Nigeria: Geography, Culture, Arts, and Political History

VOCABULARY STYLE: Reviewing Nigerian geography, ethnic composition, classical arts, constitutional development, and socio-cultural characteristics.

Prof. Wole Soyinka

A Nigerian who was the first African to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Nok terracotta

The oldest known Nigerian sculptures, dating from $200\,BC$ to $900\,AC$, discovered near southern Zaria and Benue.

Igbo Ukwu

A town near Akwa, Anambra State, famous for advanced bronze casting workmanship dating back to the 9th and 10th century $AC$.

Benin Antiquities

Besta-known Nigerian artworks involving bronze casting techniques learned from Ile-Ife around $1400\,AC$.

Lady Ladi Kwali

The most famous Nigerian potter, born in the Gwari area, whose work is featured on the $N20$ naira note.

Kano Indigo-Vegetable Dye Pits

Dyeing pits privately owned by families for over $500$ years where cloth is stained using natural indigo and ash.

Morocco Leather

Leather made from goatskins in Sokoto, which earned its name because it was historically traded to Europe through Moroccan caravans across the Sahara Desert.

Bagaruwa

A locally grown plant used in the traditional tanning process to change skin texture into leather.

Lord Lugard

The Governor who amalgamated the Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria on January 1, $1914$.

Clifford Constitution of 1922

The constitution that introduced the "elective principle" and led to the formation of Nigeria's first political party.

Herbert Macaulay

The leader of the first political party in Nigeria, the Nigeria National Democratic Party ($NNDP$).

Lyttelton Constitution of 1954

The constitution that established a Federal House of Representatives with $184$ directly elected members.

Material Culture

Physical objects of a society, such as houses, tools, clothing, and local technologies.

Non-material Culture

Intangible aspects of culture, including music, dances, festivals, religious beliefs, and poems.

Agada (Agbada)

A flowing gown worn by men in Hausa, Yoruba, and as a traditional title dress among the Igbo.

Ekpu

Beautifully carved wooden ancestor figures made by the Oron people, many of which were destroyed during the Biafra war.

Gelede

Wood carvings found among the Benin Yorubas and southwestern Yorubas used as masks for spirits of dead ancestors.

"Igbo ama eze"

A traditional Igbo saying which implies that the Igbo do not typically have a tradition of being ruled by powerful kings.

Shehu of Borno

The spiritual head of the Kanuri people of Borno and Yobe states.

Tiv

An ethnic group in Benue state that trace their history to a single common ancestor and were never conquered until the British arrival.

Ijaw

A cultural group living in the Niger Delta whose lives are conditioned by water, leading to occupations in fishing and regatta festivals.

Federal Character Commission

A body established to ensure the equitable distribution of public offices among citizens from all parts of Nigeria.

July 2009 Population Estimate

Nigeria had an estimated population of $153,828,587$ people.

Literacy Rate

The total population literacy rate is $68\%$, with males at $75.7\%$ and females at $60.6\%$.