Metro 15 Things Nigerians Should Know About the Niger Delta

[abujagirl]

If you watch Nigerian news daily, then you must have heard of the Niger delta. While many Nigerians have heard so much about region very few possess factual knowledge on the Niger Delta.
Here are 15 things Nigerians Should know about the Niger Delta :

1. The Niger Delta is one of the geographic regions in Nigeria.
2. Geographically, the Niger Delta is situated in the southern part of Nigeria and bordered to the south by the Atlantic Ocean and to the East by Cameroon. The Niger Delta separates the Bight of Benin from the Bight of Biafra within the larger Gulf of Guinea.
3. The Niger Delta makes up 7.5% of Nigeria's land mass.
4. The region is home to approximately 30 million people.
5. The Niger Delta originally comprised of 3 States - Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States.
6. Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, Edo, Imo and Ondo States were included as Niger delta states by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000.
7. Niger Delta is different from South-south. The South-South is a geo-political zone.
8. The Niger Delta was the British Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 until 1893, when it was expanded and became the Niger Coast Protectorate.The core Niger Delta later became a part of the eastern region of Nigeria.
9. There are about out 40 different ethnic groups speaking 250 languages and dialects in the Niger Delta. Some of the ethnic groups include Ijaws, Ogonis, Ikwerres, Etches, Ekpeyes, Ogbas, Engennes, Obolos, Isoko, Nembes, Okrikans, Kalabaris, Urhobos, Itsekiris, Igbos, Ika-Igbos, Ndoni, Oron, Ibeno, and Yorubas, Ibibios, Annangs, Efiks, Ibibios, Anang, Efiks, Bekwarras, Binis, etc.
10. Nigeria’s major oil and gas deposits are found in the Niger Delta. The region basically feeds the nation. It accounts for 90% of total foreign exchange revenue.
11. Niger deltans are primarily fishermen and farmers.
12. There’s widespread poverty in the region – about 70% of the population on or below the poverty line.
13. The current agitation in the Niger Delta dates back to the 1990s.
14. Ecocentric listed the Niger Delta as one of the world's top 10 most polluted lands.
15. The region has only produced one Head of state since the inception of Nigeria.