Sights and Sounds - A Historical Review of Sokoto, Nigeria

 

The Sokoto state's existence dates back to the 17th century when Bovil suggested that the real district may have been known as Sokoto as early as the time of the century. Sokoto state had been used for many events by different people, at different periods before it present state, which was created in 1996, as at the time Zamfara state was created by General Sanni Abacha.  As at early October 1804, it was used as a meeting place with Galadima, Yunfa's Vizier by Shehu Usman Dan Fodiyo. It was also used as a staging post for an attack on Dufua in the spring of 1806, and also as a military camp or frontier in 1809, when Sheu Usman Dan Fodiyo was at Sifawa. It's being said that the state later became the capital of the caliphate after Shehu's death.

As a state with such fresh moves, and swift transitions, as at 1820, it was at its peak of prosperity with powers of the rulers  at the center of the caliphate who were recieving monthly tribute from all the fiefs before a long period of decline. Sokoto States' effect on the city of being in such state of peak prosperity and powers, and it's closely settled surroundings, like the rivers, rather than long distance trade, in the city's economy impressed explorers like Hugh Clapperton (1827), and Heinrich Barth, who came to the city at 1853. Unfortunately, as at the time he came,  the state was much dilapidated and thinly inhabited, although the market was still well supplied and well attended, and a buzzing suburb outside the wall was more motioning than Sokoto itself. 

Following its thriving trade, as at 19th century, Sokoto was divided into 2 wards. Some of the wards are Magajin Gari ward, Magajin Rafi ward, Waziri ward, Sarkin Muslumi ward, Sarkin Adar ward, Sarkin Zamfara ward, and so on. As at 19th century, the ward were small and surrounded with mosque of Sultan Bello and Shehu, Sultan Palace, the compound of Shehu, and other buildings.

As at 1903, the British conquest the caliphate with it's various components being made autonomous and joined into the government of Northern Nigeria. Thus, the northern region was made up of mainly parts of the Sokoto Caliphate and Kanem - Bornu Empire. The recent Sokoto has been the home of many empires and kingdoms of the pre-colonial western Sudan, which include the Gobir and Kebbi Kingdoms, and the world famous caliphate whose spiritual and political capital is the headquarter of the state, and as at January 1967,  Sokoto became the headquarters of the north-western when General Yakubu Gowon created states to replace regional governments, and following the creation of Niger state out of the North-western state, Sokoto state emerged with its headquarters. Although some states were carved out of the state, like the Zamfara and Kebbi state in 1991 and 1996 respectively, Sokoto city still remains the capital of various governments since it's establishment by Caliph Muhammad Bello in 1809.

The Sokoto city (headquarters of the caliphate) was first built in paper, and then built by Muhammad Bello, after a successful jihad conquest which was led by Shehu Usman Dan Fodiyo (1804-1808). Bello is the son of the sheikh who was among his father's lieutenant and war commanders, and fought the hardest and longest wars, including the war of the conquest of the jihadists. The Sokoto state also known as 'Sakkwato, Birnin Shaihu da Bello' or 'Sokoto, capital of Shaihu and Bello' consisted of all the features of any modern city including roads, bridges, ganuwa( fortification round centers of the town), as well as trade, commercial, and administrative centers, like Dogarawa, Galadanci, Alkalanci, Kanwuri, Binanchi,  Marina, Siriddawa, Makera, Madinka, Takalmawa, Runji, Jirgawa, and the popular central market known as Yardole, to mention a few were all designed by Muhammad Bello, with strong points like Kofar Dudaye, Kofar Aliyu Jedo, Kofar Taramniya, Kofar Market, Kofar Rini, and Kofar Kware. This important development attracted many people to migrate from their locality to the city for survival. The state witnessed more and more immigrants with interest in blacksmithing leather works, pottery, etc. Some of this people either engage in the business of blacksmithing or in other related business as in Makera Asada. That is why you did see Hausas in other part of the country buying damaged iron materials like damaged vehicles, lories, cars, aircraft, etc. Iron pipes and oil tanks in order to break them into pieces and sell them to anybody who wants to use them or modify them into another product. All these cannot be achieved without ganuwa as no Hausa land could develop into an urban center without effective fortification.

The Sokoto state is now the modern day capital of Sokoto state. It is a major city located in the extreme northwest of Nigeria, dominating the lowland where there is the confluence of the Sokoto River and Rima River, with a population of people over 427,670, as at 2006. The city is predominantly Muslims and an important seat of Islamic learning in Nigeria. The Stan who heads the caliphate is effectively the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims. The state has 23 Local Government Areas which are: Binji, Bodinga, Dange-shuni, Gada, Goronyo, Gudu, Gawabawa, Illela, Isa, Kware, Kebbe, Rabah, Sabon-Birni, Shagari, Silame, Sokoto-North, Sokoto-South, Tambuwal, Tangaza, Tureta, Wamakko, Wurno, and Yabo.

Attractive Sights in Sokoto state are: Waziri Junaidu History & Culture Museumr, Suramek, Akalawal, Sultan of Sokoto Palacem, Tomb of Usman Dan Fodiyo, Sokoto Museumr, Heritage Museumi, Gilbadi rocks, Shehu Kangiwa Square, and Goronyo dam, to mention a few.

Welcome to The Seat of The Caliphate✌

I will wake up to my Koffee

It is morning, afternoon, evening or night somewhere in Africa. 

And whenever you read this, you are only present in the past.

Not literally as you think. The different times depict different things to the African man. Morning usually depicts something new, fresh and the beginning of a thing. Afternoon shows strength, will and courage to last. Evening shows ageing, strength in weakness and sometimes resilience. And since everything that had a beginning must have an end, night is rest - death.

Read: 5 Native African Foods You Should Try Out Today

If you are reading this post now, it's either your first time here or you have successfully navigated your way to our anchor post. So, this is the best time to wake up to meet the dawn - a pretty damsel with so much to explore in your love for the day.

By our beliefs, the African is

Back To The Roots: Why African Civilization Is Unnecessary

 

Africa has the longest and oldest economic history, from our way of life, agriculture, dressing, actions, and respect for religions among other factors. The African culture is diverse, cutting across regions and countries.

One day in our history, colonialism came up, colonialism which is the imposition of foreign rule over indigenous traditional political setting and foreign dominance and subjugation of African people in all spheres of their social, political, cultural, economic and religious civilization.

Africa is a blessed continent, enriched with things that are necessary for us to function as humans. Africa in it's original form is a whole package; ranging from its agricultural provisions, livestock's, appropriate weather conditions, mineral resources, and what have you.

Africa has its own cultures, traditions, rules, and customs that dictates the way people live. The coming of the White men rendered everything empty. They came to impose their civilisation on us terming us "barbaric." African civilisation is of course unnecessary. We are civilised in our way, and we are comfortable. We had everything a continent could have. It is unnecessary, we don't need it. We never needed it. Their intention to colonise us was disguised under showing us a new faith. We were pleased with our gods; Ani- our beloved mother earth, Amadioha- god of thunder, Ogun- god of iron, amidst others. We were happy. We were doing well, and well enough.

Our occupations were hereditary. We knew them so well, and we did well with them. There were no big big sickness caused from inhaling gas, and other harmful chemicals. We either go to the farm for agriculture, forest for hunting animals, or river to fish. We had other interesting works like tie and dye, pottery making, hair dressing. The works were less stressful, and they pay well; compared to what civilisation is giving us today.

Western civilisation and culture began to creep into African socio-cultural milieu, first, with the contact of Europeans with Africa, a consequence of Berlin conference in the quest for imperial pilfering of African resources and, later, consolidated by the unstoppable wave of globalisation. It is important to stress that colonialism distorted and retarded the pace and tempo of cultural growth and trend of civilisation in Africa.


One of the most profound consequences of colonization has been how the political and economic rape of the colonies has also led to what sometimes seem to be an unbridgeable cultural gap between the nations that were the beneficiaries of colonization and those that were the victims of the colonial assault. The era of colonial pillage and plunder led to the relative stagnation and often precipitous decline of traditional cultural pursuits in the colonies.


With Africa subjugated and dominated, the Western culture and European mode of civilisation began to thrive and outgrow African cultural heritage. Traditional African cultural practices paved the way for foreign way of doing things as Africans became fully ‘westernised’. Western culture now is regarded as frontline civilisation. African ways of doing things became primitive, archaic and regrettably unacceptable in public domain. Not only were certain aspects of the material culture in the colonies lost or destroyed, colonial societies also lost the power and sense of cultural continuity, such that it became practically impossible to recover the ability to strive for cultural progress on their own terms.

Civilization has done a lot more damage to our African culture, so there is need for the flogging of the negative impact of Western civilisation and culture on Africa in all fora; so that policy makers can begin to see the need to reappraise their policies that contribute to the cultural dearth of Africa or the ones that negate the principles of cultural revival. We need to have a holistic appraisal of culture and Western Civilisation to the extent of distortions and retardation it caused to Africa and its pace of development, and also, by the same measure, illuminate into the options that are left for Africa.  

The Evolution Of Money In Africa

Have you ever wondered how money came about in Africa?, the history of money back in the years. How do we manage the medium of exchange before civilization and the advent of technology?. Money is simply defined as anything generally acceptable as a medium of exchange. This article explains the gradual directional means of exchange in Africa.

Early currencies: These are items used before polished currencies as means of exchange. This includes farm produce and livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep and so on. Beads were also used as currency, they have a history rooted in antiquities in Nigeria from the NOK culture. Kano and Bida then, Vere in Adamawa state were famous respectively for glass and brass beads as means of exchange until they were supplanted by the massive importation of trade beads. Hoe blade currencies[Nhuhar] used widely used by Tiv, Kanua, Benue Nigeria. Bark clothes were used by the Ugandas, Tobacco ropes are exchanged for bride price.

Ibn Battatu  a Muslim traveller from Morocco, discovered the use of bars of salt as a method of trade. At Walata a load of salt equals an ounce of gold. Pure salts were mined to slabs and cut into standardized sizes, and the exact measurement enables precise measurements. This trade system works on double principle, you trade what you have for what you desire. This exchange should satisfy both parties involved offering precise and equal value. This means of exchange has limitations as you might not get someone who has what you need at proximity and it is sometimes difficult to measure the true value of goods.This result to conflict among both parties.

Cowries: The most common species of cowries are from the Maldvian island in the indian ocean. These cowries shells are used popularly among the people in Kuda kingdom now know as Democratic Republic of Congo. Benin Kingdom in Africa also used cowries especially as dowries.

Metal money era: these includes hot plates, and mannila made of bronze or copper and it is depicted on the CBN’s [Central Bank of Nigeria] logo, it is commonly used among the west Africans. The use of mannilas evolved into the use of coins.

 Coins: The ancient kingdom of Aksum in the modern region of Ethiopia were one of the first to mint their coins using copper. First of January In 1917, the British bank notes in Nigeria changed to coins (Kobo) 50 Kobo, 25 Kobo, 1kobo. Considering these coins made of sliver, gold or copper and the weight. It was not really convienient carrying about.

Paper Money: This is now widely in use though few countries still uses coins. Due to its very light weight and portability, it is most preferred and measure of value was solved as it ranges with numbers. In Nigeria one Naira, five Naira, and ten Naira were first introduced, now we use twenty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred, and so on the highest denomination still remains one thousand Naira.

Somali, Ugandan and Tanzania uses shillings, Ethiopia is birr, Guinea adopts Franc and so on. Only a few countries produces their paper currencies importing little supplement they include Nigeria, Morocco and Kenya. 

African is really gifted with creativity, even with little resources available. Their innate tenacity and resilience enables them to improvise and make judicious use of the limited resources, to life a comfortable life.

Sights and Sounds - The Origin and Historical Review of Ekiti State, Nigeria

 

 

The place you know today as Ekiti got its name from its immediate environment. Formerly known as Ile Olokiti (a yoruba phrase that means the land of hills), the city was discovered by some of the sons of Olofin, who were direct grand-children to Oduduwa, the father and ancestor of the Yoruba race. Olofin and his sixteen sons left Ile-Ife, the motherland of Yoruba land, in search of new lands to develop. In the course of their journey, they stopped over at a site called Igbo-Aka (the forest of termites) as they journeyed through Iwo Eleru (Caves of ashes) near Akure.
 

The journey continued and two of his sons; Owa Obokun and Orangun of Ila decided to remain and develop the present Ijesha and Igbomina land of Osun state. Olofin and the remaining fourteen sons continued with the journey and got to a land with many hills which they named Ile Olokiti, the present Ekiti state and settled there.

 

Being the largest ethnic group of the Yorubaland, the culturally homogenous state has diverse communities in which slight differences are noticeable in the Ekiti dialect of the Yoruba language they all speak. The homogenic nature of this state contribute to it its uniqueness featured in its various dialects of the same Yoruba language, for instance, the people of Ikere community speak a different dialect from those of the Ikole community, although it is of the same Yoruba language. The dialects of some of the communities in Ekiti state are influenced by their locations, for instance, Moba land speaks a dialect closer to that spoken by the Igbominas in Kwara state.
       HISTORY: With a historical background dated to the time of Olofin and his sixteen sons who found and developed Ile-Olokiti, the present Ekiti state was created on the 1st of October, in the year 1996. During the precolonial era, Ekiti state was ruled by Oyo and Benin empires. The Ekiti state formed a confederation which participated in a Kiriji war along with the Eastern Yoruba group against the Western Yoruba group and Ibadan kingdom which lasted for sixteen years; from 1877 to 1893. The war ended in a British-mediated stalemate. When Nigeria got her independence in 1960, the present Ekiti state became a part of the Western region until 1967. The Western region, in 1967 was splitted and became a part of the Western state which was also splitted in the year 1976.
      The East of the splitted western state became Ondo state. The present Ekiti state was broken off from the then Ekiti zone (Ondo state North-west) twenty years later.

      The population of the present Ekiti state is made up of the Ekiti people majorly and the Akoko Yoruba subgroup to a minor extent.

 

How to Win an African Man's Heart

 

African men are egoistic and yes, you read that right. Being African makes you a product of Africa, heroic, strong, versatile, energetic, resilient and egoistic. So, it's not enough for you to say "you are beautiful". You need more than being beautiful to win that heart of a "strong" mind. 

Truly, men are moved by what they see, but as we all know, it's pertinent that you not only view the container, but you also need to access the content to know if it's worth appreciating and earned. 

How do you win the heart of an egoistic man, an African man? Be Cultured - Culture is one of the most true nature of a man. He does not shy away from it and can easily identify with anyone who respect his culture. Everyman, African men especially, wants a woman who holds "cultural heritage" in high esteem. So, if you want a man to open his heart up to you, be Cultured, promote your culture, live a morally cultured life and cherish your culture, so that he will know that his children would not be among those who deny their source and background. 

Respect - This is a two-way thing; it is given and it is earned. Absolutely, no man wants a woman who is disrespectful, regardless of age, position and status. Being African, makes it easy for men to know that respect is one of the things that makes a  person cultured. A friend once told me: he says, "a rude lady is a nude lady" because she has lot all that there is to her; she is seen as crude and shameless. Being respectful does not mean you look while your self esteem is trampled on, respect means having to say "No" in a polite manner. These days, lots of marriage has turned sour owing to the fact the man felt disrespected or not man enough to man his home.  In an African home, culture is valued and respect is lived out! In the days of old, women do not disrespectful men or regard them as inconsequential, in fact, our mothers then are so humble so that even when the man is engrossed with anger, they calm his nerves and soothe his soul with calming words, despite times that the man may be the one at fault, the woman will speak with humility, yet firm. Respect to his parents too is crucial, a man will totally love any woman that respects his parent, friends and his decisions. In our culture as Africans, we have seen and know how our parents respect themselves in words and actions, ill-manner is not condoled. The first example for every man is his mother - a perfect example of who/what he wants to be with/settle for; a respectable, well-cultured, courageous, hardworking and properly nurtured lady. 

Read: 5 Native African Foods You Should Try Out Today

Furthermore, having a good dress sense can not be overemphasized. These days, so many things are happening that has made people question what makes a lady cultured and respected? Of course, we see men give pleasurable comment to the nudity of ladies on various platforms of social media, but the truth remains that an African man knows better than to wife a woman who has totally lost her sense of modesty. Imagine him having to introduce you to his circle of friends and then they see this "loose" attitude in you. A popular saying goes thus; a lady is addressed how she is dressed, so whoever walks up to approach you have done that on the manner with which you presented yourself. 

Men want a lady that commands respect, a woman confident in her dressing and attitude; a sociable, classy and sophisticated woman. African men do not appreciate ladies who go about half-naked, in fact, they honour lady who wear more covered clothes and respect them. That is a kind of woman he wants to show to his parents, friends and the world. Naturally, a mother's intuition does not lie and that is why she can tell on the kind of lady her son is about to wife on her first visit to see his parent. 

Then, there is honour, culture never dies. African men would do anything for honour. They are a big fan of dignity and integrity. No man wants get involved with a woman who does not honour her parent, one who does not honour her parent will not honour another. So, a man carefully survey and weigh his chances with any woman he comes across but he knows when to keep at bay when the said woman has shown to be one who does not value her family. Honouring his parent as you would your parent will soften his heart towards you, any man who give his all to see his woman practically worship his parent and give them due regards. Without leaving out Love, this is the one thing that supersedes all. Truly, mothers get defensive when their son brings a woman home, particularly, African mothers and this is because they believe that the love, care, affection and attention given to them will be directed somewhere else. But, it is not always true and that is why it is important that you love his mother especially, so that she can be rest assured that you have come to further show her more love, rather than take away her love. Love, overcomes all - worries; fears; assumptions...

Winning the heart of an African man is but an easy one, it only has to be done with pure and true intentions. A woman with the above qualities need not worry anymore because no better way to gain an African man's heart except these. What you don't have, you can not give. So, you need to have these and it has to become a part of you before you give it - Culture, Respect, Modesty in dressing, Honour and love these are the top list of how to win a man's heart.

 

In case you missed the first part of this series by Oluwatosin Wusu, you can catch up here Flowing from the conversation in Oluwatosins article, you can rightly assume that an African man is known to be bold, strong and handsome 😉Here are some tips to win an African man's heart 💃
 

1. Respect Them

African men love RESPECT. It is an important virtue in a relationship. It is the foundation of any relationship. To love a man means to respect him. Now how do you respect an African man? Apologize when you are wrong "Babe I am sorry no go kill you trust me". Be careful of how you communicate with him especially in public. You want your friends and family to respect him so you have to show them you respect your man and they should too.
 

2. Don't Try to Control Them. 

Naturally, the male gender likes to be in control of situations even if not all the time some of the time. If you are the type that likes things done in your way, then you might need to make some adjustment 😌 African men do not want a woman who dictates what his action should be, what he should do or not do

3. Give them Compliments

In as much as we know African men to be tough and hardly show their feelings. I am here to tell you they love and appreciate COMPLIMENTS ❤️ tell him sweet words. Don't be boring call him sweet names. Tell him he is the apple of your eyes, love of your life. Let him know you are proud of him. Let him know how grateful you are to God to have met him... You wanna tell him he is so smart and sweet awwwn 😋😍 Buy your man gifts. Send him money .. Be sexy for him. Appreciate your man. You wanna wake up in the morning and tell him thank you for everything baby... You mean so much to me

 

4. Give them Good Food

Now let's talk about FOOD. The saying "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" is true. Your cooking skills have to be top notch. You need to know his favorite meal and how to cook it. You need to know if he is the cold food type or the hot food type. You should also note that no mother would want her son to marry a lady who is lacking cooking skills hence the Yoruba saying "olobe lo l'oko" (The one that can cook is the one that that owns the husband). If you'r looking for delicious African meals to try out, you can read our article here on various native African foods you should try out today
 

5. Win His Family

To successfully win a man's heart you need to win his family's love. Be close to his family, get to know his mother and his siblings. Buy gifts for them when visiting and make sure his mother starts calling you "our wife". 

 

6. Be Industrious

African men appreciate industrious women. This means that if you can be productive, the average African man will admire you because they love hardworking women. African men also believe that an industrious woman can be independent and as well provide adequate support for him.

7. Be Prayerful

Lastly who doesn't love a PRAYERFUL WOMAN. To win his heart you must love your man to go on your knees and pray for him. Pray for his career. Pray for his family. Commit him to God

       Go win that special man's heart today.

Love & Peace ✌

 

The image used in this article was sourced from Pexels

 

The Culture of Respect, Language, and Greetings in Yoruba Land

Yoruba is a language spoken in West Africa, primarily in Southwestern Nigeria. In the Yoruba tradition, respect, language, and greetings are of great value to the indigenous people.

Respect is an important tradition of the Yoruba, it is a symbol of peace and orderliness. It is a mannerism that the elders do not joke with. Language is also a way of showing respect. Honorific language is used amongst the Yoruba. It is a tradition to accord respect to the older ones, you do not use the pronoun "you", instead, when referring to an older person, Yoruba uses the alphabet 'e' as in the phonetic sound of the first letter in egg and the alphabet "o" in open is used amongst peers. Irrespective of your age, you will be accorded your respect.

Greetings are also one of the traditions, it is one of the values that young people imbibe while growing up. Males prostrate with their full chest touching the ground, while females go down on both knees touching the ground. If you are caught bowing instead of observing this appropriate greeting, you will be termed as being disrespectful. The older one might tell you that "obaje" you are a spoilt brat, or if such people are close to the older ones, he or she might receive"ìgbajú"- slap, or "ìkó"- knock on the head.

Read: 5 Native African Foods You Should Try Out Today

Also, greetings in Yoruba vary, depends on what occasion or time. Good morning is " ekaaro", good afternoon "ekasan", good evening "eku irole or ekale", good night " odaaro", well-done"eku ise", welcome "ekaabo", sorry e pele" and so on. The language being used is very important.

Another aspect of being respectful is offering a seat to the older ones. When the younger one is found seated and there is no vacant space for the older person, the younger one has to stand for such person to seat.

It is noteworthy that offering a visitor water is also one of their traditions. Whenever anyone visits, the first thing they do is to offer the visitor "omi tutu"- chilled water. It is a symbol of care.
One can see how significant these values are in Yoruba land.

The History and Origin of Delta State

There is something incredibly fresh about history. Each time, it feels like taking a stroll down the memory of your ancestors to find the origin of a thing. This same feeling is aroused in this beautiful history of the Old Bendel State.

Bendel State was formed from the ancient Benin and Delta State provinces of Western Region-Delta to project the integration of Delta and Benin provinces. That old Bender State became the new Niger Delta on August 27, 1991. During the pre-colonial era, as it is with many African countries, as at the period of its former state, it was divided into two various monarchial states like the Kingdom of Agbor and Warri, before it turned out to be part of the British Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1884. There was also such colonial control in the present Niger Delta state as at 1910 because of the uprisings of the Ekumeku movement. The colonial forces did not gain such permanent control of the new Delta state until that movement. Due to that, after its independence, it became part of the Mid-Western region.

The Delta state is the 23rd most largest in area and the twelfth most populous, of the 36 states with an approximated population of over 5.6 million as of 2016. For years now, the population includes diverse ethnic groups like the Ukwani in the East; the Ika, Ozanogogo, and Olukumi in the NorthEast; the Isoko and Eruwa in the centre of the state; the Ijaw, Itsekiri, Uvwie, and Urhobo in the SouthEast; and the Anioma in the NorthWest. It is a state named after the Niger Delta, which is a large part of the current Delta state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered on the four cardinal points by five states; on the South by Bayelsa state, on the North by Edo state, the east by Anambra and Rivers state, and the West by the Night of Benin, which is about 160km of the state's coastline. 

Political Administration in Delta State

The state now has 25 Local Government Areas, much more than the initial number which was 12 as at 1991, when the state was formed. The 25 Local Government Areas are: Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Burutu, Bomadi, Ethiope East, Ethiope West, Ika South, Ika North, Isoko North, Isoko South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Oshimili North, Oshimili South, Okpo, Patani, Sapele, Udu, Ugheli North, Ugheli South, Ikwani, Uvwie West, Uvwie North, Uvwie South, and Uvwie Southwest. The capital of Delta is Asaba and it is located  along the River Niger on the Northeastern end of the state, while the state's economic center is Warri on the Southwestern coastline.

Geographically, the state's landmass is about 15,050km square (66,97089 mi), of which the land occupies more space, and estimated to be more than 60%. Lying approximately between 5°00' and 6°45' East and 5°OO' and 6°30' North, Delta is located in Nigeria's Midwest which is bounded in the north and west by Edo state. It is divided between the central African mangroves in the coastal southwest and the Nigerian low land forest, it contains the Forcados River, which flow along the State's Eastern and Southern borders, and the River Niger and it's distributary. Much of what makes up the Niger Delta is the Escravos River which runs through Warri and the coastal areas which are riddled with dozens of smaller Niger distributaries. It also has a wide coastal belt interlace with rivulets steams, which form the part of Niger River Delta, and it is lying low without any memorial hills. In addition to it's geographical features, the State's nature contain threatening animals like Dwarf crocodiles, Grey parrot, African fish eagle, Mona monkey,  African threadfin, crabs, Blue mussel, along with various Cetacean species, and African manatee.  

Economically, Delta state is known for its large and substantial production of crude oil and natural gas, that in Nigeria, it has the 4th highest Human Development Index, although disputes between oil companies and local communities along with years of systemic corruption have resulted into harshness that are often tied to the lack of development in host communities. It is the sales of petroleum products that drives it's economy. The state also involve in agriculture, as it involves itself in the farming of yam, cassava, and oil palm crops, in addition to fishing and heliciculture. Delta state also have different industries like the brick making, ceramics, glass and bottle manufacturing, chemicals or insulators production, bottle manufacturing, decorative stone cutting, quarrying, sanitary waves, and chalk manufacturing industries, which are produced from the state's raw materials which are the solid minerals deposits within the state. They are: the industrial clay, limestone, silica, lignite, tar sand, decorative rocks, and kaolin among others, although most of these solid minerals are under-utilised for their processes.

Politically, the state has 3 senatorial districts, the North, South, and Central, and the governor and chief of Delta state is Governor Arthur Okowa Ifeanyi, since April 2015 till date; a People's Democratic Party candidate, while his deputy is Deputy Governor Kingsley Otuaro, and also a People's Democratic Party candidate.

 

Delta State is located in Nigeria's South-South geopolitical zone. The state was founded on during general Ibrahim Babaginda's regime, the general recognized Delta as a state and chose Asaba as its capital. Delta is named after the Niger Delta, which covers a substantial portion of the state . Delta is the 23rd biggest state by size and the twelfth most populated. The state is divided geographically between Central African mangroves in the coastal southwest and Nigerian lowland woods in the majority of the remainder of the state, with a minor piece of the Niger Delta swamp forests in the extreme south. Before becoming a part of the British Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1884, the territory that is now Delta State was separated into many monarchial nations, including the Kingdom of Warri and the Agbor Kingdom. The protectorate (now renamed the Niger Coast Protectorate) was included into the Southern Nigeria Protectorate in the early 1900s, which ultimately merged into British Nigeria. The name "Delta" comes from the point where the Niger River meets the sea. Due to ethnic instability prompted by the changing of the title of Olu of Itsekiri to Olu of Warri in 1952, this name was changed from the former Warri province. To appease the province's non-Itsekiri residents, the name Delta Province was established, which subsequently evolved into Delta State.

Urhobo, Itesekiri, Ijaw (Izon), Isoko, and Anioma (Igbo) are the most populous ethnic groups in Delta State. The state is made up of the Enuani, Ukwani, Ndokwa, and Ika ethnic groups, together known as Anioma, and the Delta people, who are made up of the Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, and Isoko ethnic groups. Their attire, language, festivals, music, and culture all reflect ancestral and traditional administration institutions.  The people are kind, knowledgeable, resourceful, and hardworking. They are very welcoming due to the fact that they all come from different tribes.

 

Delta state is Known for its mineral resources, mostly crude oil. The Agricultural sector was once the nation's source of income before crude oil was discovered in Niger Delta in 1956 since then nigeria has focused its energy on the development of oils wells, transporting of crude oil and the refining of the crude oil. Yes, Delta also offers varous other mineral resources such as kaolin, Natural gas, marble, graphite and the likes, it is mostly recognized in history for its role in the history of how crude oil was discovered in nigeria.

 

Delta state has many historical sociopolitical, and cultural sights that are tourists' attractions worthy. Some of them are: 'The Nana's Palace' which was built by a powerful 19th century indigenous entrepreneurer who traded with the British, before the relationship eventually turned sour, and was exiled to Ghana. The personal things he left are housed in this grand palace. He is called Chief Nana Olomu, the Lander Brothers Anchorage located in Asaba, which was built in memory of early British explorers. It has a graveyard, a museum, and many writings and artworks. It houses many visible memories like the replica of one of the boats that was used by the brothers; the Falcop Mangrove Park; the Araya Bible Site, which houses a copy of the Holy Bible. Many people believe that the bible descended to this spot in a very miraculous way around August 1914; the Demas Nwoko Edifice, which was built with traditional materials, designs and construction techniques of the Igbo civilisation by Demes Nwoko, who was an architect, artist, and the builder of international repute from Idumeje to Ugboko in Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State; and the Warri Kingdom Royal Cemetery, which is 512 years old and functions as a resting abode of past rulers of the kingdom. A tree is planted on each grave.

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