How Alhassan Dantata became West Africa’s Richest Man in the 1950s
As of the time of his death in 1955, Alhaji Alhassan Dantata was the richest man in all of West Africa...
How Mobolaji Johnson built Lagos with £10,000
Mobolaji Johnson was only 31 years old when he was appointed as the first military governor of Lagos State in May 1967.
Adegoke Adelabu: The Unforgettable Peculiar Penkelemesi
Adegoke Adelabu is often mentioned in Yorùbá and Nigerian history as the author of "penkelemesi", a Yorubanisation of the phrase, "peculiar mess".
How Dele Giwa was Bombed to Death in 1986
Dele Giwa kept moaning the refrain, “They have got me.” Who he referred to as “they” still remains a riddle to this day.
How Olusegun Obasanjo saved Nigeria’s democracy in 1999
On his ascension to the presidency in 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo was already thinking about his second term in 2003, which was four years away...
Kenneth Onwuka Dike (1917-1983): The Pioneer Historian
Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike was the first Nigerian Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan and the roaming Ambassador of Biafra to Côte d'Ivoire...
Ken Saro-Wiwa: Writer, Environmental Activist, Martyr
It took five attempts to hang Ken Saro-Wiwa before he spoke his last words and his body went limp.
Samuel Ladoke Akintola: 13th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and Last Premier of the...
Samuel Ladoke Akintola was responsible for the establishment of the University of Ife in 1962 and the creation of the Cocoa House in 1965.
Why Chinua Achebe never won the Nobel Prize in Literature
Chinua Achebe twice declined the Nigerian award of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) in 2004 and 2011.
MKO Abiola: The Nigerian President who never ruled
MKO Abiola’s death succeeded in discrediting military rule in Nigeria, and his outstanding contribution to his country...was acknowledged six years after his death when the New African magazine listed him among the hundred greatest Africans of all time.
Festus Okotie-Eboh: Nigeria’s most flamboyant Politician
As the Federal Minister of Finance, Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh was instrumental in the founding of Nigeria's Central Bank in 1959.
How Ameyo Adadevoh stopped the 2014 Ebola Plague in Nigeria
When the swine flu spread to Lagos in 2012, Ameyo Adadevoh was the first doctor to diagnose and notify the Ministry of Health.
Gambo Sawaba: Married at 13, Politician at 17, Imprisoned at 20
Gambo Sawaba was an Amazon and an enigma in the 20th century Northern Nigeria. Right from the start, the major aspects of her character emerged very boldly.
Dora Akunyili: The African Woman Who Won 930 Awards
During her lifetime, Dora Akunyili received 820 awards. After her death, 110 more were discovered in her boxes, bringing the total to 930. No Nigerian has more.
Was Joseph Gomwalk guilty of the 1976 Dimka Coup?
Joseph Gomwalk was only 41 years old when he was executed on May 15, 1976, in Lagos, the federal capital.
50 Interesting Facts about Ahmadu Bello
Bello once referred to Nigeria as the "mistake of 1914" but later worked for and gave his best for the new nation of Nigeria.
Top 5 African Cities that are most vulnerable to Climate Change
According to the Africa Growth Initiative, Africa...has 7 out of the 10 countries that are considered the most threatened by climate change all over the world.
Is Lagos a No Man’s Land?
Lagos was the capital city of Nigeria for 77 years until the seat of government was moved to Abuja, which was planned and built specifically for that purpose.
Kaduna Nzeogwu: Hero or Villain?
Major Kaduna Nzeogwu was the first Nigerian to become an officer in Military Intelligence. Born on February 26, 1937, Nzeogwu was only 20 when he joined the Nigerian Army in March 1957.
Jonathan Adagogo Green: Nigeria’s First Professional Photographer
Jonathan Adagogo Green was also responsible for the now very famous photograph of Oba Ovonramwen of Benin in 1897.
Ore Green: West Africa’s First Female Pharmacist
Ore Green worked in London, before returning in 1917 to Lagos where she first worked as a Midwife at the hospital of Dr. Richard Akinwande Savage (1874-1935).
Emeka Ojukwu: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
Emeka Ojukwu could speak Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, English, French, and Latin fluently. Interestingly, during the civil war, he always slept with his boots on.
