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.
Old Calabar Slave Trade: The Powerful Evidence Behind the 275,000 Estimate
The Old Calabar Slave Trade occupies a significant place in the history of Nigeria and the wider Atlantic world. From the seventeenth century into...
Bongos Ikwue at 84: 5 Defining Chapters in a Remarkable Nigerian Music Career
Bongos Ikwue at 84 represents more than the longevity of one Nigerian singer. Born on 6 June 1942 in Otukpo, in present-day Benue State,...
Iseyin–Okeho Rising of 1916: The Powerful Revolt That Reshaped Okeho
The Iseyin–Okeho Rising of 1916 was one of the most revealing episodes of resistance to British colonial rule in early twentieth-century Yorubaland. What happened...
Harry Rawson and the 1897 Invasion of Benin: The Decisive Campaign That Changed a Kingdom
Harry Rawson and the 1897 Invasion of Benin form one of the most consequential chapters in the history of British expansion in what later...
1897 Benin Ambush: 5 Harrowing Days of Survival
The 1897 Benin ambush of 4 January left seven British members of a party travelling towards Benin City dead and forced its two surviving...
Phillips Benin Mission of 1897
The Phillips Benin Mission of January 1897 occupies a critical place in Nigerian colonial history because it sits between two narratives that are often...
Port Harcourt History: The Powerful 1913 Story of Lewis Harcourt, Frederick Lugard and a Colonial City
Port Harcourt history begins with a series of colonial decisions involving geography, railway construction, maritime surveys, commerce and political power. The city that eventually...
Roy Chicago: The Enduring Highlife Bandleader Who Shaped 1960s Lagos
Roy Chicago was one of the defining personalities of Nigerian highlife during the 1960s, an era when live dance bands provided the soundtrack to...
Broad Street Lagos History: 3 Powerful Symbols of Nigeria’s Economic Transition, c. 1971
Motors reflected the changing ownership of capital, petroleum and commerce in post-independence Nigeria.Broad Street Lagos history is vividly represented by a photograph dating from...
Bank of British West Africa in Lagos: The Powerful Institution That Helped Shape Marina
The Bank of British West Africa in Lagos occupied a pivotal place in the transformation of Marina from a colonial waterfront into one of...