Did You Know

Sokoto leather (also known as morocco leather) is considered the finest in the world.

Yoruba has over 50 million speakers worldwide.

Ahmadu Bello was the great-great-grandson of Usman dan Fodio, founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.

Blessing Okagbare of Delta State is currently Africa’s women’s 200m outdoor champion.

Until 1978, Nigeria’s national motto was “Peace, Unity, Freedom”.

As far back as World War II, Lagos-based radio stations were broadcasting the news in pidgin English.

In the 1960s and 70s, the Nigerian government funded bookmobiles which connected readers in rural communities to books and library resources.

Disney owns the film rights to Amos Tutuola's The Palm-Wine Drinkard - check out the book in the ZODML Book Catalogue.

The Church of Nigeria has the second highest membership of the churches within the worldwide Anglican Communion. It has a community of over 18 million baptized worshippers.

Two Nigerians – Ben Enwonwu and Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy – have painted official portraits of Queen Elizabeth II.

Nigeria has 774 local government areas. Learn more about Nigeria's states in our Geography section.

Oil first discovered in commercial quantities in Nigeria at Oloibiri, Bayelsa State in 1956.

Nigeria was one of 15 African nations to boycott the 1966 World Cup. The boycott took place to protest FIFA’s allocation of one final spot to three continents (Africa, Asia and Oceania).

The Hope Waddell Training Institution in Calabar, Cross River State, is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria. It was established in 1895

The Gashaka-Gumti National Park (which lies in Adamawa and Taraba states) contains a fort built by German soldiers during World War One.

Google Translate now features functionality in the three main Nigerian languages.

Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo have a combined total of 88 million speakers.

The Dufuna Canoe, discovered around the River Yobe in 1987, is approximately 8000 years old.

Usman dan Fodio (1754-1817) was an Islamic scholar, philosopher and theologian who wrote over 100 books.

The Niger Delta (which is the second largest delta on the planet), has the highest concentration of monotypic fish families in the world.

In 1979, His Royal Majesty, Benjamin Ikenchukwu Keagborekuzi 1, the Dein of Agbor Kingdom in Delta State of Nigeria became the world’s youngest crowned head. He was only 28 months old at the time of his coronation.

“Arise, O Compatriots,” Nigeria’s national anthem, was the outcome of a writing competition in 1978. The lyrics were culled from the top five entries.

Shehu Musa Yar’Adua was the youngest African to be made a Major General at the age of 36.

The Super Falcons have won the African Women's Championship eight times out of ten.