Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
Ilaro: How a Small Oyo Settlement Became the Traditional Heart of Yewaland
The story of Ilaro does not begin with a famous king, a colonial administrator or even the legendary warriors for which the town later...
History of Ogboni and Reformed Ogboni Fraternity: The Crucial 1914 Turning Point in Colonial Lagos
The History of Ogboni and Reformed Ogboni Fraternity is often complicated by the tendency to treat every organisation bearing the Ogboni name as though...
Agẹmọ Festival: 5 Powerful Historical Dimensions of an Enduring Ijebu Institution
The Agẹmọ Festival occupies an important place in the religious and cultural history of the Ijebu people of south-western Nigeria. Although its most visible...
Ṣọ̀pọ̀na Worshippers in Colonial Nigeria: The 1924 Crackdown That Led to 25 Arrests
Ṣọ̀pọ̀na worshippers in colonial Nigeria became the focus of an increasingly forceful government campaign against smallpox during the early decades of the twentieth century....
Oputa II, Obi of Aboh: A Remarkable Royal Portrait and the History of a Kingdom on the Niger
Oputa II, Obi of Aboh, occupies an important place in the history of one of the traditional kingdoms of Nigeria's lower River Niger. An...
Origins of Ojuju Calabar: The Fascinating History of a Nigerian Childhood Fear and Its Links to Ekpo Masquerade
For generations, Nigerian children have encountered Ojuju Calabar through childhood games, rhymes and stories about frightening figures. The character evokes an imaginary being whose...
Nchikọ Ọrụ: How Traditional Igbo Farm Labour Strengthened Communities
Nchikọ Ọrụ reflects a longstanding tradition of collective agricultural labour in Igbo society, through which friends, relatives, age mates and members of community associations...
How British Newspapers Described Nigerian Footballers in 1949
For British football followers in 1949, the sight was difficult to ignore.The visitors were Nigerian footballers, members of an 18 man team representing the...
Who Were the Players on Nigeria’s 1949 England Tour?
Before the Super Eagles, before Nigeria’s first World Cup appearance and before independence, 18 Nigerian footballers boarded a ship in Lagos and sailed for...
When Nigeria’s Footballers Took England by Storm, Barefoot
England had seen African footballers before. But in the summer of 1949, something different was coming.Eighteen Nigerian footballers were crossing the Atlantic to play...