In the preceding chapters, we have developed ideas around how historical information has served as a foundation for understanding the formation of Nigeria, which emerged under British colonial rule through the amalgamation of various regions, ethnicities, and religions. As the nation entered a series of political crises after independence, the major ethnic groups in Nigeria, including the Muslims of the North, the Yoruba, and the Igbo, as well as various minority groups all used their own versions of history to interpret the present and to justify their claims to power and resources. The divergent, partisan versions of history complicate the capacity of Nigeria to function in a unified way and to resolve the major crises it faces. As a result, the aspirations of nationalist historians have not been met.

A series of calamities have befallen Nigeria since it obtained its independence in 1960. A bungled transfer of power from the British to emergent political leaders led from one crisis to another until the fall of the First Republic in January 1966. The army junta that took over lasted till June, overthrown by another group of officers. As northern officers displaced those from the South, interethnic tensions were exacerbated, leading to the killing of thousands of Igbo people in the North. A civil war ensued from 1967 to 1970, followed by a decade of military rule. The transfer of power to civilians in 1979 resulted in a short-lived Second Republic, aborted in 1983.