Introduction QUEEN Elizabeth II’s long reign—spanning seven decades from 1952 until her death in 2022—left an indelible mark on nations across the globe, particularly those in Africa that transitioned from colonial rule to independence and beyond. Among these, Nigeria’s historical relationship with the late British monarch encapsulates key political, social, and diplomatic shifts that continue […]
Introduction: Historical Memory and Modern Emotion FOR many Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria, the mention of Egypt elicits strong emotions that extend far beyond biblical symbolism or ancient history. This reaction—often perceived externally as rooted in religious narratives about Israelites in Egypt—is actually grounded in a political and historical memory of events during the Nigerian–Biafran […]
Nigeria Before Nigeria LONG before the name “Nigeria” existed, the region comprised a mosaic of independent political entities. The Oyo Empire in the west, the Benin Kingdom in the south, and Kanem-Bornu in the northeast were sophisticated states with centralised governance. Meanwhile, Igbo communities and the Niger Delta city-states operated as self-regulating societies, each with […]
By GODWIN KELECHI The 1966 Coup: A Crisis of Power, Not Grief THE July 1966 coup in Nigeria is often remembered for its tragic toll—the deaths of prominent northern politicians and military officers. Yet, a careful historical analysis suggests that the underlying trigger was not grief over these losses, but the perceived erosion of northern political […]
By CLARA DIKE Early Life and Enslavement KING Jaja of Opobo, born Mbanaso Okwaraozurumba around 1821, occupies a singular place in West African history as a ruler who rose from enslavement to become one of the most powerful indigenous economic actors of the nineteenth century. Born in Umuduruoha, Amaigbo, in present-day Imo State, within the cultural […]
A Nation in Need of Reset IN February 1976, Nigeria was not merely undergoing administrative reform; it was being reimagined. General Murtala Ramat Mohammed, barely six months into power, redrew the country’s political map with a decisiveness that has rarely been matched since. Seven new states were created, Abuja was designated as the Federal Capital […]
Zong Massacre: A Calculated Crime Beneath Empire’s Veneer IN the annals of the transatlantic slave trade, few incidents illuminate the sheer brutality and systemic dehumanisation of enslaved Africans like the Zong massacre of 1781. On 29 November of that year, the crew of the British slave ship Zong cast scores of men, women and children […]
A Long History of Public Scrutiny FOR more than two decades, Venus and Serena Williams have occupied a unique and often uncomfortable position in global sport and popular culture. As dominant athletes in a historically exclusionary space, they were celebrated for their achievements while simultaneously subjected to an intensity of scrutiny rarely applied to their […]
MORE than five decades after Nigeria’s civil war, the question of Igbo political power remains one of the most enduring and sensitive issues in the country’s national life. Despite the community’s undeniable economic resilience and cultural influence, the Igbo have remained absent from Nigeria’s highest political office since 1970. This gap has continued to shape […]
THE placement of Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Rivers States within Nigeria’s South-South geopolitical zone is often treated as a settled fact of modern governance. Yet historically, culturally, and economically, their separation from the old Eastern Region is a relatively recent political outcome—shaped less by identity than by colonial administration, military state creation, and post-civil-war […]