The lizard that jumped from the high Iroko tree to the ground told it would praise itself if no one else did.
Meaning: This is one of the most known African proverbs on leadership. It means that a person must always stay happy about his or her achievements even if nobody cares.
Lizard that ruined its mother’s burial, what did it expect others to do?
Meaning: This is a famous African proverb about life and death. In African culture, mother’s funeral is an individual matter. None cares the way you plan it. This saying means that if you disorder any activity that worries you, you should not believe others to do otherwise. Nigerian people use this proverb in case they want to caution somebody about his approach to planning.
Anger against a brother is felt on the flesh, not in the bone.
Meaning: You should forget and forgive anything your relatives did to you.
Maize bears fruits once and dies because it is not rooted into the ground.
Meaning: You will never get to the top and stay prosperous without a good foundation.
He who will swallow ‘udala’ seed must consider the size of his stomach
Meaning: ‘Udala’ seed is an apple seed. It is never digested in the stomach. This proverb means that you must always think about all possible consequences of your actions.
The fly that has no one to advise him, follows a corpse into the grave.
Meaning: You will fall into a trap if you do not have good advice or refuse to take one.
