Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
Ìlẹ̀ Olúji Kingdom, History of the Jegun and Ondo Town
Ìlẹ̀ Olúji is one of the historic towns of present day Ondo State in southwestern Nigeria. It serves as the headquarters of Ìlẹ̀ Olúji,...
How Ogbomoso Was Founded and Why Its Early History Still Matters
Ogbomoso is one of the historic towns of Yorubaland, with roots that reach back to the seventeenth century. The settlement began as a modest...
Peoples of Nigeria’s Sudan Savanna
The Sudan Savanna forms part of a wide ecological belt stretching across West Africa between the Sahel to the north and the Guinea Savanna...
Fulani, Fulɓe, and Peul, Names, Language, and the Sahelian Story of a Widely Dispersed People
Across West Africa, the people widely known in English as Fulani often refer to themselves as Fulɓe, while the singular form Pullo is commonly...
Idah and the Rise of the Igala Kingdom, Power, Kingship, and Origins in the Niger–Benue Corridor
The Igala are one of the major ethnic groups of central Nigeria, concentrated largely in the eastern Niger–Benue confluence region within present day Kogi...
The Igala Kingdom, Central Authority and Provincial Governance at Idah
The Igala Kingdom developed around Idah, a riverine settlement whose strategic position along the River Niger gave it political and economic importance. Over time,...
The Jukun and Kwararafa, Power and Political Tradition in the Middle Benue
The history of the Jukun and the Kwararafa, also known as Kororofa, confederacy occupies an important place in the political development of the Middle...
The Niger Delta People, Identity, Geography, and Historical Realities
The Niger Delta is one of Africa’s most distinctive human landscapes, a vast wetland where rivers, tides, and mangrove forests shaped how people lived,...
Power and Office in the Nupe Kingdom
The Nupe Kingdom, centred in the middle Niger region, developed a political system that joined royal authority with ranked offices and local leadership. By...
Kinship and Authority in Tivland, How Lineage Shaped Power in a Decentralised Society
The Tiv of central Nigeria developed one of the most documented decentralised political systems in West Africa. In the precolonial period, Tiv communities operated...