4 Interesting Facts About Nigeria’s Independence Day You Probably Didn’t Know

Before
Independence Day Southern Cameroon was actually Part of Nigeria
It was
first called the British Cameroons during the colonial era. The British
Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in the then British West Africa.
Today, the territory forms parts of Northern Nigeria in West Africa and Cameroon
in Central Africa. The split came shortly before the independence of Nigeria,
after the French Cameroon became independent. Questions arose on what to do with
the British part of the territory, and after some discussions (which had been
ongoing since 1959), a plebiscite was agreed to. The Muslim-majority of the
Northern area of Cameroon opted for union with Nigeria, while the South area
voted to join Cameroon.

Before Independence Day and a Few Years after
Independence Day, Nigeria Used What Was Called the ‘Nigerian Pound’ as Their
Currency of Exchange
The Nigerian Pound was the currency used by Nigeria
between 1907 and 1973. Nigeria used the British West Africa pound until 1958,
after which they started issuing their own currency. The Nigerian pound which
was at parity with the British pound for the sake of easy convertibility, was
subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence. The Nigerian pound was later
replaced with the introduction of the decimal naira in 1973 at a rate of 1 pound
= 2 naira. This change made Nigeria the last country to abandon the pre-decimal
currency system of the Europeans.

Cocoa House, Which Was Once the
Tallest Building in Tropical Africa, Was Completed a Few Years After
Independence Day
The Cocoa House was completed in 1965 at a height of 105
meters. This popular building was once the tallest building in tropical Africa
and is located in the city of Ibadan in Oyo State, Nigeria. It was built from
the proceeds of commodities such as Cocoa, Rubber, Timber and so on. It is a
26-storey building which was commissioned for use in August 1965. Unfortunately,
the building was gutted by fire in 1985, but was rehabilitated for use in August
1992.

The New Nigerian Currency Notes and Coins was Introduced a Year
Before Independence Day
On July 1st 1959, the Central Bank of Nigeria
issued the new Nigeria currency notes and coins. The previous currency notes
used in Nigeria from 1912 to early 1959 were issued by the West African Currency
Board. When the new Nigeria currency notes and coins were issued, that of the
West African currency board were withdrawn. By July 1st 1962, the currency of
the West African Currency Board ceased to be a legal tender.