Great video above (called “Africa – States of Independence – Nigeria”) from Al-Jazeera about Nigeria at 50. Wonderful rudimentary run through of Nigeria since 1960. It also features great feature length interviews with people like Wole Soyinka and Ibrahim Babangida, and video footage of Nigeria’s past leaders like Ironsi, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, General Yakubu Gowon, Phillip Effiong, Olusegin Obasanjo, and footage from the 1966 pogroms and civil war.
Warning – there are some harrowing scenes of dying/suffering during Biafra.
As Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary (October 1, 2010) is only around the corner, I thought some of you nostalgic folks would like some of these vintage images and video clips from Nigeria’s past. Read, view and enjoy….
If you want to know why Nigeria’s first Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was called the “The Golden Voice of Africa”, watch this interview with him. The man had impeccable erudition:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11399156
Interview with Seun Kuti.
Interview with Ibrahim Babangida:
The end of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11399157
The 1983 coup that deposed President Shagari and brought Buhari to power:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11405111
Football Fever, 1996
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11405113
End of military rule: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11405107
Religious violence: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11405106
2007 presidential election: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11399154
Niger Delta insurgency: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11399155
Continuing power of traditional rulers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11418542
Statistics about Nigeria: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11388707
The Scramble for Africa:
Max Siollun’s Website 
[…] Years of Nigerian Memories – Unmissable Video https://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/2010…ctober-1-2010/ All you Nigerian history buffs out there. This video is unmissable. This video is a brilliant […]
Brilliant!Thanks.
2 me will re celebrating 50 years of depression
We are celebrating our 50 years anniversary. We are celebrating 50 years of failure, suffering and bad governance. What is the joy of celebrating Nigeria at 50? They don’t produce anything.let look our countries that we started with in the same year like Malaysia are already developed and we are still toddlers.“What are we celebrating? Failures, bad governance, bad infrastructure, HIV/AIDS and paying youths corps members N9,000 when the people at the top are getting billions dollars,euros and so on in and outside nigeria. My advice to all nigerian leaders and we followers let runs away from 50 things that can distory or break up 50yrs united of nigeria and 50 things that can promote our nation forward. happy annversary in advence
I HAVE SUPPORT YOUR MOTION. GREAT ONE AND IT HAS BEEN THE FACT
Nigeria my beloved country you remain in this struggle not because you cannot stand and take your position as the giant of africa,but because your leaders and its people have refused to allow you the chance,but i believe in you and i hope that our struggle will not be in vain ,God/allah ,help us to fight those things that stops us from being in unity and keep us to share those things that that brings us love,our country is not a failure.I believe in you nigeria,u will rise again happy 5oth annivasary – franklin
Nigerian don’t wort celebration, if Nigeria wort celebration is just to mark 50 years without achievement. Nigerian leaders celebrate not the citizen of the country called Nigerian.
Things would end up fine this i know so well. the future is bright for our youths. we would fight and many more would continueto fight for them to have a better future and enlightened knowledge knowledge. stay blessed
[…] Max Siollun linked to a selection of videos about Nigeria's history and leaders, including this short Al-Jazeera […]
[…] Max Siollun linked to a selection of videos about Nigeria’s history and leaders, including this short Al-Jazeera […]
Check out how Nigerians celebrated in New York yesterday: http://africadidntaskyou.wordpress.com/2010/10/02/nigerian-boat-party-oct-1st/
God Time Is the Best Lets God Decide Who will Be the Next President of Nigeria.Nigeria leader should hear the Voice of God.
Frankly there ain’t a thing to celebrate.I mean how does one celebrate massive corruption and ineptitude, crushing poverty and overpopulation,lack of coherent policy and much slouching to nowhere in particular? Are these things to celebrate? I don’t think so personally.If you are content with these failures then the next 50 years will certainly be more frightening.
Well I guess some people want to think that despite the poor performance, there is hope for the future. For every corrupt and inept Nigerian, you meet an honest and brilliant one.
[…] Макс Сиолун поврза збир од одбрани видео записи за историјата на […]
[…] The busiest day of the year was October 1st. The most popular post that day was Nigeria’s 50th Independence Anniversary: October 1, 2010. […]
i really like the first video on “state of independence -Nigeria” i am a teacher by profession doing a research on that,how can i download it or get it?please kindly reply.
Everything would have been so nice if it was not ruined by the bombings.
WAPDAM
Evil men that planted bombs that day will not go unpunished.
Nigeria is a country so blessed yet so poor.It is an irony.The only escape route out of this predicament is the emergence of crop of leaders who are focused,visionary and revolutionary minded.They are the needed ones essential for the change that must come quickly.I will be surprised that Dr Goodluck Jonathan possessed those qualities.I doubt it more than anything!
I agree the damn country is so blessed if we enjoy the following story. What a great country indeed:
http://www.saharareporters.com/report/nigeria-post-election-violence-killed-800-human-rights-watch
Actuallly I don’t expect Goodluck to do better than his predecessors because those corrupted Criminals are still part of his regime like OBJ,T.Y.Danjuma,IBB, ex-state and central bank governors, ministers and senators, fake government contractors, local government chairmen/Woman etc. Since these men were moving freely in Nigeria without courtmarshaled, croocked activities will continue and economy developement will continue sinking every day. What about money they laundered to their foreign bank accounts? which goverment can stand strongly to question those money tranfer? The foreign banks are ready to release the duplicate for the whole crooked transfer hence U.N is concern. The pro-election killings in the North had proved to the human-right-activies that the Nation is still disoriented and confused that need to brought to question for their 1960 phantom independence and acclaimed democracy.
It will be better for the masses to stage a peacefull demostration just like North Africans to request for “Re-clonization” from the western world. If such happened within a space of time you could notice what we can achieve when the wise people will be in authority. Graduation from the highest university in the world is different from Wisdom. If you are naturally wise you must have conscience and when you have human conscience you always love to do the right thing to yourself and others.
umm…what cabinet posts do OBJ, IBB and Danjuma hold in GEJ’s govt?
Max, Their post is obscure and more dangerous than the official post you know about. These men were kingmakers and had help the president elect in one way or the other in order to cover their evil doings or getting probed while nominating their own people for V.I.P positions.
Bye-the-way why must these men be moving freely in that country whether they acquired a post or not?
Nigeria, We still have a long way to go plus a lot to learn.We are 51 Years already and there is still a large room for improvement on all sectors.
Wonderful post. One country, One Nigeria.
one country, one nigeria
Nigeria already has been damage
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