What to Read, and Why
General Nigerian History
- Toyin Falola, The History of Nigeria (1999) — Standard accessible overview. Good starting point.
- Richard Sklar, Nigerian Political Parties (1963) — Classic study of the First Republic's ethnic politics. Still the best account of how ethnic federalism was built.
- Max Siollun, Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (2009) — The most readable account of Nigeria's coup era. Essential for understanding the 1966 coups and their aftermath.
- Karl Maier, This House Has Fallen: Nigeria in Crisis (2000) — Journalist's account of the Hausa-Fulani/Igbo/Yoruba political triangle. Accessible and insightful.
The Biafra War
- Chinua Achebe, There Was a Country (2012) — The definitive Igbo literary account. Essential.
- John Stremlau, The International Politics of the Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970 (1977) — Standard academic account of the war's international dimensions.
- Frederick Forsyth, The Biafra Story (1969) — Contemporary journalistic account from the Biafran perspective.
Oil, Politics, and the Economy
- Tom Forrest, Politics and Economic Development in Nigeria (1993) — The best account of how oil revenues shaped Nigerian political economy.
- Ike Okonta & Oronto Douglas, Where Vultures Feast: Shell, Human Rights, and Oil (2001) — On the Niger Delta and oil company operations.
- World Bank, Nigeria Economic Reports (various years) — Available at worldbank.org. The best quantitative data on Nigerian economic performance.
Contemporary Politics
- Wale Adebanwi & Ebenezer Obadare (eds.), Encountering the Nigerian State (2010) — Essays on contemporary Nigerian politics including ethnic dynamics and civil society.
- SBM Intelligence, Nigeria political and security reports (various) — Available at sbmintel.com. The most reliable analytical source on contemporary Nigerian politics and security.
- International Crisis Group, Nigeria reports (various) — Available at crisisgroup.org. Particularly strong on Boko Haram, herdsmen conflicts, and IPOB.
The Igbo in Nigeria
- Axel Harneit-Sievers, Constructions of Belonging: Igbo Communities and the Nigerian State since Independence (2006) — The best academic account of post-war Igbo politics.
- Nnamdi Azikiwe, My Odyssey: An Autobiography (1970) — Primary source on the independence era from Nigeria's first president.
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