What commodity served as the primary, universal currency for everyday market transactions across southern and central Nigerian pre-colonial kingdoms?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. imported sea cowrie shells
- Step 1: Cowrie shells imported from the Indian Ocean (Maldives) served as standard currency across Nigeria from early times until replaced by colonial coinage. Step 2. Manillas (bronze armlets) were used extensively in the Niger Delta coastal trade, but cowries were the universal petty market currency. Answer: cowrie shells (Cyprea moneta). Why not the others: Gold coins and silver thalers were used in trans-Saharan and foreign trade, not daily village markets; manillas were specific to coastal oil rivers.
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