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Writing and speech are forms of communication clearly related to one another which are practiced only by human beings. Whereas, animals generally communicate with signs, noise or actions etc., writing and speaking are human inventions. Writing would seem to be one of man's major devices of bridging the gap created by long distances. By this device, man the writer gets to learn about places, he may never have been to or even may not be opportuned to travel to at-all, and people as well as things he may never have set his eyes on. Writing generally has today grown into the most articulate, durable and reliable system of communication. With writing, great and small events are and can be recorded. The importance of writing in the life of people cannot therefore be over-emphasized.

As a communication system writing may be described as the communication of ideas by man making use of signs or symbols, that are either etched on, carved into, drawn on or inscribed on some concrete material (hard or soft) in such manner that they are visible to the human eye. Writing could be inscribed on metal with sharp objects, on paper or any surface, papyrus, stone, clay cloth etc. It qualifies as writing so long as it is visible or readable and conveys meanings and ideas to the reader. In Africa several questions have been raised about the various indigenous African writing systems which were practiced long ago in the continent but have been'lost'to'World Civilization'. Some'schools of thought'have regarded these African writing systems as archaic, too irrelevant to draw attention to and of course not'Universal', if at-all they existed. In this contribution some of …