GROUNDNUT PYRAMIDS OF NORTHERN NIGERIA
- Nkesi Ndamati
- Apr 18, 2018
- 2 min read
Hello Hello !!
It’s been a minute since our last post.
This week, we will be taking a walk down memory lane and looking back at the groundnut pyramids of northern Nigeria, predominantly Kano.
Groundnut pyramids are pyramid-like structures or ‘monuments’ if I may, made from groundnut sacks. They were viewed as a symbol of wealth and also a tourist attraction from the early – mid 90s.
From the pictures here, you’d agree that asides being an important part of the economy, the groundnut pyramids are a beautiful sight to behold.
These famous pyramids were the creation of Alhassan Dantata, a renowned nut trader.
Just if you were wondering, the bags were not just stacked as a pyramid for decoration; they were stacked in that shape before they were shipped and sold.
One groundnut pyramid could be made from as much as 15,000 full groundnut bags; That is certainly a lot of production, a lot of sale and economically, required a lot of manpower!
This means that job opportunities were limitless for the average person in that area; ranging from the multitude of farmers to the very last group in the labour chain.
During this period, Nigeria was the largest producer of groundnut in the world.
Groundnut pyramids were built all across northern Nigeria in cities like, Kofar Mazugal, Brigade, Bebeji, Malam Madori and Dawakin Kudu. The pyramids were so influential to the country’s agriculture that you could barely speak about Nigeria’s agricultural wealth without making mention of it. Our famous groundnut pyramids were even featured on postage stamps.
As we may have it, in the 1960s and 70s, the economic dynamics in Nigeria shifted from agriculture to oil. While that may sound more lucrative, we lost a part of our history and the beauty that came with it. The groundnut pyramids became extinct.
Questions have been raised as to whether or not our groundnut pyramids can be revived. While this is still uncertain, modern efforts have been made to increase Nigeria’s groundnut production and rebuild groundnut pyramids.
If you are wondering what happened to the space where the pyramids once stood on; In the 1970s and 80s as groundnut production declined, the groundnut pyramids were gradually replaced with buildings.
A journalist who visited a former groundnut pyramid site in 2017 reported that the land is now a football field.
@quincyopara & @thefairprophet, you both have said all that I had in mind to say whilst reading this post. What's left is commending Nkesi for such an amazing platform for educating information. She is doing such a good job at her researches and sourcing. Well done girl!
Interesting topic. It's a shame that in addition to losing perishable monuments like this from oil trade we also lost our integrity. As the comment above mine suggests even though the pyramid system of packaging and exporting the groundnut may have faded away due increase in technology, Nigeria should still be able to boast of being one of the largest producers in the world but we are from this status. Same way we have been knocked several spots down from the largest exporter of palm oil. Such a shame!
Very educative. This is the first time I'm actually reading about the groundnut pyramid. Obviously it was a major source of revenue for the Nigerian economy by and large before the discovery of oil. But I doubt that the pyramid creation would have been sustainable, due to the advent of technology, infrastructures and education.