BRITISH COLONISATION OF NIGERIAN TERRITORIES
By 1880, the British had been well established along the coast of West Africa and…
ECONOMIC HISTORY
EARLY EUROPEANS IN NIGERIA
The Europeans who came to Nigeria were the explorers, Christian missionaries, traders and merchants. These…
BACKGROUND TO THE EUROPEAN EXPLORATION
During the Middle Ages, the Europeans could not travel far. This was probably the reason…
ORIGIN OF SLAVE TRADE
Slavery was common and normal in West Africa as it was in all the early…
THE ORIGIN AND NATURE OF TRANS-SAHARAN TRADE (REVISED EDITION)
For many centuries, the people of West Africa had engaged in trans-Saharan trade. This was…
THE IDOMA AND TIV
The Origin of the Idoma The Idoma are located in the Niger-Benue confluence. The Idoma…
THE IGBO AND ISOKO
Igbo and its Origin Two major assumptions explain the origin of the Igbos. The first…
THE ORIGIN OF THE ITSEKIRI
The Itsekiri tradition traces them to the migration of Iginua from Benin during the reign…
THE NIGER DELTA
The Niger Delta can be divided into sections; these are the Western Delta and the…
THE EFIK
The Efik are located in the Eastern Niger Delta within the Cross River area. According…
THE BENIN KINGDOM UP TO 1800
According to Benin traditions of origin, the people of Benin migrated from the East. After…
THE YORUBAS OF IFE AND OYO
The origin of the Yoruba tradition The Yoruba are located in the southwest of modern…
THE IGALA AND JUKUN
The Igala have linked their origin with a divine rulership of the Jukun. However, there…
NUPE KINGDOM
The Nupe are located at the extreme west of Niger-Benue confluence area of Nigeria. The…
THE KANURI EMPIRE
Introduction The Kanuri Empire at its peak spread over an area which is today located…
HAUSA STATES
Introduction The word ‘Hausa’ does not refer to a race; rather, it refers to Hausa-speaking…
TRANS-ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
The Atlantic slave trade began in 1442 when African captives from the Senegal river were…
THE SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA
The Europeans had frequented the coasts of West Africa since the fifteenth century and established…
ORIGINS AND TIMEFRAME OF EARLY TRADE
The connections of West Africa with the Mediterranean world is a very old one, which…
THE HISTORICAL ANTECEDENT OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT IN WEST AFRICA
The land of West Africa consists of contrasting kinds of physical environment. The forest environment…
THE SPREAD OF ISLAM IN WEST AFRICA
Africa was the first continent, that Islam spread into out of Arabia in the early…
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SONGHAI, GHANA AND MALI EMPIRES
SIMILARITIES The three empires were located close to the Niger River; they developed from the…
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT LED TO THE FALL OF MALI EMPIRE
Social factors: Despite its acclaimed greatness, Mali Empire declined. Internal disputes resulted to wars within…
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT LED TO THE RISE OF MALI EMPIRE
Social factors: Mali Empire rose to prominence due to several factors, these include: Commissioning of…
THE LOCATION AND ORIGIN OF MALI EMPIRE
LOCATION Mali Empire developed from the fall of old Ghana Empire in Western Sudan. The…
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT LED TO THE FALL OF GHANA EMPIRE
SOCIAL FACTORS In historical movement, empires and kingdoms usually rose to their peaks and then…
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT LED TO THE RISE OF GHANA EMPIRE
SOCIAL FACTORS Some factors usually work together to lead to the rise or expansion of…
THE ROYAL NIGER COMPANY
The legitimate trade in communities attracted a number of British merchants to the Niger River,…
BRITISH CONTACTS WITH NIGERIA
British contact with the Nigerian people was made through three categories of people namely; the…
MEANING AND ORIGIN OF LEGITIMATE TRADE
The term, “legitimate trade” refers to the trade in commodities between Africans and the European…
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT LED TO THE FALL OF SONGHAI EMPIRE
Social Factors: The sack and subjugation of Timbuktu by external forces exposed the misrule of…
SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS THAT LED TO THE RISE OF SONGHAI EMPIRE
Social Factors: The merchants of Songhai Empire worked in partnership. The state also protected the…