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Nok culture appeared in Northern Nigeria around 1000 BCE and vanished under unknown circumstances around 300 CE in the region of West Africa. It is thought to have been the product of an ancestral nation that branched to create the Hausa, Gwari, Birom, Kanuri, Nupe and Jukun peoples.<br/><br/>

The Nok social system is thought to have been highly advanced. Nok culture is considered to be one of the earliest African producers of life-sized Terracotta figures.
Nigeria: An ivory pendant mask depicting the iyoba (queen mother) Idia (16th century), Benin Empire, 16th century.<br/><br/>

Idia was the mother of Esigie (r. 1504-1550), the Oba (king) of the Benin Empire. She played a critical part in the rise and reign of her son, being described as a great warrior who fought tirelessly before and during her son's rule.<br/><br/>

The Kingdom of Benin, also called the Edo Kingdom and the Benin Empire, was a kingdom in West Africa in what is now southern Nigeria; it is not to be confused with the modern nation of Benin. The Kingdom of Benin's capital was Edo, now known as Benin City in Nigeria's Edo state. The Benin Kingdom was 'one of the oldest and most highly developed states in the coastal hinterland of West Africa', and was formed around the 11th century CE, lasting until its annexation by the British Empire in 1897.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (born June 13, 1954) was Finance Minister and Foreign Minister of Nigeria, notable for being the first woman to hold either of those positions. She served as finance minister from July 2003 until her appointment as foreign minister in June 2006, and as foreign minister until her resignation in August 2006. On October 4 2007 she was appointed as Managing Director of the World Bank. She retired from the position in July 2011.