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.
The Exact Day Nigeria Abandoned Pounds, How the Naira Was Introduced, and Why 1973 Matters More Than 1971
Nigeria’s move from pounds, shillings, and pence to naira and kobo stands as one of the most important economic transitions in the country’s modern...
How the Royal Niger Company Constabulary Turned River Commerce Into Authority, 1888 to 1900
In the closing decades of the nineteenth century, British influence along the Niger River was secured through more than treaties and commerce. It was...
Mungo Park and the River Niger, What He Really Did, and Why “Discovery” Is the Wrong Word
The River Niger is one of Africa’s great waterways, stretching across much of West Africa and shaping human life along its banks for thousands...
The Stuttgart Photograph and Akintola’s Daughter, What History Can Confirm About a 1963 Arrival
A widely shared black and white photograph, usually dated 15 May 1963, shows a young Nigerian woman stepping down from an aircraft in Stuttgart,...
Liberty’s of Igbosere Road, The Lagos Island House Known by a Photograph and Little Else
Liberty’s is the name attached, in modern circulation, to a striking old residence associated with Igbosere Road on Lagos Island. The building is most...
The Death That Sparked the 1897 Benin Expedition
During the late nineteenth century, British colonial administration in the Niger Delta expanded rapidly through trade, treaties, and military presence. As officials moved inland,...
Chief Amodu Tijani Oluwa and the Lagos Land Case That Reached the Privy Council
Chief Amodu Tijani Oluwa, an Idejo White Cap Chief of Lagos and head of the Oluwa family, entered history through a legal struggle that...
Christian Missions in Ibadan, From Kudeti to a Growing Protestant City
Christian mission history in Ibadan is closely linked to the arrival of the Church Missionary Society in the early 1850s. In 1853, C.M.S. missionaries...
From Slave Ship to City Hall, The Rise of John Ezzidio in Nineteenth Century Freetown
John Ezzidio was born around 1810 in Nupe country, in the region of present day Nigeria. His early life unfolded in a period marked...
Nigeria at Charles and Diana’s 1981 Royal Wedding
On 29 July 1981, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The ceremony became one of the...