Elephant Memories History Podcast

Episodes

1. Trailer: How Nigeria Got Rich Quick During its 1970s Oil Boom (Next Episode)

   23 Oct 2026 · 2:16 · Trailer

   A few excerpts from the next episode (which will be released on 1st November). Nigeria’s potential seemed limitless in the 1970s. In that decade, Nigeria’s earnings from crude oil increased by over 5000%! Nigeria…

2. The Assassination of Dele Giwa: Who Killed the Journalist?

   16 Oct 2026 · 41 min · Episode 15

   Exactly 40 years ago Nigeria's most famous journalist Dele Giwa was killed by a letter bomb shortly after researching stories about government corruption, and publishing articles about the inner workings of Nigeria's…

3. What Caused Boko Haram? Explaining Nigeria's Insurgency

   1 Oct 2026 · 39 min · Episode 14

   How did a small, eccentric, and puritanical religious sect in north-east Nigeria become one of the world's deadliest insurgent organisations? In this discussion with Dr Atta Barkindo (an expert on Boko Haram who has…

4. Why Did Northern Nigeria Adopt Sharia Law?

   15 Sep 2026 · 31 min · Episode 13

   In the early 2000s, twelve states in northern Nigeria adopted Sharia (Islamic) law into their legal codes. Why did they do this?It was bigger than Islam and Muslims. Sharia was part of a desire to purify northern…

5. History of Nigeria’s Ethnic Tensions: One Nation, Many Divides

   1 Sep 2026 · 53 min · Episode 12

   Someone once called Nigeria "the most complicated country in the world"! Nigeria has over 500 different languages, and is the only country in the world with a population split 50:50 between Christians and Muslims. In…

6. Maryam Babangida's Story: Glamour and Power of the First Lady

   15 Aug 2026 · 13 min · Episode 11

   Maryam Babangida changed what it means to be Nigeria’s First Lady. She exercised power as if she was the joint president with her husband, and government ministers feared and bowed to her. Maryam and her husband were…

7. Christianity and Islam in Nigeria: Religion, Conflict, and Coexistence

   1 Aug 2026 · 32 min · Episode 10

   Religion is Nigeria's most incendiary divide. Why is religion such a huge issue in Nigeria? What is the relationship between Christianity, Islam, and politics? Is Nigeria a secular country? I will be addressing these…

8. 419: The Secret World of Nigeria's "Yahoo Boy" Internet Scammers (Part 1)

   16 Jul 2026 · 30 min · Episode 9

   You've probably heard of the so-called "Nigerian Prince" scam (AKA "419", Yahoo, advance fee fraud etc). But who are the people behind the Nigerian scam? In this episode (Part 1 of 2 episodes on this topic), we will…

9. Nigeria Under General Sani Abacha: The Military v The People

   1 Jul 2026 · 37 min · Episode 8

   What role did Nigeria's current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu play in the 1990s pro-democracy campaign? What was it like living under the military government of General Sani Abacha? This episode is a continuation from…

10. Nigeria at the 1994 World Cup in America: How the Super Eagles Shocked the World

    15 Jun 2026 · 53 min · Episode 7

    How Nigeria amazed the footballing world with its breathtaking attacking and flair at the 1994 World Cup in America. Was this the best African team to ever play at the World Cup?

11. Untold Stories of the June 12 Election Annulment in Nigeria

    1 Jun 2026 · 43 min · Episode 6

    The Babangida military government’s annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election plunged Nigeria into its worst political crisis since its civil war over 20 years earlier. Why was the election annulled? The…

12. Expat Adventures in Nigeria: Corporate Warfare (Part 1)

    8 May 2026 · 41 min · Episode 5

    What is it like being an expat in Nigeria? British businessman and former CEO of Guinness Nigeria Keith Richards lived and worked in Nigeria for over 20 years. During that time he had movie style adventures such as…

13. Umaru Dikko Kidnapped in London: Secret Agents, a Diamond Dealer, and a Politician

    1 May 2026 · 10 min · Episode 4

    When military intelligence agents from Nigeria and Israel abducted Nigeria’s former Minister of Transport Umaru Dikko in broad daylight on a London street in 1984, it triggered a spectacular three-country international…

14. The Hidden Causes of the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War

    1 Apr 2026 · 48 min · Episode 3

    Nearly 60 years after Nigeria’s civil war started, the war’s legacy still holds Nigeria hostage. The memory of the war between Nigeria and its breakaway south-eastern region which called itself Biafra, is…

15. Yoruba History: The Rise and Fall of the Oyo Empire

    1 Apr 2026 · 1 h 28 min · Episode 2

    The Oyo Empire was the most famous and powerful of the Yoruba kingdoms in West Africa. The Oyo Empire’s history is box office! It had regicide, revolutions, intrigue, ancestral curses, a scheming court official that…

16. The Benin Bronzes, the British Museum, and the Benin Massacre

    1 Apr 2026 · 54 min · Episode 1

    The Benin Kingdom (in modern-day Nigeria) was one of West Africa’s most sophisticated and powerful states. Its government had inter-continental diplomatic relations with European countries, a powerful military, and a…

17. Third Podcast Trailer: A 4 minute crash course on the causes of the Nigerian civil war

    7 Mar 2026 · 4:08 · Trailer

    This is the third trailer for my upcoming "Elephant Memories History Podcast". This trailer tries to do something impossible (!): summarise the long term causes of the Nigerian civil war in only 4 minutes. Listen,…

18. Second Trailer for the Elephant Memories History Podcast

    2 Mar 2026 · 1:01 · Trailer

    This is the second preview of what to expect from my upcoming African history podcast: dramatic reconstructions of historical events, and interviews with eyewitnesses and experts.

19. First trailer for a new African history podcast

    24 Jan 2026 · 1:00 · Trailer

    A preview of the Elephant Memories History Podcast: a new African history podcast - coming soon.