On August 16, 1983, the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) held general elections for governorships across Nigeria. Alhaji Shehu Shagari, the then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, promised Nigerians that the general elections would be free and fair, but this promise turned out to be in vain. The announcement of the election results was…
The Igbo polity and pre-colonial administration have been described by scholars as headless, that is, leaderless, leaderless or headless. This term is considered appropriate to describe the pre-colonial Igbo political system as it was decentralized and based on direct and village democracy in which everyone had the power to participate in decision-making. Council of Elders…
The Lagos Town Council was established in 1950 as an administrative unit of Lagos under the new Local Government Act, an outgrowth of the Municipal Council created by a 1941 Ordinance. Oba Adele II of Lagos ran for President of the Lagos Municipal Council but lost. Dr. Abubakir Ibiyinka Olorunnimbe. Olorunimbe was mayor of Lagos…
Who was King Jaja of Opobo? King Jaja of Opobo was a charismatic and courageous ruler of Opobo, a city-state in modern Rivers State, who fought against British trade penetration and rule in the Igbo hinterland. Jaja was a Nkwerre man who was born in Umuduruoha in Amaigbo around 1821. His real name was Mbanaso…
Remigio Herrera Adesina was born in Ijesha lands in Ekiti, western Nigeria, according to the 1811 census. In contrast, her marriage certificate lists her birth year as 1816. Adesina was captured in 1830 and sent to Cuba as a slave. In 1833, her Yoruba birth name Adesina was changed to Remigio Lucumi. Lucumi was a…
Background of the Battle of Imagbon. In 1891, the Ijebu people, living 80 to 100 kilometers northeast of Lagos on the Magbon River, established a blockade and imposed tariffs on the trade route to Lagos, then a crown colony. The Awujale (traditional Ijebu ruler) closed the Ejirin market and cut off Lagos from its inland…
WHO IS SUNDAY IGBOHO? Sunday Igboho, as he is popularly known, was born Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo on October 10, 1972 in Igboho, a town in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State. He is a politician, businessman and influential citizen mobilizer. In January 2021, he made headlines online when he gave Fulani herdsmen in Ibarapa a week-long…
Dear Nigerians: I address you today with a deep sense of world history, particularly the history of our great country. Following the recently canceled presidential election, I am, as I believe you are, deeply disappointed by the results of our recent efforts to lay the foundation for a viable democratic system of government in Nigeria.…
The Lagos Times and the Gold Coast Colony Advertiser were the third newspapers established in Nigeria. It replaced Robert Campbell’s Anglo-African Journal and Reverend Henry Townsend’s Iwe Irohin. The newspaper was founded on Wednesday, November 10, 1880 by Mr. Richard Olamilege Beale Blaize and edited by Mr. Andrew M. Thomas and Mojola Agbebi. The 6p…
Usman Dan Fodio, born into the Torokawa family in 1754, was the leader of the largest jihad in Nigeria and West Africa. He studied law, theology and philosophy in Agades under the tutelage of a certain Umar. His studies on these topics inspired him to embrace the religion of Islam. Usman Dan Fodio migrated to…