Akiga Sai (1898–1959) was an early

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

n autobiographer and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

, known for his ''History of the Tiv''. Sai's

Tiv language Tiv is a Tivoid language spoken in some states in North Central Nigeria, with some speakers in Cameroon. It had over 5.2 million speakers in 2024. The largest population of Tiv speakers are found in Benue state in Nigeria. The language is also ...

manuscript was edited and translated into English by Rupert East, and first published in 1939. In 2015 a full edition was published and several other articles published about Sai (by Fardon, Pine and Martin Luter Akiga among others). Fardon (2015: 572), citing the Tiv historian Atah Pine accords Akiga Sai the following Tiv "firsts": "the first Tiv man to be

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

as a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

, the first Tiv man to read and write, the first Tiv man to write a letter, first Tiv parliamentarian, first Tiv

newspaper editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held account ...

, and first Tiv man to write a book." In Sklar's book on Nigerian political parties, Sai is listed on as a Benue state member of the National People's Congress for 1958.

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