Adaobi Onyeakagbu

<h2>Every country has unique traditions as well as slangs, which are spoken throughout the country.</h2>

In Nigeria, there are <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/communities/student/10-slangs-we-learnt-in-secondary-school-id7922740.html">slangs unique to secondary schools</a>, <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/communities/student/8-common-academic-related-slangs-in-nigerian-universities-id7655439.html">university life</a>, and even regions of the country.

Foreigners might have a hard time understanding these slangs and locals might have a hard time explaining them. Here are a few of the slangs unique to Nigeria street life.

This exclamation has different interpretations, depending on the context in which it was used. It could mean "I get it", "and so?" "yes", "okay", "continue", "as i was saying", "that reminds me", etc.

Jara is a noun derived from the Yoruba language and it means to add extra or give a freebie after something has already been bought or paid for, at the seller's discretion. E.g. "Please add jara".

This salutation is used when one is praising another, which is loosely translated to mean "you are dope!". It is mostly used in the street to hail/greet a friend or acquaintance who is passing by.

Ajebutter, ajebo, 'bota' or 'botti', simply refers to one who is born with a silver spoon. It can be loosely translated to mean "bourgeoisie". E.g. "That babe is an ajebutter".

Lepa is a noun that refers to a sexy slim woman. E.g. "That lepa babe is hot". Orobo is loosely the opposite of lepa. It refers to a sexy plump/ thick woman. It can also be used as a derogatory remark.

This noun is a slang for sex workers. It can also be a derogatory term.

This&nbsp;word is used to refer to a person who likes to gossip or spread gossip and cannot be trusted. It can also be used to refer to gossip itself. E.g. "You too like amebo" or "That girl is an amebo".

Abi, shey or ba are slang that act sort of like punctuation. They are mostly used for confirmation after a statement, thereby turning it into a question. They are like the English "right?" E.g. "You are coming for my party, abi/shey/ba?"

This is a noun referring to someone who is a busy-body, or mocking someone who over-performs his/her intelligence/knowledge. E.g. "I did not ask you, over-sabi."

This verb means to go crazy or mad. This can mean literally or metaphorically depending on the context. E.g. "He don kolo".

Every country has unique traditions as well as slangs, which are spoken throughout the country.

10 slangs only a Nigerian can understand [Pulse List]

<h2>Third Mainland Bridge used to be the longest bridge in Africa until 1996 when the&nbsp;6th October Bridge&nbsp;was built in Cairo.</h2>

The 6th October Bridge is located in <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/article8664737.ece">Cairo, Egypt</a>. It is a highway that is 20.5km long. The bridge is built across the Nile River and was completed in 1996.

The Third Mainland Bridge, also known as the Ibrahim Babangida Bridge, is a 10.5 km bridge in Lagos, Nigeria. It was opened in 1990 and is one of the three bridges connecting the Lagos Island to the Lagos mainland.

The Suez Canal Bridge is located El Qantara in Egypt, spanning over a distance of 3.9 km and connecting Africa and Eurasia. It is also called Shohada 25 January Bridge.

Mozambique Island Bridge is located on the Island of Mozambique. It is a 3.8 km bridge crossing over the Indian Ocean and connecting the Island of Mozambique to the mainland. It was completed in 1969.

Dona Ana Bridge is a rail bridge, built across the Zambezi River. It spans a distance of 3.67 km and connects the towns of Mutarara and Vila de Sena. It was completed in 1934.

See the bridges that have broken records as the longest bridges on the continent.

These are the longest bridges in Africa

Melanesians are black island <a href="https://profvalue.com/category/celeb-story/">people in the south pacific</a> that migrated over thousands of years ago, long before the blacks that came to the Americas as slaves.

Melanesia is a sub-region of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia, including the countries of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Island, and New Caledonia. The name Melanesia was first used by Jules Dumont d'Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from Polynesia and Micronesia.

Until recently, the indigenous melanesian people practised cannibalism, head-hunting, kidnapping and slavery, just like <a href="http://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/asmat-tribe-the-people-who-use-human-skulls-as-pillows-id9201875.html">the Asmat tribe</a>, but with contact with Europeans, the population is now predominantly Christian. However, more than 90% lead rural lives.

The Melanesian people of the Solomon Islands are the point of interest when it comes to dark skin and blond hair. The Solomon Islands are located in the South Pacific, the very heart of&nbsp;Melanesia, just Northeast of Australia, between Papua and Vanuatu and is an independent state within the British Commonwealth.

Although the indigenous Melanesian population of the islands possess the darkest skin outside of Africa, between 5 and 10% have bright blond hair.

There have been several theories on how they got their blond hair — from sun and salt whitening, high fish intake, or genetic heritage from mixed-breeding with Americans/Europeans who founded the islands.

ALSO READ: Meet the African tribe that offers sex to guests

A geneticist from Nova Scotia agricultural college in Canada, Sean Myles, conduced a genetic analysis on saliva and hair samples from 1209 Melanesian Solomon Island residents. From comparing 43 blond Islanders and 42 brown Islanders, he found that the blondes carried two copies of a mutant gene which is present in 26% of the island's population. The Melanesian people have a native TYRP1 gene which is partly responsible for the blond hair and melanin, and is totally distinct to that of Caucasians as it doesn't exist in their genes.

It is a recessive gene and is more common in children than in adults, with hair tending to darken as the individual matures.

This contributes to the theories that black Africans were the first homo sapiens and that all races came out of the black African race.

For several years, blond hair was attributed to Caucasians but the Melanesians of Solomon Islands are one of the few groups with blonde hair outside Europe.

Melanesians: Meet the world's only natural black blondes

<h1>Being a traditional monarch in Africa can be a lucrative affair.</h1>

We take you on a brief walk into the lives of the 5 richest kings in Africa, according to

Many of the leaders in Africa control large fortunes within their communities and without. In addition to their wealth is influence which results in some of them getting invited to join boards of large corporations.

For instance, the Obi (King) of Onitsha in South-Eastern Nigeria, Obi Nnaemeka Achebe, serves as the Non-Executive Chairman of Unilever Nigeria, a large publicly-listed manufacturer of consumer goods, and he previously served as Chairman of Diamond Bank, a leading Nigerian commercial bank.

Same goes for the Alake (King) of Egbaland in South-Western Nigeria, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, who is the Chairman of Oando, a large Nigerian energy company.

Some of these monarchs have built their fortunes from scratch by starting successful enterprises and shrewdly reinvesting their profits into a diverse range of business concerns. Others have simply had wealth transferred to them by their forefathers.

King Mohammed VI, Morocco. [thearabweekly]

The wealthiest monarch in Africa is His Majesty King Mohammed VI of <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/article8114424.ece">Morocco</a>. King Mohammed VI, the 27&nbsp;king of the Alaouite dynasty, ascended the throne in July 1999 and immediately set out to initiate a series of socio-political and economic reforms that have made the Kingdom freer and more prosperous than during the reign of his father, King Hassan II.

He derives his fortune from his control of Société Nationale d'Investissement&nbsp;(SNI), a large Moroccan investment holding company with assets valued at more than $10 billion.

The King also owns a substantial chunk of the world’s phosphate reserves.

Oba Obateru Akinrutan, Ugbo Land, Nigeria. [naijassador]

<h2>2. Oba Obateru Akinrutan,&nbsp;Ugbo Land, Nigeria</h2>

Estimated net worth: $300&nbsp;million

Oba Obateru Akinrutan is the Olugbo (traditional King) of Ugbo land, a small oil-rich community in Ondo state, in Nigeria’s southwestern region.

Oba Akinrutan ascended the throne in 2009 and founded Obat Oil in 1981 with a single gas station to meet the needs of his family and neighbouring community.

Now, Obat Oil is one of Nigeria’s largest privately-held oil trading companies and owns more than 50 gas stations across Nigeria as well as one of the largest tank farms in Africa.

He also owns an extensive portfolio of prime commercial and residential real estate in London and Nigeria, including the landmark Febson Hotels and Mall in the Central Business District of Abuja.

Estimated net worth: At least $50 million

King Mswati, 46, is Africa’s last absolute monarch. His personal net worth is at least $50 million, based on the annual $50 million salary that he is paid out of government coffers. He also controls Tibiyo TakaNgwane, an investment holding company that has assets worth over $140 million, but he holds it in trust for the people of Swaziland.

<a href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel-arts-culture/article8280057.ece">Mswati renamed Swaziland to the Kingdom of eSwatini</a>. He is more well known for his relationships with women (he had at least 15 wives at the last count), and for his flamboyant parties.

His last birthday coincided with the Christian Easter holidays but he wasn't willing to share the spotlight with Jesus.

He postponed his birthday celebrations for five days so that a proper national holiday could be held in his honor.

Famous american R&amp;B artist Erykah Badu performed for the King during the expensive celebrations,&nbsp;<a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/55007-erykah-badu-draws-criticism-from-human-rights-groups-after-singing-for-swaziland-king/">e</a>ven though the poverty rate in Swaziland is escalating.

More than 65% of the Swaziland’s population gets by on less than $1.25 a day, while unemployment rates are as high as 40% — but the King remains unaffected.

King Goodwill Zwelithini Kabhekuzulu, South Africa. [timeslive]

<h2>4. King Goodwill Zwelithini Kabhekuzulu, South Africa</h2>

King Goodwill Kabhekuzulu is the monarch of the Zulu group which is the biggest ethnic group in South Africa. He receives a yearly allowance of $6 million to fend for his royal household.

Besides the yearly returns, King Kabhekuzulu also receives lots of grants as well as luxuries including private flight travels which he enjoys on a regular basis.

Quite interestingly, the king is able to enjoy these luxuries because the charges are usually deducted from the revenues generated from tax collection in South Africa.

With his massive net worth valued at $19 million, King Goodwill Kabhekuzulu splashes around wealth with a beautiful garage of expensive cars.

ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/get-to-know-the-top-delicacies-of-these-5-nigerian-towns/h0g22l3">Get to know the top delicacies of these 5 Nigerian towns</a>

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Ashanti, Ghana. [ghanacelebrities]

<h2>5. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II,&nbsp;Ashanti, Ghana</h2>

Source: Mining Equipment, Property, Jewelry

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the King&nbsp;of Ghana's&nbsp;gold-rich Ashanti kingdom, home to the country’s largest ethnic group, the Asantes. He ascended the throne in 1999 and serves as the political and spiritual head of the Asante people. Osei Tutu set up Transpomech Ghana in 1989, a $12 million (sales) company that provides mining equipment to several large industrial companies in Ghana. The King also owns extensive real estate in Ghana and South Africa as well as a collection of valuable gold crown jewels.

See the worth of the wealthiest kings in Africa and their sources of income.

A brief walk into the lives of the 5 richest kings in Africa

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Pulse Kenya is the most followed news and entertainment platform in Kenya. It informs and engages young Kenyans around the clock and provides updates by the hour.

Adaobi Onyeakagbu

Articles written by the author

10 slangs only a Nigerian can understand [Pulse List]

These are the longest bridges in Africa

Melanesians: Meet the world's only natural black blondes

A brief walk into the lives of the 5 richest kings in Africa