4 January 2016. In Kaduna in FebruaryMay 2000 over 1,000 people died in rioting over the introduction of criminal Shar'ia in the State. [105][106] However, his re-election bid in 2015 was truncated with the emergence of former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari, mainly on his inability to quell the rising insecurity in the country. The Yoruba are especially known for the Oyo Empire that dominated the region. Updates? In the 1959 elections, the AG obtained 73 seats.[75]. Eri, the god-like founder of Nri, is believed to have settled in the region around 948 with other related Igbo cultures following in the 13th century. George's . [101], In the 2007 general election, Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, both of the People's Democratic Party, were elected president and Vice President, respectively. In February 2010, Goodluck Jonathan began serving as acting president in the absence of Yaradua. Author of, Professor of History, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Nigeria is a West African country occupying an area of 923,769 sq. [53], Archaeological evidence suggests that Nri hegemony in Igboland may go back as far as the 9th century,[54] and royal burials have been unearthed dating to at least the 10th century. Introduction Background In ancient and pre-colonial times, the area of present-day Nigeria was occupied by a great diversity of ethnic groups with different languages and traditions. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The Akintola faction argued that the Yoruba peoples were losing their pre-eminent position in business in Nigeria to people of the Igbo tribe because the Igbo-dominated NCNC was part of the governing coalition and the AG was not. It might suggest speech and that the figure has something to tell us. Their homeland, the former Igala Kingdom, is an approximately triangular area of about 14,000 km2 (5,400 sq mi) in the angle formed by the Benue and Niger rivers. The FMG is neither very efficient nor dynamic, but the recent announcement that it intends to retain power for six more years has generated little opposition so far. Nonetheless, Kano and Katsina, with their famous mosques and schools, came to participate fully in the cultural and intellectual life of the Islamic world. Excavations in Ugwuele, Afikpo and Nsukka show evidence of habitation as early as 6,000 BC. Iboland is an overpopulated, economically depressed area where massive unemployment is likely to continue for many years. History of Nigeria Early Nigerian cultures The Nok culture Evidence of human occupation in Nigeria dates back thousands of years. Abacha died in 1998 and a fourth republic was later established the following year, which ended three decades of intermittent military rule. Other states where Igalas can be found are Anambra, Delta and Benue states. From approximately the 8th century, adjacent village compounds called il coalesced into numerous territorial city-states in which clan loyalties became subordinate to dynastic chieftains. The Federal government was given exclusive powers in defence, foreign relations, and commercial and fiscal policy. [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. In general, the topography of Nigeria consists of plains in the north and south interrupted by plateaus and hills in the centre of the country. ), width: 50cm (19.6in. [14] Nigeria became a republic again after a new constitution was written in 1979. [3] Islam reached Nigeria through the Bornu Empire between (1068 AD) and Hausa States around (1385 AD) during the 11th century,[4][5][6][7] while Christianity came to Nigeria in the 15th century through Augustinian and Capuchin monks from Portugal. [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. In October 1963, Nigeria proclaimed itself the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and former Governor-General Nnamdi Azikiwe became the country's first President. By these same routes, Islam made its way south into West Africa after the 9th century. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior. Abacha enforced authority through the federal security system which is accused of numerous human rights abuses, including infringements on freedom of speech, assembly, association, travel, and violence against women. [20], The Nok culture thrived from approximately 1,500 BC to about 200 AD on the Jos Plateau in north and central Nigeria and produced life-sized terracotta figures that include human heads, human figures, and animals. 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. Later groups like the Igala traders from the hinterland settled in Onitsha in the 18th century. Major General Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the leader of the Supreme Military Council (SMC), the country's new ruling body. It has been in an acute stage since last January when a military coup d'tat destroyed the constitutional regime bequeathed by the British and upset the underlying tribal and regional power relationships. Women, for example, continued to exercise considerable political influence. According to Igbo oral tradition, his reign started in 1043. The public response convinced Babangida of intense opposition to an economic recession. The U.S. intelligence community concluded in November 1970 that "The Nigerian Civil War ended with relatively little rancour. Trade is the key to the emergence of organized communities in the sahelian portions of Nigeria. [56] At least one historian puts fikunim's reign much later, around 1225.[57]. It was very modern, however, in the sources used. 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. The country has abundant natural resources, notably large deposits of petroleum and natural gas. Following the breakup of Mali, a local leader named Sonni Ali (14641492) founded the Songhai Empire in the region of middle Niger and western Sudan and took control of the trans-Saharan trade. The chiefs of Akwa Akpa placed themselves under British protection in 1884. After calling off a threatened strike in July the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) reconsidered a general strike in August after the government imposed conditions on Abiola's release. trace the origin of News Agency of Nigeria discuss the functions of NAN and the services rendered by the agency. Aviation workers in Nigeria have embarked on a two-day strike, leaving thousands of travelers stranded as airlines canceled or rescheduled flights in the country's major cities, A local official in Nigeria says that at least 33 people have been killed by gunmen in the country's northwest, From dressing as Roman soldiers in Antigua, Guatemala, to carrying palm fronds on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, Christians around the world are celebrating Holy Week, State authorities said Tuesday at least 10 students were abducted by gunmen in northwest Nigeria, In a story published April 2, 2023, about police reforms in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a year after a Black man was shot and killed during a traffic stop, The Associated Press erroneously reported where the victim, Patrick Lyoya, was born. 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. [35], The mai employed his mounted bodyguard and an inchoate army of nobles to extend Kanem's authority into Borno. This lack of communication left the new acting President Jonathan with no knowledge of his predecessor's plans. A separatist movement later formed the Republic of Biafra in 1967, leading to the three-year Nigerian Civil War. In its prime, they also dominated the Kingdom of Dahomey (now located in the modern day Republic of Benin). According to the Bayajidda legend, the Hausa states were founded by the sons of Bayajidda, a prince whose origin differs by tradition, but official canon records him as the person who married the last Kabara of Daura and heralded the end of the matriarchal monarchs that had erstwhile ruled the Hausa people. The Niger has many rapids and waterfalls, but the Benue is not interrupted by either and is navigable throughout its length, except during the dry season. The military rivalries of the Hausa states strained the region's economic resources at a time when drought and famine undermined farmers and herders. The national capital is Abuja, in the Federal Capital Territory, which was created by decree in 1976. "The Crisis in Research and Academic Publishing in Nigerian Universities" (2002). [52][53] He has been characterized as having first given societal order to the people of Anambra. However, in 1962, a faction arose within the AG under the leadership of Ladoke Akintola who had been selected as premier of the West. [90] All of this meant that by 1979, Nigeria was the sixth largest producer of oil in the world with revenues from oil of $24 billion per year. In 1808 the Hausa Nation was finally conquered by Usman dan Fodio and incorporated into the Hausa-Fulani Sokoto Caliphate.[45]. The destruction of Songhai left Borno uncontested and until the 18th-century Borno dominated northern Nigeria. Some Fulbe converted to Islam as early as the 11th century and settled among the Hausa, from whom they became racially indistinguishable. On 27 October 1958 Britain agreed that Nigeria would become an independent state on 1 October 1960. 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. [9][10] Local merchants provided them with slaves, escalating conflicts among the ethnic groups in the region and disrupting older trade patterns through the Trans-Saharan route.[11]. In 1979, five political parties competed in a series of elections in which Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was elected president. Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters. [108], The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, won the February 2023 presidential election to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as the next president of Nigeria. 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. [87], Following the civil war, the country turned to the task of economic development. This was to commemorate the June 12th election of 1993, and the events that surrounded it. Lagos, however, is not perceived as the "spiritual and bureaucratic capital of Africa"; Addis Ababa has that role.". Each king traces his origin back to the founding ancestor, Eri. Britannica Quiz Geography Fun Facts Relief Nigeria gained its independence from Britain in 1960. The Nigerian Army, vastly expanded during the war, is both the main support to the FMG and the chief threat to it. Nigerias major soil zones conform to geographic location. Chairs were thrown and one member grabbed the parliamentary Mace and wielded it like a weapon to attack the Speaker and other members. A state council (the Oyo Mesi) named the Alaafin (king) and acted as a check on his authority. The central region has hills and plateaus. More than 100 were killed in riots before Babangida agreed to hand power to an interim government on 27 August 1993. Pending the promulgation of the constitution written in 1995, the government observed some provisions of the 1979 and 1989 constitutions. The troops are poorly trained and disciplined and some of the officers are turning to conspiracies and plotting. On 1 October 1954, the colony became the autonomous Federation of Nigeria. The states included only kingdoms inhabited by Hausa-speakers: Since the beginning of Hausa history, the seven states of Hausaland divided up production and labor activities in accordance with their location and natural resources. By then a string of dynastic states, including the earliest Hausa states, stretched into western and central Sudan. They discovered that Nigerians have to be civilized so as to be good customers. On December 31, 1983, the military overthrew the Second Republic. The monarch of Nigeria was still head of state but legislative power was vested in a bicameral parliament, executive power in a prime minister and cabinet, and judicial authority in a Federal Supreme Court. Only five political parties were approved by the regime and voter turnout for local elections in December 1997 was under 10%. A sign of federalism has been the growing visibility of state governors and the inherent friction between Abuja and the state capitals over resource allocation.[97]. [49] According to the Yoruba, Oduduwa is regarded as the ancestor of the Yoruba kings. Largely because of Songhai's influence, there was a blossoming of Islamic learning and culture. [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. By the end of the 18th century, some Muslim ulema began articulating the grievances of the common people. [41] However, the Igbo rejected attempts at constitutional revisions and insisted on full autonomy for the east. [61] The rules regarding these taboos were used to educate and govern Nri's subjects. General Yakubu Gowon, head of the Federal Military Government (FMG) is the accepted national leader and his popularity has grown since the end of the war. Other unions joined the strike, bringing economic life around Lagos and the southwest to a standstill. [84] The name Federal Republic of Nigeria was restored on 31 August 1966. Where Igalas can be found are Anambra, Delta and Benue states the troops are trained! 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