Fact Check: Mungo Park Did Not Discover River Niger – Reno Omokri

Popular Nigerian author and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has made a historical argument on why Mungo Park did not discover River Niger.

He made this intellectual argument in a recent tweet he shared on his Twitter page yesterday, June 28.

According to the Amazon Best Selling Author, “you cannot discover a river that people were already living in and fishing in and swimming in.”

His post was indeed a food for thought as he left a mind bugling question, “if Mungo Park discovered River Niger, then what do we say about the Black man who showed him where it is?”.

Anambra Residents Give Accolade To FG Over Speedy Work on 2nd Niger Bridge(Opens in a new browser tab)

In his words; “Mungo Park did NOT discover the River Niger. You cannot discover a river that people were already living in and fishing in and swimming in. If Mungo Park discovered River Niger, then what do we say about the Black man who showed him where it is?”

#BlackLivesMatter must start from our history. We must stop teaching African kids that Mungo Park discovered River Niger, or that John Speke discovered the Nile’s source, or that Richard Lander discovered River Benue. These are historical fallacies#FreeLeahSharibu #RenosNuggets

— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) June 28, 2020

The River Niger Bridge is located in Onitsha (also known as the Onitsha Bridge), Anambra State, Nigeria. It connects southeastern Nigeria with western Nigeria. It is linked to Asaba in Delta State, Nigeria.

During the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 – 1970, in an attempt to halt the Nigerian military advance, retreating Biafran soldiers destroyed the River Niger Bridge at Onitsha, trapping the Nigerians on the other side of the river. During President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s administration, the bridge was rehabilitated by replacing two spans on the Onitsha end of the Bridge that was damaged during the civil war with a fourteen-foot wide bailey, at an estimated cost of 1.5million pound.