Ancient & Pre-Colonial Nigeria
Histories of Nigerian kingdoms, empires, trade routes, and cultures before colonial rule, including Nok, Benin, Oyo, Sokoto, and Kanem-Bornu.
Ogbomosho, From Frontier Post to Historic Yoruba Town
Ogbomosho, also known as Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́, stands today as one of the most prominent towns in the northern part of Oyo State. Its beginnings were...
Nwagboka of Onitsha, The Last Omu and the Protest That Ended a Female Throne
In nineteenth century Onitsha, authority did not belong to a single ruler. Alongside the Obi, the male monarch, stood a recognised female office known...
Waribo Uranta of Opobo, Wealth, Authority, and a Name the Record Kept
Waribo Uranta appears in the historical record not through long biographies or colonial reports, but through a small number of clear and enduring traces....
Oshodi Tapa and the Oshodi Cenotaph
In the Epetedo area of Lagos Island, history stands quietly but firmly on Oshodi Street. There, a cenotaph commemorates Oshodi Tapa, a man remembered...
Iyake Lake in Ado Awaye, Oyo State, Nigeria
High above the town of Ado Awaye in Oyo State, south west Nigeria, Iyake Lake rests on the rocky summit known locally as Oke...
Kiriji War, the Sixteen Year Yoruba Conflict That Redrew Power in South Western Nigeria
The conflict remembered as the Kiriji War, also known as the Ekiti Parapo War, was one of the most consequential episodes in nineteenth century...
Oba Gbadebo I and Egbaland in the Early Colonial Era
By the end of the nineteenth century, Abeokuta had emerged as the political heart of Egbaland. It was more than a city, it was...
Argungu Fishing Festival in Northern Nigeria, History and Cultural Traditions
Every year in north western Nigeria, communities gather in and around Argungu for one of the country’s most enduring cultural celebrations, the Argungu International...
Agbogho Mmuo, The Igbo Maiden Spirit Masquerade and the Meaning of the White Face
In many Igbo communities, masquerade is more than spectacle. It is a public language through which ideas about dignity, beauty, and the unseen world...
Maybnee of Itsekiri, What the Archive Reveals About Nana Olomu’s Daughter
Maybnee is known today because her name survived on a photograph. Preserved in the British Museum, a single image records her identity, her appearance,...