This succinct, authoritative, and engagingly written history of Nigeria from its earliest beginnings through 1998 provides an excellent introduction to the country's history. Constructed around the two interrelated themes of politics and the economy, it relates the development of the Nigerian people from antiquity through the end of 1998. Following a timeline of events in the history of Nigeria, Professor Falola, a leading historian on Nigeria and a distinguished Africanist, provides a readable, coherent narrative that carefully integrates the past into the present to help the student and general reader understand the forces at play in the development of the country throughout its long history. Biographical sketches of notable Nigerians, maps, and a bibliographical essay will aid the beginning researcher. Falola examines the development of civilization among different Nigerian communities from antiquity, the consequences of the introduction of Islam and Christianity, the decimation of the population from the slave trade, the imposition of colonial rule and its effects, the transfer of power to the Nigerians in 1960, and the subsequent turmoil in the government and economy. The work analyzes the complicated journey of Nigeria to the present day, which is marked by political instability and economic underdevelopment. It is a story of Nigeria's failure to fulfill the expectations of its people while using its oil resources to become a giant.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“The History of Nigeria successfully creates a coherent narrative of Nigeria's long, diverse, and very complex history with a combination of objectivity and political engagement. This is quite an accomplishment.”–African Studies Review
“...historians are quick to remind us that is important to learn from the history of the past in order to avoid mistakes in the future. This book, which is both an excellent under-graduate history and political text, not only addresses historic events as they occurred in Nigeria, but also "deviated" from the "historic norms" by positing in the epilogue problems and challenges that the republic should anticipate and tackle in the Fourth Republic....it provides policy makers and scholars with a framework of the tasks ahead, and in doing so challenges students of Nigerian politics to come up with modalities that might help the nation solve these issues.”–Journal of Third World Studies
“This is a readable and concise account of Nigerian history....The book is a credit to the author' versatility and considerable ability to synthesize a huge and diverse and challenging subject. All in all, it not only meets the requirements of the target audience but those of serious scholars who need to update their knowledge of Nigerian history.”–Journal of African History
“This book is a major synthesis of the history of the largest country in black Africa. It illuminates the long and varied history of the area....[A]nd produces a passionate yet balanced account of their causes and effects....The book is eminently suitable for educated general readers who are interested in broadening their knowledge of the wider world.”–Ann O'Hear Author of Power Relations in Nigeria: Illorin Slaves and their Successors (1997), Co-editor, African Economic History
“This is a well written, masterly account of the history of Nigeria, from the earliest times to the contemporary period. Authored by one of the most prominent and leading scholars of Nigerian history, this important work is indispensable for anyone interested in arguably, Africa's most important country. Toyin Falola's vast knowledge of the Nigerian state, and his extensive coverage of the country make this book a compelling reading.”–Adebayo Oyebade College of Arts and Sciences Tennessee State University
“An excellent work of historical synthesis, the book presents the checkered history of Nigeria to both the reader and the specialist. This readable style, the extensive information, and the powerful analysis, all insure that this book will dominate the field for a long time.”–Akanmu Adebayo Professor of History Kennesaw State University
“This is the best single volume on Nigeria. It is well written, and presented in a lucid, logical, readable manner. This is a successful attempt at bringing history closer to the people while at the same time satisfying the needs of specialists. Toyin Falola has succeeded in writing what will turn out to be the most attractive reading on Nigeria for a long time to come.”–Jeremiah I. Dibua Associate Professor of History Morgan State University
“In this book, Toyin Falola, a leading Africanist, surveys Nigeria's difficult history in its march towards nationhood. A brilliant interpretive history, it offers a compelling series of coherent themes on politics and economy in a lucid language. The author justifies his acclaim as one of the leading scholars of Nigeria.”–Onaiwu W. Ogbomo Department of History Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania
“This is a comprehensive introduction into the history of the country since the 19th century, with its focus especially on the colonial and post-colonial periods. While providing a good deal of historical background information, Professor Falola explores the politics, society, and economy of Nigeria since 1960 in much detail. The book should find a broad readership, because it is well readable as an introductory text into Nigerian affairs....Professor Falola's book makes an up-to-date and comprehensive companion to anybody interested in Nigeria's current process of transition to democracy - and into the 21st century.”–Axel Harneit-Sievers Center for Modern Oriental Studies Berlin, Germany
“...historians are quick to remind us that is important to learn from the history of the past in order to avoid mistakes in the future. This book, which is both an excellent under-graduate history and political text, not only addresses historic events as they occurred in Nigeria, but also "deviated" from the "historic norms" by positing in the epilogue problems and challenges that the republic should anticipate and tackle in the Fourth Republic....it provides policy makers and scholars with a framework of the tasks ahead, and in doing so challenges students of Nigerian politics to come up with modalities that might help the nation solve these issues.”–
“This is a readable and concise account of Nigerian history....The book is a credit to the author' versatility and considerable ability to synthesize a huge and diverse and challenging subject. All in all, it not only meets the requirements of the target audience but those of serious scholars who need to update their knowledge of Nigerian history.”–
“This book is a major synthesis of the history of the largest country in black Africa. It illuminates the long and varied history of the area....[A]nd produces a passionate yet balanced account of their causes and effects....The book is eminently suitable for educated general readers who are interested in broadening their knowledge of the wider world.”–
“This is a well written, masterly account of the history of Nigeria, from the earliest times to the contemporary period. Authored by one of the most prominent and leading scholars of Nigerian history, this important work is indispensable for anyone interested in arguably, Africa's most important country. Toyin Falola's vast knowledge of the Nigerian state, and his extensive coverage of the country make this book a compelling reading.”–
“An excellent work of historical synthesis, the book presents the checkered history of Nigeria to both the reader and the specialist. This readable style, the extensive information, and the powerful analysis, all insure that this book will dominate the field for a long time.”–
“This is the best single volume on Nigeria. It is well written, and presented in a lucid, logical, readable manner. This is a successful attempt at bringing history closer to the people while at the same time satisfying the needs of specialists. Toyin Falola has succeeded in writing what will turn out to be the most attractive reading on Nigeria for a long time to come.”–
“In this book, Toyin Falola, a leading Africanist, surveys Nigeria's difficult history in its march towards nationhood. A brilliant interpretive history, it offers a compelling series of coherent themes on politics and economy in a lucid language. The author justifies his acclaim as one of the leading scholars of Nigeria.”–
“This is a comprehensive introduction into the history of the country since the 19th century, with its focus especially on the colonial and post-colonial periods. While providing a good deal of historical background information, Professor Falola explores the politics, society, and economy of Nigeria since 1960 in much detail. The book should find a broad readership, because it is well readable as an introductory text into Nigerian affairs....Professor Falola's book makes an up-to-date and comprehensive companion to anybody interested in Nigeria's current process of transition to democracy - and into the 21st century.”–
Book Description
An exploration of Nigeria's pre-colonial and colonial past, and its journey from independence to statehood. By examining key themes such as colonialism, religion, slavery, nationalism and the economy, the authors explain the context to Nigeria's recent ethnic and religious conflicts, political instability, rampant official corruption and ailing economy.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A History of Nigeria,
By
This review is from: A History of Nigeria (Paperback)
The first book i've read that gives detailed insight into the area called Nigeria 10,000 BC. Walks you through history in a beautiful narrative, detailing events of each era up to the colonial period and post independence. It opened my eyes to the issues that have plagued Nigeria as a country politically, why we are where we are, and what the real issues were.
A must read for every Nigerian and friend of Nigeria.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reads like a textbook,
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This review is from: A History of Nigeria (Paperback)
Book is well written for the most part, but often jumps back and forth through time as opposed to sticking to events in each period being discussed. Could have done more in terms of going into the history and culture of each group, or atleast the major ones. There are a lot of cultural references that could have been included but were not. Overall, it is a good book for your collection of Nigerian literary works.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: A History of Nigeria (Paperback)
Any attempt to write a history book on africa's largest country is always going to be a major undertaken. In the history of Nigeria, Toyin Falola serves us a general sweep of nigeria's storied history beginning from the precolonial times right up to the dawn of the new millenium just as the country was making its second experiment with democracy.
I was looking for a history book that would help me fill the gaps in my knowledge and help me answer certain questions so i decided to purchase this book and I came through satisfied with the time and money invested in this material. At 256 pages, I wasnt expecting to get the depth and detail that i may have hoped for especially when i read the chapters that had to do with the military coups, specifically the overthrow of murtala mohammed's regime. What you get here is a general overview. For more detail and depth you should look to other sources. But this book misses out on nothing from a general standpoint. I read this book in just 2 days, i found it easy to read through and void of the teduim which is generally a trait of most history books. I'm hoping the author comes out with another volume covering the first decade of the new millenuim.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Nigeria as a modern political entity was created in 1914 by the British, as part of the European partition of Africa that began in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
First Republic, Niger Delta, United States, Second Republic, South Africa, House of Representatives, North Africa, West African, Daily Times, Soviet Union, World Bank, United Nations, Second World War, Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, River Niger, Central Bank, Federal Elections, General Abacha, Oil Rivers, Aminu Kano, Chief Justice, Sierra Leone, Supreme Court, Yakubu Gowon New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Nigeria as a modern political entity was created in 1914 by the British, as part of the European partition of Africa that began in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
First Republic, Niger Delta, United States, Second Republic, South Africa, House of Representatives, North Africa, West African, Daily Times, Soviet Union, World Bank, United Nations, Second World War, Murtala Mohammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, River Niger, Central Bank, Federal Elections, General Abacha, Oil Rivers, Aminu Kano, Chief Justice, Sierra Leone, Supreme Court, Yakubu Gowon New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 60
books:
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36
books
cite this book:
See all 36 books citing this book
- Renascent Africa (1937) Cb (Library of African Study) by Nnamdi Azikiwe on page 87, and Back Matter
- The Dual Mandate in British Tropical Africa by Lord Frederick J.D. Lugard in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- My Command (African Writers Series) by Olusegun Obasanjo on page 136, and Back Matter
- Universal Primary Education in Nigeria by Mark Bray in Back Matter
- Development Planning and Decolonization in Nigeria by Toyin Falola in Back Matter
See all 60 books this book cites
- The Politics of the Global Oil Industry: An Introduction by Toyin Falola on page 103, page 202, and Back Matter
- Culture and Customs of Nigeria (Culture and Customs of Africa) by Toyin Falola in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Transatlantic History by Steven G. Reinhardt in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Modernization And the Crisis of Development in Africa: The Nigerian Experience (Interdisciplinary Research Series in Ethnic, Gender and Class Relations) ... in Ethnic, Gender and Class Relations) by Jeremiah I. Dibua on page 83, and Back Matter
- State-Directed Development: Political Power and Industrialization in the Global Periphery by Atul Kohli on page 295, and Back Matter
See all 36 books citing this book
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