The Presbyterian Church’s missionaries began arriving in Nigeria in the 1840s. In Calabar, they established themselves in the English Town area. Reverend Henry Townsend, one of these missionaries, later relocated to Abeokuta in the 1850s. In 1854, Reverend Townsend built a printing press in Abeokuta. Five years later, he used it to publish Iwe Irohin…
Lt. The failed 1976 coup that resulted in the assassination of the then-head of state of Nigeria, General Murtala Muhammed, was led by Colonel Buka Suka Dimka. After Lt. When Colonel Dimka realized that the coup was in vain, he fled to Afikpo, which was in the then-Anambra State, where he sought safety with an…
From 1914 to the present, the following is a list of Nigeria’s Governor Generals, Heads of State, and Presidents: 1. Lord Frederick Lugard :- 1st Governor General (1914-1919) 2. Sir Hugh Clifford :- 2nd Governor General (1919- 1925) 3. Sir Creamer Thompson :- 3rd Governor General (1925- 1931) 4. Sir Donald Cameron :- 4th Governor…
The Nigerian National Honors are a set of orders that are bestowed on Nigerians and non-Nigerians who are deemed deserving of the honor each year. The National Honors Act of 1993 established them. 5 of 1964 to honor Nigerians and non-Nigerians who have helped the country grow in one way or another. The Nigerian national…
This is the speech that Nigerian Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa gave on October 1, 1960, at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, as part of the celebration of Nigeria’s independence. Independence Day is today. Every Nigerian has eagerly anticipated the first of October 1960 for the past two years. Nigeria is now, in…
The public banner of Nigeria was planned in 1959, a year prior to the freedom of Nigeria, by Mr Michael Taiwo Akinkumi, as at then he was as yet an understudy in London. A few plans were introduced, very nearly 3000, however the one planned by Mr. Taiwo Akinkumi was picked. On October 1, 1960,…
In 1912, this Panther got away from a zoo in Lagos causing commotion in Lagos and adjoining towns. It was ultimately shot dead after a long chase.
For north of ninety years, Alabukun Powder has kept up with its stand as perhaps of the most well known patent medication normally found in Nigerian homes, work environments, drug stores and road shops. Its modest cost and speedy viability have held it back from tumbling off the slow down starting around 1918 when…
The Ibadan-Ijaye war broke out in 1861 among Ibadan and Ijaye over who to succeed the old Oyo domain as the political head of Yorubaland. The two revolting towns jumped up from the remnants of the Old Oyo domain which was obliterated in 1836 by the Fulanis. Ibadan, Ijaye and the new Oyo (additionally called…
Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji was a prodigious Nigerian football player who also played for his country and international teams. On May 19, 1964, he was born in the city of Orlu in the state of Imo to a duty officer named Mr. David Okwaraji and a headmistress named Lady Janet Okwaraji. Samuel Okwaraji received his primary…
You must be familiar with the merger of the Northern and Southern Protectorates on January 1, 1914, if you are a Nigerian. We believe it is best for you to have a glimpse of this event that led to Nigeria’s birth, so we provide you with the Amalgamation Day (January 1, 1914) speech by Lord…
This is a look behind the scenes of Nigeria’s historic presidential election on June 12, 1993. In the history of Nigeria, this election is regarded as the freest and fairest. Then why was it thrown out? Background: On December 31, 1983, Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s second attempt to lead a democratic government was stopped by the…
During the civil war that lasted exactly two years, six months, and nine days, Nigerian and Biafran troops engaged in a number of confrontations, one of which was the Abagana Ambush on March 31, 1968. The Nigerian army suffered the greatest single loss in the civil war during this ambush. Background In October 1967, the…
The Jalumi war, otherwise called Ogun Jalumi and Clash of Ikirun, was a horrendous conflict battled by Ibadan and Ikirun against the unified powers of Ilorin, Ila-Orangun, Ekiti and Ijesha on the first of November, 1878, in the northeastern piece of cutting edge Osun State. The Jalumi war was one of many pulverizing nationwide conflicts…
On October 15, 1938, Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, better known as Fela Kuti, was born in Abeokuta, the state capital of Ogun State. Musician and political activist Fela pioneered his own distinctive musical style, known as “Afrobeat.” He fought against military oppression and political tyranny by utilizing Afrobeat as a weapon. Over 200 times, Fela…
The disastrous Benin punitive expedition of 1897 left the great kingdom of Benin devastated and without valuable artifacts, artworks, sons, daughters, or a great king. The “punitive expedition,” as the British referred to it, was sparked by a historical event known as “the Benin massacre.” A portion of the Benin army killed Consul Philips and…
Wole Soyinka was born in Abeokuta, near Ibadan, in western Nigeria, on July 13, 1934. He began his preparatory education at Government College in Ibadan in 1954, and he continued his education at the University of Leeds, where he earned his doctorate in 1973. Wole Soyinka and his sister, Tinu. Wole and Tinu Soyinka in…
Dr. Raymond Harold Prince, a pioneer in transcultural psychiatry, was born in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, on September 27, 1925. Dr. Raymond was a child who could identify all kinds of birds, trees, and flowers. He was raised in a religious household but later converted to atheism. He tried to get away from his Baptist upbringing,…
Before, during, and after colonial rule, a significant portion of Nigeria was located in the north; all due to the Hausa/Fulani people and the lovely way of life they lead. Here are fifteen old photos that show how life was in northern Nigeria in the past. Kano in 1950. A Hausa man during worship. Ahmadu…
A small aircraft was observed flying above Lagos, Nigeria, on May 30, 1926. The pilot was Mr. M. Landrich, and there was a passenger on board. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. With the intention of flying directly to Cotonou, which is about 500 miles away, the aircraft took off from Elizabeth Vile in the…