Given Nigeria’s diversity, it beholds on us to turn the country into one big anthropological site where tourists come to see the history of the ape that got lucky

Ayo Akinfe

[1] It is no accident that Nigeria is so heavily populated. Do you know that between them, Nigeria and Cameroon account for 10% of the world’s languages? We need to build a tourist industry around this

[2] If there ever was a Tower of Babel, it is out there either along the Nigeria/Cameroon border or near the River Niger/Benue confluence. We need to find it and turn Nigeria into one of the most visited nations on earth

[3] Do you know that during the Ice Age, Homo Sapiens nearly became extinct as a species? We were down to about 10,000 humans at two colonies in Russia and South Africa. I believe that if we search, there is probably also one such colony near the Niger/Benue confluence

[4] During Ice Age, all the other hominoid bi-pedestal primates who were our cousins got wiped out. It really makes my heart bleed that there are no Homo Erectus, Homo Neanderthalis, Homo Habilis or Homo Heidelbergis beings alive today. Just imagine the buzz we would create if we found their remains in some Adamawa or Taraba valley

[5] Only our distant cousins like chimpanzees, gorillas, ourang outangs, baboons, etc survived, which is really not the same. Just think of how lonely lions on the African plains would be if there were no leopards or cheetahs. I think it beholds on us to find the remains of other hominids buried across Africa

[6] Looking at all those biblical myths, who is to say that all those list artefacts like the ark of the covenant, Noah’s ark, the staff of Moses, etc are not all resting somewhere in Nigeria?

[7] I look forward to opening a global archeological and anthropological centre in somewhere like Yola or Jalingo where we can show the whole world that other hominids lived in modern day Nigeria once upon a time

[8] I do not believe it is an accident we stumbled across the Koma people in Adamawa State in 1986. I believe if we explore that mountainous border region, a lot more surprises will be uncovered

[9] If I had my way, I would designate Taraba State, Nigeria’s most natural beauty spot as a nature reserve and create the world’s largest games reserve there. I would make it the biggest wildlife park on earth, attracting millions of tourists a year. Sitting right next to the anthropological centre, we would thus create the world’s largest nature park

[10] You do not become the world’s largest black nation by accident. Bear in mind humanity originated in Africa, so it is beholden on Nigeria to prove that homo sapien man is the ape that got lucky. We are duty-bound to uncover the skeletal remains buried out there to prove this beyond all doubt.

ayoakinfe@gmail.com