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Biafra, Bight of

(Encyclopedia)Biafra, Bight of bēäˈfrə [key], eastern bay of the Gulf of Guinea, W Africa. It extends approximately from the Niger River delta, in S Nigeria, to N Gabon. The bight gave its name to the secession...

Usuman dan Fodio

(Encyclopedia)Usuman dan Fodio 1754–1817. Fulani religious and political leader. Beginning as an itinerant Muslim missionary in northern Nigeria, he gained a large following for his syncretic visions, establishin...

Hausa

(Encyclopedia)Hausa or Haussa both: houˈsə, –sä [key], black African ethnic group, numbering about 23 million, chiefly in N Nigeria and S Niger. The Hausa are almost exclusively Muslim and practice agriculture...

Onitsha

(Encyclopedia)Onitsha ōnĭchˈə [key], city (1991 est. pop. 328,000), SE Nigeria, a port on the Niger River. The city's manufactures include textiles, beverages, shoes, lumber, and printed materials. Fishing and ...

Maradi

(Encyclopedia)Maradi märädēˈ [key], town (1988 pop. 112,965), S Niger, near the border with Nigeria. It is the administrative and commercial center for an agricultural region that specializes in peanut growing ...

Lugard, Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Lugard, Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron lo͞ogärdˈ [key], 1858–1945, British colonial administrator. After an early military career, he entered (1889) the service of the British East Afri...

Abeokuta

(Encyclopedia)Abeokuta äˌbēōko͞oˈtə, ăbˌ– [key], city (1991 est. pop. 377,000), SW Nigeria. It is the trade center for an agricultural region producing rice, yams, cassava, cotton, fruit, vegetables, and...

Goldie, Sir George

(Encyclopedia)Goldie, Sir George (George Goldie Taubman), 1846–1925, British colonial administrator, b. Isle of Man. Goldie entered the Niger River trade in the 1870s, and his company soon dominated trade on the ...

Jebba

(Encyclopedia)Jebba jĕbˈä [key], town, W Nigeria, the head of navigation on the Niger River. It is a port as well as a rail and road center. Paper is manufactured in the city. Jebba was conquered by the British ...

Ibadan

(Encyclopedia)Ibadan ēbäˈdän, ēbädäNˈ [key], city (1991 est. pop. 1,263,000), SW Nigeria. The second largest city in Nigeria, it is a major commercial center. Manufactures include metal products, furniture,...