in the city of Ibadan, Oyo state was once the tallest building in tropical Africa.
1973 – National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was introduced.
1975 – Cars were sold for N2000
1975 – An airplane ticket to London was sold for less than a hundred naira (N100)
1976 – 75 Kobos exchanged for one British Pound Sterling and 60 Kobos for one US dollar.
Up until 1984, A Travel Visa was not required to travel to the United Kingdom.
