Historical Dictionary of Nigeria (African Historical Dictionaries Historical Dictionaries of Africa)

473 Pages·2009·1.16 MB·English

by  Toyin Falola

HDNigeriaPODLITH.qxd 6/15/09 11:09 AM Page 1
FALOLA &
GENOVA
Africa History
HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF AFRICA, NO. 111
Since establishing independence in 1960, Nigeria has undergone
tremendous change shaped by political instability, rapid population
growth, and economic turbulence. Historical Dictionary of Nigeria
introduces Nigeria’s rich and complex history and includes a wealth of
information on such important contemporary issues as AIDS, human H
rights, petroleum, and faith-based conflict. i
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o
In their thorough and comprehensive coverage of Nigeria, Toyin
r
Falola and Ann Genova provide a chronology, an introductory essay,
i i
a bibliography, and more than 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries c
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on notable people, places, events, and cultural practices, with an a
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emphasis on Nigeria’s post-1990 developments. Many of the dictio-

nary’s entries highlight Nigeria’s relationship to its West African neigh- e D
bors and its membership in international organizations, such as the i
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AU, OPEC, and the UN. r t
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Toyin Falolais the Francis Higginbotham Nalle Professor of History NIGERIA
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at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of numerous works
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on Nigeria, including the award-winning memoir A Mouth Sweeter r
than Salt. y

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Ann Genova is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas at f
Austin. She is an editor and contributor to several works on Nigeria’s
history and culture.
For orders and information please contact the publisher
SCARECROW PRESS, INC. TOYIN FALOLA
A wholly owned subsidiary of
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. ANN GENOVA
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200
Lanham, Maryland 20706
1-800-462-6420 • fax [phone]
www.scarecrowpress.com
HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF AFRICA
Edited by Jon Woronoff
1. Cameroon, by Victor T. Le Vine and Roger P. Nye. 1974. Out of print.
See No. 48.
2. The Congo, 2nd ed., by Virginia Thompson and Richard Adloff. 1984. Out
of print. See No. 69.
3. Swaziland, by John J. Grotpeter. 1975.
4. The Gambia, 2nd ed., by Harry A. Gailey. 1987. Out of print. See No. 79.
5. Botswana, by Richard P. Stevens. 1975. Out of print. See No. 70.
6. Somalia, by Margaret F. Castagno. 1975. Out of print. See No. 87.
7. Benin (Dahomey), 2nd ed., by Samuel Decalo. 1987. Out of print. See No.
61.
8. Burundi, by Warren Weinstein. 1976. Out of print. See No. 73.
9. Togo, 3rd ed., by Samuel Decalo. 1996.
10. Lesotho, by Gordon Haliburton. 1977. Out of print. See No. 90.
11. Mali, 3rd ed., by Pascal James Imperato. 1996. Out of print. See No. 107.
12. Sierra Leone, by Cyril Patrick Foray. 1977.
13. Chad, 3rd ed., by Samuel Decalo. 1997.
14. Upper Volta, by Daniel Miles McFarland. 1978.
15. Tanzania, by Laura S. Kurtz. 1978.
16. Guinea, 3rd ed., by Thomas O’Toole with Ibrahima Bah-Lalya. 1995. Out
of print. See No. 94.
17. Sudan, by John Voll. 1978. Out of print. See No. 53.
18. Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, by R. Kent Rasmussen. 1979. Out of print. See No.
46.
19. Zambia, 2nd ed., by John J. Grotpeter, Brian V. Siegel, and James R.
Pletcher. 1998. Out of print. See No. 106.
20. Niger, 3rd ed., by Samuel Decalo. 1997.
21. Equatorial Guinea, 3rd ed., by Max Liniger-Goumaz. 2000.
22. Guinea-Bissau, 3rd ed., by Richard Lobban and Peter Mendy. 1997.
23. Senegal, by Lucie G. Colvin. 1981. Out of print. See No. 65.
24. Morocco, by William Spencer. 1980. Out of print. See No. 71.
25. Malawi, by Cynthia A. Crosby. 1980. Out of print. See No. 84.
26. Angola, by Phyllis Martin. 1980. Out of print. See No. 92.
27. The Central African Republic, by Pierre Kalck. 1980. Out of print. See
No. 51.
28. Algeria, by Alf Andrew Heggoy. 1981. Out of print. See No. 66.
29. Kenya, by Bethwell A. Ogot. 1981. Out of print. See No. 77.
30. Gabon, by David E. Gardinier. 1981. Out of print. See No. 58.
31. Mauritania, by Alfred G. Gerteiny. 1981. Out of print. See No. 68.
32. Ethiopia, by Chris Prouty and Eugene Rosenfeld. 1981. Out of print. See
No. 91.
33. Libya, 3rd ed., by Ronald Bruce St John. 1998. Out of print. See No. 100.
34. Mauritius, by Lindsay Riviere. 1982. Out of print. See No. 49.
35. Western Sahara, by Tony Hodges. 1982. Out of print. See No. 55.
36. Egypt, by Joan Wucher King. 1984. Out of print. See No. 89.
37. South Africa, by Christopher Saunders. 1983. Out of print. See No. 78.
38. Liberia, by D. Elwood Dunn and Svend E. Holsoe. 1985. Out of print. See
No. 83.
39. Ghana, by Daniel Miles McFarland. 1985. Out of print. See No. 63.
40. Nigeria, 2nd ed., by Anthony Oyewole and John Lucas. 2000. Out of print.
See No. 111.
41. Côte d’Ivoire (The Ivory Coast), 2nd ed., by Robert J. Mundt. 1995.
42. Cape Verde, 2nd ed., by Richard Lobban and Marilyn Halter. 1988. Out
of print. See No. 62.
43. Zaire, by F. Scott Bobb. 1988. Out of print. See No. 76.
44. Botswana, 2nd ed., by Fred Morton, Andrew Murray, and Jeff Ramsay.
1989. Out of print. See No. 70.
45. Tunisia, 2nd ed., by Kenneth J. Perkins. 1997.
46. Zimbabwe, 2nd ed., by Steven C. Rubert and R. Kent Rasmussen. 1990.
Out of print. See No. 86.
47. Mozambique, by Mario Azevedo. 1991. Out of print. See No. 88.
48. Cameroon, 2nd ed., by Mark W. DeLancey and H. Mbella Mokeba.
1990.
49. Mauritius, 2nd ed., by Sydney Selvon. 1991.
50. Madagascar, by Maureen Covell. 1995. Out of print. See No. 98.
51. The Central African Republic, 2nd ed., by Pierre Kalck, translated by
Thomas O’Toole. 1992. Out of print. See No. 93.
52. Angola, 2nd ed., by Susan H. Broadhead. 1992. Out of print. See No. 92.
53. Sudan, 2nd ed., by Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, Richard A. Lobban Jr., and
John Obert Voll. 1992. Out of print. See No. 85.
54. Malawi, 2nd ed., by Cynthia A. Crosby. 1993. Out of print. See No. 84.
55. Western Sahara, 2nd ed., by Anthony Pazzanita and Tony Hodges. 1994.
Out of print. See No. 96.
56. Ethiopia and Eritrea, 2nd ed., by Chris Prouty and Eugene Rosenfeld.
1994. Out of print. See No. 91.
57. Namibia, by John J. Grotpeter. 1994.
58. Gabon, 2nd ed., by David E. Gardinier. 1994. Out of print. See No. 101.
59. Comoro Islands, by Martin Ottenheimer and Harriet Ottenheimer. 1994.
60. Rwanda, by Learthen Dorsey. 1994. Out of print. See No. 105.
61. Benin, 3rd ed., by Samuel Decalo. 1995.
62. Republic of Cape Verde, 3rd ed., by Richard Lobban and Marlene Lopes.
1995. Out of print. See No. 104.
63. Ghana, 2nd ed., by David Owusu-Ansah and Daniel Miles McFarland.
1995. Out of print. See No. 97.
64. Uganda, by M. Louise Pirouet. 1995.
65. Senegal, 2nd ed., by Andrew F. Clark and Lucie Colvin Phillips. 1994.
66. Algeria, 2nd ed., by Phillip Chiviges Naylor and Alf Andrew Heggoy.
1994. Out of print. See No. 102.
67. Egypt, 2nd ed., by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. 1994. Out of print. See No. 89.
68. Mauritania, 2nd ed., by Anthony G. Pazzanita. 1996. Out of print. See
No. 110.
69. Congo, 3rd ed., by Samuel Decalo, Virginia Thompson, and Richard Ad-
loff. 1996.
70. Botswana, 3rd ed., by Jeff Ramsay, Barry Morton, and Fred Morton. 1996.
Out of print. See No. 108.
71. Morocco, by Thomas K. Park. 1996. Out of print. See No. 95.
72. Tanzania, 2nd ed., by Thomas P. Ofcansky and Rodger Yeager. 1997.
73. Burundi, 2nd ed., by Ellen K. Eggers. 1997. Out of print. See No. 103.
74. Burkina Faso, 2nd ed., by Daniel Miles McFarland and Lawrence Rupley.
1998.
75. Eritrea, by Tom Killion. 1998.
76. Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), by F. Scott Bobb. 1999. (Re-
vised edition of Historical Dictionary of Zaire, No. 43)
77. Kenya, 2nd ed., by Robert M. Maxon and Thomas P. Ofcansky. 2000.
78. South Africa, 2nd ed., by Christopher Saunders and Nicholas Southey.
2000.
79. The Gambia, 3rd ed., by Arnold Hughes and Harry A. Gailey. 2000.
80. Swaziland, 2nd ed., by Alan R. Booth. 2000.
81. Republic of Cameroon, 3rd ed., by Mark W. DeLancey and Mark Dike
DeLancey. 2000.
82. Djibouti, by Daoud A. Alwan and Yohanis Mibrathu. 2000.
83. Liberia, 2nd ed., by D. Elwood Dunn, Amos J. Beyan, and Carl Patrick
Burrowes. 2001.
84. Malawi, 3rd ed., by Owen J. Kalinga and Cynthia A. Crosby. 2001.
85. Sudan, 3rd ed., by Richard A. Lobban Jr., Robert S. Kramer, and Carolyn
Fluehr-Lobban. 2002.
86. Zimbabwe, 3rd ed., by Steven C. Rubert and R. Kent Rasmussen. 2001.
87. Somalia, 2nd ed., by Mohamed Haji Mukhtar. 2002.
88. Mozambique, 2nd ed., by Mario Azevedo, Emmanuel Nnadozie, and Tomé
Mbuia João. 2003.
89. Egypt, 3rd ed., by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Robert Johnston. 2003.
90. Lesotho, by Scott Rosenberg, Richard Weisfelder, and Michelle Frisbie-
Fulton. 2004.
91. Ethiopia, New Edition, by David H. Shinn and Thomas P. Ofcansky.
2004.
92. Angola, New Edition, by W. Martin James. 2004.
93. Central African Republic, 3rd ed., by Pierre Kalck, translated by Xavier-
Samuel Kalck. 2005.
94. Guinea, 4th ed., by Thomas O’Toole with Janice E. Baker. 2005.
95. Morocco, 2nd ed., by Thomas K. Park and Aomar Boum. 2006.
96. Western Sahara, 3rd ed., by Anthony G. Pazzanita. 2005.
97. Ghana, 3rd ed., by David Owusu-Ansah. 2005.
98. Madagascar, 2nd ed., by Philip M. Allen and Maureen Covell. 2005.
99. Sierra Leone, New Edition, by C. Magbaily Fyle. 2005.
100. Libya, 4th ed., by Ronald Bruce St John, 2006.
101. Gabon, 3rd ed., by David E. Gardinier and Douglas A. Yates, 2006.
102. Algeria, 3rd ed., by Phillip Naylor, 2006.
103. Burundi, 3rd ed, by Ellen K. Eggers, 2007.
104. Republic of Cape Verde, 4th ed., by Richard A. Lobban Jr. and Paul
Khalil Saucier, 2007.
105. Rwanda, New Edition, by Aimable Twagilamana, 2007.
106. Zambia, 3rd ed., by David J. Simon, James R. Pletcher, and Brian V.
Siegel, 2008.
107. Mali, 4th ed., by Pascal James Imperato, Gavin H. Imperato, and Austin
C. Imperato, 2008.
108. Botswana, 4th ed., by Fred Morton, Jeff Ramsay, and Part Themba
Mgadla, 2008.
109. The Gambia, 4th ed., by Arnold Hughes and David Perfect, 2008.
110. Mauritania, 3rd ed., by Anthony G. Pazzanita, 2009.
111. Nigeria, by Toyin Falola and Ann Genova, 2009.
Historical Dictionary
of Nigeria
Toyin Falola
Ann Genova
Historical Dictionaries of Africa, No. 111
The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Lanham, Maryland • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
2009
SCARECROW PRESS, INC.
Published in the United States of America
by Scarecrow Press, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.scarecrowpress.com
Estover Road
Plymouth PL6 7PY
United Kingdom
Copyright © 2009 by Toyin Falola and Ann Genova

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Falola, Toyin.
Historical dictionary of Nigeria / by Toyin Falola and Ann Genova.
p. cm. — (Historical dictionaries of Africa ; 111)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8108-5615-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8108-6316-3
(ebook)
1. Nigeria–History–Dictionaries. I. Genova, Ann. II. Title.
DT515.15.F35 2009
966.9003—dc22 2009006158
(cid:2) ™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Contents
Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff ix
Reader’s Note xi
Acronyms and Abbreviations xiii
Map xvii
Chronology xix
Introduction xxix
THE DICTIONARY 1
Bibliography 381
About the Authors 423
vii

Editor’s Foreword
Geographically, Nigeria is one of the largest countries in Africa,
and by far the biggest in West Africa, which it dominates. Nigeria’s
population, is gigantic and constantly growing. The land, although not
exceptionally rich, does provide the basis for agriculture and mining,
and the production of oil has been a godsend or curse, depending on
your perspective. Still, it does generate wealth, which could be used
to power the economy. Moreover, Nigeria has masses of educated and
hardworking people, eager to get ahead, and it has finally returned to
an almost-democratic political system, which should theoretically al-
low its elected officials to chart more promising paths than the series of
military dictators.
But these positives are apparently more than counterbalanced by
negatives—a varied and often fractious national community divided by
ethnic groups, religion, and political goals, birth rates that are too high
for its educational and health infrastructure, and a meddling military.
Thus, after about half a century of independence, Nigeria remains a land
of promises that are inadequately fulfilled.
This completely new edition of the Historical Dictionary of Nigeria
is particularly welcome because it covers such a wide variety of topics
over such an extensive time frame. The core of the book is obviously
the dictionary section, which includes specific entries on the most cru-
cial aspects of the country, its past and present, its population and ge-
ography, its economic endowment and policies, its confusing and often
disappointing politics, its religions and culture. Many of these are on
persons, others on significant events, and yet others on ethnic groups, or
religions, or political parties. Because they are amply cross-referenced,
one easily leads to another and cumulatively they do impart of better
understanding of the overall situation. A general overview is also pro-
vided in the introduction, which highlights many of the successes and,
ix