Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
Adire at Lebanon Street, Ibadan, Memory, Meaning, and Modernity
In 1970s Ibadan, Lebanon Street Cloth Market was one of the city’s most energetic commercial spaces. Traders spread bolts of fabric across wooden stalls,...
UTC Nigeria Plc, 1932 to 2017, The Trading Empire That Left Its Mark on Lagos Island
For much of the twentieth century, Lagos Island stood at the centre of Nigeria’s commercial life. Its proximity to ports, government offices, banks, and...
Ebun House, Lagos Island, The Towering Afro Brazilian Home That Vanished in Fire
On Lagos Island, where closely packed family compounds and richly decorated one storey houses once shaped daily life, Ebun House stood apart. Located at...
Casa do Fernandez, The Rise and Destruction of a Brazilian Baroque Landmark in Lagos
At one of the most historic corners of Lagos Island, near the busy flow of Tinubu Square, there once stood a building that quietly...
The National Museum, Lagos and Nigeria’s Early Custodianship of Benin Art
The National Museum in Onikan, Lagos opened its doors in 1957, during the final years of British colonial rule and just three years before...
Lisabi Mills and the Road to Maryland, A Lagos Factory Story
Lagos has always been shaped by its businesses. Some rose loudly and vanished. Others stayed quietly embedded in the city’s daily life, remembered through...
The Lost House of Dr Henry Carr at Tinubu Square
Tinubu Square, on Lagos Island, has always been more than a crossroads. For generations, it has been a place where power, commerce, faith, and...
How Ikoyi Was Designed for Power, The Colonial Decisions That Shaped Lagos’ Most Exclusive District
Ikoyi’s reputation in Lagos is often described in simple terms, leafy streets, prestigious addresses, and a quiet distance from the city’s busiest pressures. Yet...
Voices on the Line, Wires Across Empire
In a small telecommunications room in Kano, a young Nigerian woman sits upright before a wooden manual telephone switchboard. The board is crowded with...
Northern Nigerian Rulers at Croydon Aerodrome, Aviation, Empire, and a Photograph That Traveled the World
On 2 July 1934, Croydon Aerodrome became the setting for a striking imperial era encounter. Northern Nigerian traditional rulers, identified by their titles as...