Connect with us

METRO

11 Facts You Should Know About Nigeria as It Celebrates 60 Years of Independence

Published

on

By

Global Citizen’s mission to end extreme poverty by 2030 and ultimately fulfil Global Goal 1 for zero poverty includes our work in Nigeria, where almost 50% of the population live in extreme poverty. Global CItizen is already supporting Nigeria’s vulnerable people through the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) – join us to support disadvantaged Nigerians by taking action here.

On Oct. 1, Nigeria celebrates its Diamond Jubilee — marking 60 years since the country became an independent nation with the end of colonial rule…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

With an estimated population of about 204 million people, Nigeria today is the most populous Black nation on Earth and the seventh most populous country in the world.

There is so much to learn about Nigeria, its people, and its cultures. With so much history and cultural richness, there are many lessons to be learned from Nigeria’s impact on the African continent and the world at large. Global Citizen celebrates the resilience and ingenuity of the Nigerian people on this historic and important day.

Here are 11 historical facts you should know about the country often referred to as the “Giant of Africa”:

1. Nigeria was formed in 1914.

The land area known today as Nigeria was formed in 1914 when colonial authorities merged the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria, to form the amalgamated Protectorate and Colony of Nigeria.

This merger brought together over 400 ethnic groups and tribes into what was then the largest British colony in the world. The name “Nigeria” is also derived from colonial sources.

Related Stories
  • 5 Facts Every Nigerian Should Know About Our Health Care

2. Nigeria gained independence from colonial rule in 1960.

Nigeria gained independence from the British empire in 1960, initially adopting a British style of government with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the first Nigerian head of government (prime minister). The country then had a population of over 45 million people.

3. Nigeria has been ruled by military leaders for a combined 29 years.

On Jan. 15 1966, a group of young, idealistic, UK-trained army majors overthrew Nigeria’s democratic government in a violent military coup — the country’s first.

A succession of increasingly repressive military governments ruled Nigeria for 29 of the next 33 years, until the restoration of democracy in 1999.

Some of the blowback effects of this coup include:

  • the secessionist Biafra movement;
  • it propelled a group of young military officers onto the national stage and they still wield enormous influence in Nigerian politics;
  • corruption — the military decreed that all natural resources be controlled by the state, which has entrenched the do-or-die nature of Nigerian politics;
  • the army’s politicised past means that Nigerians live with the (real or imagined) fear that a coup is a possible outcome of any political crisis.

4. The Nigerian civil war started in 1967. 

In 1967, following two coups and turmoil that led to about a million Igbos (one of Nigeria’s most-populous ethnic groups primarily from the Eastern region of the country) returning to the south-east of Nigeria, the Republic of Biafra seceded.

The Nigerian government declared war and after 30 months of fighting, Biafra surrendered. On Jan. 15 1970, the conflict officially ended.

Related Stories
  • 5 Issues Nigeria Must Address to Ensure Every Child Can Access a Quality Education

5. Nigeria’s oil boom began in the 1970s.

Oil profitability in Nigeria was greatest during the 1970s, when it became the wealthiest country in Africa.

Within two years, state profit increased by almost 50%, to an all-time high of N5.3 billion in 1976. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Nigeria bolstered profits when it joined the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1971, and the discovery of oil is widely believed to have influenced the course of the civil war.

6. A Nigerian was the first African recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature. 

Wole Soyinka was the first African to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, which he won in 1986, and he is also a prominent social critic and political activist.

As an activist, he has been a voice for justice, freedom, and the end of tyranny. He has risked his life again and again to articulate the principles that provide the foundation for human rights, both in his native Nigeria and around the world.

7. Nigeria won its first Olympic gold medal in 1996.

Nigeria’s most successful Olympic outing was the 1996 Olympics, with the men’s football team winning Gold, and Chioma Ajunwa also winning a Gold medal in the women’s long jump event.

In total that year, Nigeria won two Gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals.

Related Stories
  • How a 69-Year-Old Nigerian Polio Volunteer Single-Handedly Transformed Her Community

8. Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.

The 1999 transition of Nigeria from military to civilian, democratic government, was a defining moment in Nigerian history, representing the beginning of the longest, uninterrupted government since Independence in 1960.

The presidential election took place in February 1999, and Olusegun Obasanjo, who as head of state in 1976–79 had overseen the last transition from military rule, was declared the winner.

9. Nigerian model Agbani Darego was the first African woman to win the Miss World pageant

Rivers State-born Agbani Darego was the first African woman to win the Miss World pageant — entering the history books with her victory in 2001.

Darego has worked with top brands such as Avon, Christian Dior, Sephora, Target, and Macy’s and appeared in world famous magazines such as Elle, Marie Claire, Allure, Trace, Stitch, Cosmopolitan, and Essence. She remains Nigeria’s most famous beauty queen.

Related Stories
  • Nigerian Choreographer Seyi Oluyole Is Using Dance to Help Children Stay in School

10. Nigeria became Africa’s largest economy in 2013/4.

In April 2014 — looking back at the previous financial year — the statistics bureau of Nigeria confirmed the rebasing of the Nigerian economy’s gross domestic product (GDP) to $509.9 billion.

This placed it well above South Africa’s nominal GDP of $322 billion and elevated Nigeria to the position of the largest economy in Africa.

11. Nigerians became the first Africans to qualify for the Olympics bobsledding event in 2018.

Three Nigerian-American women — Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere, and Akuoma Omeoga — made history and their Olympic dreams come true by being the first-ever African bobsled team to qualify for the Olympics. They were also the first Nigerian athletes to compete in a Winter Olympics event.


Nigeria is home to the greatest number of people living in extreme poverty in the world — meaning that efforts to tackle extreme poverty and its systemic causes in the country are vital to the Global Goals’ mission to end extreme poverty by 2030. You can join the movement to empower and protect vulnerable Nigerians by taking action here.

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

METRO

Man indecently abused another victim while on probation, but ‘the judge said he shouldn’t go to prison’ because of this!

Published

on

By

 

According to the court documents, the then-33-year-old defendant, Maurice, was first arrested for ra-ing a 16-year-old girl while serving as the manager of a restaurant.

He pleaded guilty to having se* with the underage girl in the kitchen of restaurant, which the victim said she did because “he told her to” and “he was her boss and she needed to keep her job.”

For the crime of statutory ra-e, the defendant was sentenced to a 120-day se* offender program before being released on probation. Although he completed the rehab program, this was only the beginning of the registered se* offender’s crime spree.

Just one month after he was released from the se* offending assessment unit, he brutally ra-ed the mother of his children. However, despite being found guilty of his second ra-e, the presiding judge believed he shouldn’t even touch the inside of a jail cell. Judge Holden sentenced the defendant to just five years probation for his second ra-e after his probation officer and se* abuse program counselor convinced him that he was “making progress in his counseling…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

“So the judge was able to hear from somebody who has expertise in this type of treatment, who has supervised and treated him for quite some time, and came to a conclusion that continuity under these circumstances was going to be warehousing him in a prison,” explained the defendant’s defense attorney Coatney. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Despite prosecutors’ request that he receive the maximum 7 years in prison, Judge Holden handed down the probation sentence because Maurice seems to be improving in counseling. However, Holden ignored the fact that the 33-year-old man ra-ed his second victim after completing a similar program intended to rehabilitate the se* offender.

That decision has sparked outrage on social media including a post by county prosecutor Patterson with a Ronald Reagan quote that “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker.

It’s time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” Many experts claim that the most disturbing thing about Maurice’s case is that there are now two women who have learned that the court system doesn’t always deliver justice.

Sadly, he lives to offend another day while his victims must suffer the long-lasting effects of his crimes. Ladies and gentlemen, we are republishing this story amid recent reports that suggest many US states are recording record highs in se-ual assault incidents.

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

METRO

Porch Thief Steals Sick Boy’s Medicine Worth $40K Off Doorstep

Published

on

By

 

Just about everyone does online shopping these days. How could we not, with just how convenient it all is?

You buy something without ever leaving the house, pay for it, and then it shows up on your doorstep a few days later!

For folks that have mobility or health issues, or aren’t able to get to the shops in time, online shopping is basically a godsend.

There is just one tiny problem – people have realized that there are more and more valuable goods simply left out on the front porch unattended, often for hours at a time.

And with this vulnerability comes the potential for theft. When you are desperate or just greedy, parcels left sitting in front of the door is just easy pickings…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

And it doesn’t help that most deliveries are conducted during office hours – the times where most people won’t be available, which is why they chose online shopping in the first place.

(This is probably why Amazon Key is now a thing – you can’t lose your purchases if they were left inside your house.)

So as convenient as it is to just have packages waiting for you once you reach back home, the risk of losing them can be grave, as this family found out the hard way.

While most people would be incredibly upset that they had their parcel stolen (and be set back a sizeable amount of money), this teenager has bigger problems to worry about.

14-year-old Gage Haynes is now in a life-or-death situation after about $40,000 worth of medication was swiped from the doorstep of his house in Summerlin, Nevada on one February day.

Diagnosed with systemic mastocytosis at only 6 months old, Gage has spent the pretty much most of his life staring at the inside of hospital walls as much as he has being outside them. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Because of the rarity of his cancer, finding the right treatment for him was a massive struggle that consumed most of Gage’s life.

Then, Gage and his mother, Shakala, found the miracle they had been searching for – a new chemotherapy medication called Rydapt.

8 pills a day eases Gage’s symptoms to the point he can attend school and worry about his grades for a change – a massive quality-of-life change.

But the new medication came at a steep cost.

Shakala had to work herself to the bone to gain both financial assistance and earn enough money to afford the monthly $40,000 cost necessary to keep her son alive.

To top things off, the medication wasn’t approved by the FDA for those under the age of 18, making it hard to get.

So when the unidentified thief made off with two packages in broad daylight, he just made it a lot harder for Gage to survive.

The teen has since put out a public plea for the thief to return the costly and life-saving medication he desperately needs.

Here’s to hoping the thief has at least a shred of humanity left in him and returns the medication once he realizes what he has done.

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

METRO

Teenager Saves Veteran Who Collapsed From Heart Arrhythmia

Published

on

By

 

Lexi Lindsey is one high schooler you won’t soon forget about.She attends Bedford North Lawrence High School in Indiana as a senior this year.

Along with her regular high school studies, she is also enrolled at North Lawrence Career Center which helps her decide what career path will be best for her.

She has already received training in first aid, CPR, and the process for responding to a medical emergency.

This training must have been on her mind when she least expected to be using it.

While Lexi and a friend were on their way to a concert, they noticed a car that was parked to the side of the road.

They could tell that the driver was trying to be noticed…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

Lexi recalls that the driver was waving his arms around and then he dropped to the ground. This is when she yelled for her friend to stop the car.

Lexi then ran over to the man who had fallen out into the road. She pulled him back to safety and called 911.

He was able to let her know that he had an internal defibrillator.

This was due to heart issues from the past and how he was currently suffering from arrhythmia.

While she was accessing him, he began to have a seizure.

Lexi was able to place him on his side and keep him safe, while waiting to perform CPR if he needed it.

She was able to keep the man awake and calm until the ambulance was on site.

The man was happy to tell the EMTs that Lexi was the reason he was still alive.

She later learned that the man she saved was Brian Putt.

He has two children and is a Navy veteran. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

After Brian recovered, he was able to obtain Lexi’s name.

He wanted to meet her and thank her for saving him.

This is when he made the decision to visit her in her classroom at NLCC.

He walked into the classroom carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers for the girl that gave him another chance at life.

Brian was able to talk to the class and bragged on Lexi.

He explained how he had seen grown adults in the Navy loose it under stress but that wasn’t in Lexi’s nature.

She had a true gift of how to react in the time of need.

He went on to talk of her character and how she was an astounding person for the choices that she made.

He then took out a pin that was adorned with dolphins by a submarine.

Brian explained that it took him 20 years to earn this pin. It wasn’t a small task either.

He revealed the date that he was pinned on October 19th, 1993.

Then, he placed the pin on Lexi and told her that she had earned the dolphins.

Lexi was quick to stop and help. Without her, Brian’s life may be nonexistent.

She is a true hero and will make a great addition to the medical field.

Be sure to share this story and hopefully you can inspire someone else to make the decision to help others in need.

 

READ FULL STORY HERE>>...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
Continue Reading

Trending