Historical Nigeria | Nigerian History & Cultural Heritage

The Scramble for Africa and the Destruction of Nigerian Sovereignty

Before Nigeria appeared on any map, there were already kingdoms, emirates, city states and independent communities across the territory it would eventually occupy.The Oba of Benin ruled a powerful kingdom from Benin City. The Sultan of Sokoto stood at the head of a vast Islamic political system in the north. Yoruba states governed themselves...

MILITARY ERA

5 Critical Political Violence Before Nigeria’s First Coup

Joshua Dogonyaro 1985 Coup Speech: The Powerful 27 August Broadcast That Ended Buhari’s First Rule

Usman Kakanda Bello and the 1990 Coup: The Officer Who Died Defending Dodan Barracks

Nigeria’s First Republic: 5 Crucial Years That Ended in Military Rule

Debo Basorun and Babangida: The Powerful 1989 Court Battle That Exposed a Military Rift

Gideon Orkar coup attempt: 69 Executions After Nigeria’s Dramatic 1990 Military Uprising

Death of Timothy Onwuatuegwu: 3 Powerful Accounts Behind an Unresolved 1970 Mystery

5 Defining Chapters of Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo

MILITARY ERA

5 Critical Political Violence Before Nigeria’s First Coup

Joshua Dogonyaro 1985 Coup Speech: The Powerful 27 August Broadcast That Ended Buhari’s First Rule

Usman Kakanda Bello and the 1990 Coup: The Officer Who Died Defending Dodan Barracks

Nigeria’s First Republic: 5 Crucial Years That Ended in Military Rule

Debo Basorun and Babangida: The Powerful 1989 Court Battle That Exposed a Military Rift

Gideon Orkar coup attempt: 69 Executions After Nigeria’s Dramatic 1990 Military Uprising

Death of Timothy Onwuatuegwu: 3 Powerful Accounts Behind an Unresolved 1970 Mystery

5 Defining Chapters of Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo

oldfolktales.com

Explore authentic folktales from every region, short, vivid reads for curious minds.

BIOGRAPHIES

How Stella Obasanjo’s Burial Became an Exception to an Esan Tradition

Beyond Marriage: The Esan Woman’s Lifelong Connection to Her Family

Why Esan Women Were Traditionally Returned to Their Father’s Family for Burial

Hassan Katsina: The 32 Year Old Prince Who Became a Military Governor

Alajo Somolu: How One Lagos Thrift Collector Became a Legend

Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala: 6 Languages and the Remarkable Rise of Oyo’s Policeman-Governor

The Abacha Stove: The Forgotten Kitchen Survivor That Helped Nigerians Cook Through Hard Times

Taiwo Olowo: The Lagos Merchant Who Built a Fortune Before Modern Nigeria

MILITARY ERA

5 Critical Political Violence Before Nigeria’s First Coup

Joshua Dogonyaro 1985 Coup Speech: The Powerful 27 August Broadcast That Ended Buhari’s First Rule

Usman Kakanda Bello and the 1990 Coup: The Officer Who Died Defending Dodan Barracks

Nigeria’s First Republic: 5 Crucial Years That Ended in Military Rule

Debo Basorun and Babangida: The Powerful 1989 Court Battle That Exposed a Military Rift

Gideon Orkar coup attempt: 69 Executions After Nigeria’s Dramatic 1990 Military Uprising

Death of Timothy Onwuatuegwu: 3 Powerful Accounts Behind an Unresolved 1970 Mystery

5 Defining Chapters of Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo

CIVIL WARS

Lagos Billion Naira Budget: 3 Powerful Headlines That Captured Nigeria Before the 1983 Coup

Awolowo and Biafra: The £20 Policy, Starvation and Currency War That Shaped Nigeria’s Civil War

Ogbugo Kalu: The Remarkable Commander Behind Biafra’s 1969 Recapture of Owerri

Mohammed Shuwa: The Civil War General Whose Death Exposed Nigeria’s New Security Crisis

The General Who Survived Nigeria’s Civil War, Then Fell in Maiduguri

Angelica Oyediran and the Quiet Work of Returning Biafra’s Displaced Children

Adekunle Fajuyi and the July 1966 Crisis

Why Ojukwu Declared Biafra After Killings, Fear, and the Collapse of Nigeria’s First Union

PRE-COLONIAL NIGERIA

Britain Stormed Benin City in 1897. But the Attack Was About More Than Revenge

The Fulani Jihad That Transformed Northern Nigeria

The Rivers That Became Highways of Colonial Expansion

How European Colonialism Destroyed Centuries Old Political Systems

Obi Ijeh of Idumuoghu: The Powerful 1978 Photograph That Preserved an Igbuzo Moment in History

Onye Ocha Masquerade: How Igbo Performers Turned Colonial Rule into Comedy

Igboho and the Oyo Empire: 4 Crucial Reigns That Helped Rebuild Oyo After Exile

King Ibanichuka of Okrika: 5 Defining Events in the Reign and Fall of Ado VI

NIGERIAN HISTORY

The Scramble for Africa and the Destruction of Nigerian Sovereignty

How Stella Obasanjo’s Burial Became an Exception to an Esan Tradition

Beyond Marriage: The Esan Woman’s Lifelong Connection to Her Family

Why Esan Women Were Traditionally Returned to Their Father’s Family for Burial

Britain Stormed Benin City in 1897. But the Attack Was About More Than Revenge

How Hassan Katsina Helped Keep Northern Nigeria From Breaking Into Revenge

Hassan Katsina: The 32 Year Old Prince Who Became a Military Governor

Alajo Somolu: How One Lagos Thrift Collector Became a Legend

DEMOCRATIC NIGERIA

Sir Kashim Ibrahim’s London Visit: 3 Remarkable Figures in Nigeria’s 1962 Federal Diplomacy

Udoji Award in 1975 Nigeria: How a ₦1,250 Windfall Captured an Oil Boom Turning Point

The 1964 Gazette Record of Sule Alumbugu

New Calabar Crisis: The Decisive 1879 Conflict That Reshaped 3 Kalabari Towns

Ebun House: The Remarkable 1913 Mansion That Redefined Lagos Architecture

Ben Murray-Bruce at 70: The Defining Story of Silverbird, Broadcasting and Nigerian Public Life

Kano Golf Club history: The Remarkable Story of Golf in Kano Since 1908

Political Patronage in Nigeria Before the Oil Boom: The Deep Roots of Power Before Petrodollars

INDEPENDENCE

How Colonial Institutions Shaped Post-Independence Nigerian Politics: 3 Powerful Constitutional Shifts That Entrenched Regional Rivalry

Nigeria’s First Republic: 4 Critical Crises That Broke Civilian Rule, 1960–1966

6 Defining Crises That Shattered the Nigeria’s First Republic in 1960–1966

5 Critical Turning Points of Nigeria’s First Republic

Northern Nigerians in London in 1950: 10 Remarkable Faces Before Independence

Organised Nigerian Nationalism in Lagos: 5 Powerful Forces That Transformed Colonial Politics in the 1920s

Herbert Macaulay and Nigerian Nationalism

Lokoja House and Nigeria’s 1914 Amalgamation

https://oldfolklore.com/

Browse creatures, gods, and heroes, beautifully retold with culture, context, and heart