Kola nut (also known as cola nut) is grown, traded, consumed or ritualized in every nook and cranny of the Nigerian society. Kola nuts could indeed pass as a symbol of Nigerian unity. From time immemorial, the caffeine-rich nuts of the evergreen kola tree have been a part of Nigerian culture. Once used as a currency in parts of present-day Nigeria, Kola, whose trees belong to cocoa family, is a significant cash crop in many part of the West African coast. Kola Nut In Nigeria, it is primarily cultivated among the southwestern Yoruba’s who also account for nearly all of Nigeria’s cocoa production. Kola nuts never quite attained the prominence accorded cocoa during the nations agricultural boom era, despite been a great source of commercial gain as a vital ingredient in the manufacture of globally consumed cola-based beverages. Fresh Kola Nut in its pod The significance of Kola nuts in Nigeria can be demonstrated – quite curiously – by considering the manner in which it is grown, sold, a...
Nearly at wits’ end on how to resolve the myriad issues facing the Nigerian economy in the early ‘80s, the Shehu Shagari led administration experimented with a number of reform programs aimed at improving the lot of Nigerians. One of which was to expel unskilled and semi-skilled foreigners working in the country without valid residence or work permit. Pres. Shehu Shagari at a rally About 2 million immigrants were affected by the exercise which was wildly condemned by the international community, and did sever diplomatic relations between Nigeria and her West African neighbors. immigrants leaving the country The fact that little evidence exist to suggest that any far- reaching economic benefits stemmed from the exercise, has led many to believe that the government-sponsored expulsion was simply in retaliation for a similar policy enforced in Ghana in 1969. While many account of the exercise wrongly refer to it as the expulsion of Ghanaians from Nigeria (perhaps understandably, due ...