Nationalism and Independence
Early nationalism and the Lagos press, Herbert Macaulay, the West African Students' Union, Nnamdi Azikiwe and the NCNC, Obafemi Awolowo and the Action Group, Ahmadu Bello and the NPC, regionalism, the post-war constitutions, the 1950s self-government debates, independence on 1 October 1960, and Ghana's independence in 1957 as the first in sub-Saharan Africa.
From protest to independence
Independence came through negotiation rather than armed struggle in Nigeria, but the regional structure that delivered it also embedded rivalry: each region was dominated by one party and one large ethnic group, while minorities in every region feared domination. Ghana's independence under Kwame Nkrumah in 1957 inspired movements across the continent; seventeen African countries became independent in 1960 alone.
James Coleman, Nigeria: Background to Nationalism (1958); Richard Sklar, Nigerian Political Parties (1963); Toyin Falola and Matthew Heaton (2008); Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo\'s autobiographies (1970; 1960).