Colonial Nigeria
Explore Nigeria’s colonial era (c. 1861–1960), from the annexation of Lagos and the Royal Niger Company to the 1914 amalgamation and the road to independence. This category examines British administration, missionary education, commerce and railways, taxation and labor, cultural change and urban life, and the rise of nationalist movements, including women’s protests, unions, and political parties. Discover biographies, key events, and documents that reveal resistance, collaboration, and everyday experiences across Nigeria’s regions.
Queen’s College, Lagos, in June 1959, A Science Lesson That Captured a Generation
In June 1959, a camera captured an ordinary but powerful classroom scene at Queen’s College, Lagos. The photograph shows a science lesson in progress,...
Colonial Rule in Nigeria, From Coastal Trade to Independence (1861, 1960)
Long before colonial rule, the area now called Nigeria was not a single political unit. It contained powerful states, emirates, city states, and independent...
Inside Kingsway Lagos, The Department Store That Shaped Broad Street Retail
In the mid twentieth century, Broad Street on Lagos Island stood at the centre of formal commerce in the city. Banks, shipping firms, trading...
The C.M.S. Bookshop Corner on Broad Street
Broad Street has always carried weight in the story of Lagos Island. It is a street shaped by trade, administration, education, and movement, a...
Carter Bridge and Street Lighting in Colonial Lagos, How Power and Inequality Shaped the City After Dark
A 1940s black and white photograph shows a lone man walking west to east along the northern side of Carter Bridge. Near him stands...
The First Target, Why British Colonialism Moved Against Indigenous Religion Early in Nigeria
British colonialism in Nigeria did not treat indigenous religion as a private or symbolic part of life. In many Nigerian societies, religion was inseparable...
The Olympic Hotel, Broad Street, Lagos
The Olympic Hotel once stood on Broad Street, Lagos Island, at a time when the street formed the backbone of the city’s commercial and...
Yoruba Monarchs and Colonial Period
In mid‑20th century southwestern Nigeria, traditional Yoruba monarchs continued to play influential roles within their societies, while simultaneously navigating colonial authority and emerging nationalist...
Colonial Foundations and Legal Continuities, How British Rule Shaped Nigeria’s Justice System
Nigeria’s justice system did not emerge from a single historical moment. Long before colonial consolidation, communities across the region governed themselves through customary law,...
Colonial Nigeria’s Hidden War, How World War II Remade Civilian Life Far From the Front
When people in Britain remember the Second World War, Africa is often mentioned only in passing, as a distant theatre that supplied troops and...