Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
The Political Structure of the Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire, which flourished between the 14th and 19th centuries in what is now southwestern Nigeria and parts of Benin, developed a remarkably...
Ancient Kingdoms in Nigeria: Foundations of Culture, Trade, and Power
Before colonial rule and the formation of modern Nigeria, the region was home to a constellation of advanced kingdoms and civilisations. These ancient states,...
Hausa Architecture and Urban Planning: Legacy of Northern Nigerian Design
Hausa architecture stands as one of the most refined and enduring indigenous architectural traditions in West Africa. Its origins stretch back to the formation...
The Jihad of Usman dan Fodio and the Rise of the Sokoto Caliphate
The Jihad of Usman dan Fodio (1804–1808) remains one of the most pivotal religious and political transformations in West African history. Emerging from Hausaland...
Slave Trade in Calabar and Bonny
The transatlantic slave trade profoundly influenced the social and economic structures of the Niger Delta from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Among its...
The Abolition of Slavery in Nigeria: A Historical Transformation and Lasting Legacy
The abolition of slavery in Nigeria was neither instantaneous nor uniform. It was a gradual process shaped by indigenous socio-political systems, global abolitionist movements,...
Crafting Futures: The Igbo Apprenticeship System Through Time
The Igbo Apprenticeship System, known in various forms as Igba-Boi, Igba-Odibo, Imu-Ahia, or Imu-Oru, is among Nigeria’s most distinctive indigenous economic and social institutions....
Coasts of Exchange: The Kalabari Kingdom and Its Trade Heritage
The Kalabari (Elem Kalabari) are an Ijaw-speaking people whose towns and compounds lie within the complex mangrove estuaries of the eastern Niger Delta (present-day...
Rooted Waters: The Urhobo History, Belief and Folklore
The Urhobo people inhabit the western Niger Delta of southern Nigeria, principally within Delta State. Their settlements, often riverine or creaking with tidal channels,...
Ancestral Echoes: Idoma Origins, Rituals and Cultural Revival
The Idoma are an ethnic group of central Nigeria, located mainly in Benue State, with smaller populations in Kogi, Nasarawa, Taraba, and parts of...