JAMB History Syllabus
This is the JAMB UTME syllabus for History, covering 43 topics. Each topic lists what you are expected to study and the objectives — what you should be able to do — based on the official JAMB syllabus.
General Objectives
The History syllabus is designed to enable candidates to:
- Impart knowledge of Nigerian history from earliest times to the present.
- Identify the similarities and relationships among the people of Nigeria as they relate to the issues of national unity and integration.
- Appreciate Nigerian history as the basis to understand West African and African history.
- Apply history to understand Nigerian and Africa's relationship with the wider world.
- Analyse issues of modernization and development.
- Relate the past to the present and plan for the future.
Detailed History Syllabus
-
Land and Peoples of the Nigeria Area
Contents
- Geographical zones and the people
- The people's relationship with the environment
- Relations and integration among the peoples of different zones
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Identify the geographical zones and their peoples
- Establish the relationships between people and their environment
- Comprehend the relationships among the various Nigerian peoples
-
Early Centres of Civilization
Contents
- Nok, Daima, Ife, Benin, Igbo Ukwu and Iwo Eleru
- Monuments and shelter systems (Kuyambana, Durbi-ta-Kusheyi, city walls and palaces)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the significance of the various centres
- Establish the historical significance of monuments, caves and rocky formations
-
Origin and Formation of States in the Nigeria Area
Contents
- Central Sudan: Kanuri and Hausa states
- Niger-Benue Valley: Nupe, Jukun, Igala, Idoma, Tiv and Ebira
- Eastern Forest Belt: Igbo and Ibibio
- Western Forest Belt: Yoruba and Edo
- Coastal and Niger-Delta: Efik, Ijo, Itsekiri and Urhobo
- Factors influencing origin and migration
- Social and political organizations
- Inter-state relations, religion, war and peace
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Relate the different population groups to their traditions of origin
- Determine inter-state relations
- Account for the social and political organizations
-
Economic Activities and Growth of States
Contents
- Agriculture: hunting, farming, fishing, animal husbandry and horticulture
- Industries: pottery, salt-making, iron-smelting, blacksmithing, leather-working, wood-carving, cloth-making, dyeing and food processing
- Trade and trade routes: local, regional, long distance and trans-Sahara trade
- Expansion of states
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Identify the various economic activities
- Differentiate between economic activities and specialties
- Relate trade and economic activities to the growth of states
-
External Influences
Contents
- North Africans/Arabs: introduction, spread and impact of Islam
- North Africans/Arabs: trans-Saharan trade
- Europeans: early European trade with coastal states
- Europeans: the trans-Atlantic slave trade (origin, organization and impact)
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Assess the impact of North African contact on sub-Saharan peoples and states
- Examine the impact of early European coastal contact
- Trace the origin, organization and impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade
-
The Sokoto Caliphate and Sokoto Jihad
Contents
- Causes and process of the jihad
- Establishment and administration of the caliphate and relations with neighbours
- Achievements and impact of the caliphate
- Collapse of the caliphate
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the causes and processes of the jihad
- Determine the factors leading to the rise of the caliphate
- Examine the administrative set-up and relations with neighbours
- Examine the impact of the caliphate
- Trace the internal and external factors causing its collapse
-
Kanem-Borno
Contents
- Collapse of the Saifawa dynasty
- Borno under the Shehus
- Borno under Rabeh
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the factors leading to the collapse of the Saifawa dynasty
- Examine the administration of Borno under the Shehus
- Assess the historical role of Rabeh
-
Yorubaland
Contents
- Fall of the Old Oyo Empire
- Yoruba wars and their impact
- Peace treaty of 1886 and its aftermath
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the causes of the fall of Old Oyo
- Examine the causes and effects of the Yoruba wars
- Assess the impact of the 1886 peace treaty
-
Benin
Contents
- Internal political development
- Relations with neighbours
- Relations with the Europeans
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the internal political development
- Examine relations with neighbours
- Assess relationships with the Europeans
-
Nupe
Contents
- Internal political development
- Relations with neighbours
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the internal political development
- Assess relations with neighbours
-
Igbo
Contents
- Internal political development
- Relations with neighbours
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the internal political development
- Assess relations with neighbours
-
Efik
Contents
- Internal political development
- Relations with neighbours
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the internal political development
- Assess relations with neighbours
-
European Penetration and Impact
Contents
- European exploration of the interior
- Suppression of the trans-Atlantic slave trade
- Development of commodity trade and rise of consular authority
- Christian missionary activities
- Activities of trading companies
- Impact on the coast and hinterland
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the motives for interior exploration
- Give reasons for the suppression of the slave trade
- Trace the development of commodity trade
- Examine missionary and European activities
- Assess the activities of European trading companies
- Account for the rise of consular authority
-
British Conquest of the Nigeria Area
Contents
- Motives for conquest
- Methods of conquest and results
- Resistance to and aftermath of conquest
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the reasons and methods of conquest
- Examine the various forms of resistance
- Evaluate the results and aftermath of the conquest
-
The Establishment of Colonial Rule up to 1914
Contents
- Administration of the protectorates
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the administrative set-up of the protectorates
-
The Amalgamation of 1914
Contents
- Reasons
- Effects
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the reasons for the 1914 Amalgamation and its effects
-
Colonial Administration After the Amalgamation
Contents
- Central administration: Legislative and Executive Councils
- Indirect rule: reasons, working and effects
- Local administrative institutions (Native Authorities, Native Courts, Native Treasuries)
- Resistance to colonial rule: Ekumeku Movement (Asaba hinterland 1898-1911), Satiru uprising 1906, Egba anti-tax agitation 1918, Aba Women Movement 1929
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Relate the composition of central administration to its consequences
- Identify the reasons for the introduction of indirect rule and its workings
- Assess the effects of indirect rule
- Examine the local administrative units
- Account for the anti-colonial movements and their significance
-
The Colonial Economy
Contents
- Currency, taxation and forced labour
- Infrastructure: transportation, post and telecommunication
- Agriculture
- Mining
- Industry
- Commerce
- Banking
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the nature of the economy as it affected taxation, currency, infrastructure, agriculture, mining, industry, commerce and banking
-
Social Development under Colonial Rule
Contents
- Western education
- Urbanization and social integration
- Improvement unions
- Health institutions
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Identify the areas of social development
- Examine the impact of urbanization on the people
- Examine the level of social integration
-
Nationalism, Constitutional Developments and Independence
Contents
- Rise of nationalist movements
- 1922 Clifford Constitution and Nigeria's first political party
- World War II and independence agitation
- Richards Constitution of 1946
- Macpherson Constitution of 1951
- Party politics: regionalism, federalism and minorities agitations
- Lyttleton Constitution of 1954
- Constitutional conferences in Lagos 1957 and London 1958
- General elections of 1959 and independence in 1960
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Trace the emergence of nationalist movements
- Assess the roles of the different constitutions in development
- Examine the effects of World War II on independence agitation and constitutional developments
- Trace the development of party politics and its impact on regionalism and the minority question
- Examine the impacts of the constitutional conferences
- Determine the factors aiding the attainment of independence
-
The Politics of the First Republic and Military Intervention
Contents
- Struggle for control of the centre
- Revenue allocation issues
- The minority question
- 1962/63 census controversies
- Action Group crisis and the 1964/65 general elections
- January 1966 coup d'etat and the Ironsi Regime
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Give reasons for the struggle to control the centre
- Account for the revenue allocation controversies
- Account for the controversies generated by the minority question and state creation
- Account for the 1962/63 census controversies
- Examine the problems created by the Action Group crisis and the 1964/65 elections
- Assess the significance of the military intervention and the Ironsi Regime
-
The Civil War
Contents
- Causes (remote and immediate)
- Course
- Effects
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the causes of the war
- Examine the course of the war
- Assess the effects of the war
-
The Gowon Regime
Contents
- Challenges of the Gowon Regime
- Achievements of the Gowon Regime
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Assess the challenges and achievements of the Gowon Regime
-
Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
Contents
- Challenges of the Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
- Achievements of the Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Assess the challenges and achievements of the Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
-
The Second Republic
Contents
- Challenges of the Second Republic
- Achievements of the Second Republic
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Evaluate the challenges and achievements of the Second Republic
-
The Buhari Regime
Contents
- Challenges of the Buhari Regime
- Achievements of the Buhari Regime
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Assess the challenges and achievements of the Buhari Regime
-
The Babangida Regime
Contents
- Challenges of the Babangida Regime
- Achievements of the Babangida Regime
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Assess the challenges and achievements of the Babangida Regime
-
The Interim National Government (ING)
Contents
- Role of the Interim National Government
- Challenges of the Interim National Government
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the role and challenges of the ING
-
The Abacha Regime
Contents
- Challenges of the Abacha Regime
- Achievements of the Abacha Regime
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Assess the challenges and achievements of the Abacha Regime
-
Nigeria in International Organizations
Contents
- Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
- African Union (AU)
- Commonwealth of Nations
- Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
- United Nations Organization
- Nigeria's role in conflict resolution
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine Nigeria's role in ECOWAS
- Assess Nigeria's role in the AU
- Evaluate Nigeria's role in the Commonwealth
- Assess Nigeria's role in OPEC
- Examine Nigeria's role in the UN
- Examine Nigeria's conflict resolution role in Congo, Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Sudan
-
Islamic Reform Movements and State Building in West Africa
Contents
- Relationship between Sokoto and other jihads
- Jihads of Seku Ahmadu and Al-Hajj Umar
- Activities of Samori Toure
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Establish the relationship between the Sokoto Jihad and other West African jihads
- Compare the achievements of the Seku Ahmadu and Al-Hajj Umar jihads
- Examine Samori Toure's Mandinka Empire activities
-
Sierra Leone, Liberia and Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa
Contents
- Foundation of Sierra Leone and Liberia and the spread of Christianity
- Christian missionary activities and impact
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the factors leading to the founding of Sierra Leone and Liberia
- Examine the importance of Sierra Leone and Liberia in the spread of Christianity and its impact
- Assess the impact of Christian missionary activities on West Africa
-
Egypt under Mohammed Ali and Khedive Ismail
Contents
- Rise of Mohammed Ali and his reforms
- Mohammed Ali's relations with Europe
- Ismail's fiscal policies
- British occupation of Egypt
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the factors aiding Mohammed Ali's rise and reforms
- Establish the relationship of Mohammed Ali's empire with the Europeans
- Account for Ismail's fiscal policies
- Examine the reasons for the British occupation of Egypt
-
The Mahdi and Mahdiyya Movement in the Sudan
Contents
- Causes
- Course
- Consequences
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the causes, course and consequences of the Mahdiyya Movement in the Sudan
-
The Omani Empire
Contents
- Rise of the Omani Empire
- The empire's commercial and political relations with the coast and hinterland
- The empire's relations with Europe
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the factors for the rise of the Omani Empire
- Assess the establishment of commercial and political relations between the Omani Empire, the coast and the hinterland
- Examine the relationships between the Omani Empire and the Europeans
-
Ethiopia in the 19th Century
Contents
- Rise of Theodore II and Ethiopian unification attempts
- Menelik II and Ethiopian independence
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the factors for Theodore II's rise as emperor
- Analyse the Ethiopian unification strategies adopted
- Assess Menelik II's role in maintaining Ethiopian independence
-
The Mfecane
Contents
- Rise of the Zulu nation
- Causes, course and consequences of the Mfecane
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Trace the pre-Mfecane events in Nguniland
- Determine the factors for Shaka's rapid rise
- Examine the causes, course and consequences of the Mfecane
-
The Great Trek
Contents
- Frontier wars
- British intervention in Boer-African relations
- The Great Trek and its consequences
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Determine the factors for the frontier wars
- Account for British intervention in Boer-African relations
- Describe the nature of the Great Trek
- Examine its consequences
-
The New Imperialism and European Occupation of Africa
Contents
- New imperialism in Africa
- European scramble for Africa
- Berlin Conference
- African resistance to occupation
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Assess the causes of the new imperialism
- Examine the causes of the scramble
- Account for the significance of the Berlin Conference
- Examine African resistance to occupation
-
Patterns of Colonial Rule in Africa
Contents
- The British
- The French
- The Portuguese
- The Belgians
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine and compare the patterns of colonial rule of the various European powers
-
The Politics of Decolonization
Contents
- Colonial policies and African discontent
- Impact of the two world wars
- Nationalist activities and the emergence of political parties and associations
- Strategies for the attainment of independence
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine colonial policies and the magnitude of African discontent
- Assess the impact of the First and Second World Wars on African nationalism
- Determine the strategies for the attainment of independence
-
Apartheid in South Africa
Contents
- Origin of apartheid
- Rise of Afrikaner nationalism
- Enactment of apartheid laws
- Internal reactions and suppression of the African nationalist movement
- External reactions: Frontline States, Commonwealth, OAU and UN
- Dismantling of apartheid
- Post-apartheid development
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Trace the origin of apartheid in South Africa
- Give reasons for the rise of Afrikaner nationalism
- Evaluate the apartheid laws
- Relate internal reactions to the struggle for African majority rule
- Relate the contributions of African states and international organizations to the fight against apartheid
- Identify the steps in dismantling apartheid
- Assess post-apartheid development in South Africa
-
Problems of Nation-building in Africa
Contents
- Political and economic challenges and constraints
- Physical and environmental challenges
- Ethnic and religious pluralism
- Military intervention and political instability
- Neo-colonialism and under-development
- Boundary disputes and threats to African unity
- Civil wars and refugee problems
Objectives — candidates should be able to:
- Examine the political and economic problems faced by African nations
- Assess the effects of natural disasters on Africa
- Determine the roles of ethnic and religious problems in Africa
- Examine the role of the military in African politics
- Examine the role of neo-colonialism in Africa
- Assess the problems of boundary disputes
- Establish the relationship between civil wars and refugee problems
Recommended Texts
- Abba, A. (2006). The Politics of Mallam Aminu Kano. Kaduna: Vanguard Publishers.
- Ayandele, A. E. et al. (1986). The Making of Modern Africa, Vol. 2: The Twentieth Century. Longman.
- Ajayi, J. F. A. and Crowder, M. (1971). History of West Africa, Vol. I. London: Longman.
- Ajayi, J. F. A. and Crowder, M. (1974). History of West Africa, Vol. II. London: Longman.
- Akinloye, S. A. (1976). Emergent African States: Topics in Twentieth Century African History. Longman.
- Akinyemi, A. B., Agbi, S. O. and Otubanjo, A. O. (eds.) (1989). Nigeria since Independence: The First 25 Years (International Relations). Ibadan: Heinemann.
- Anene, J. C. and Brown, G. (1966). Africa in the 19th and 20th Centuries. Ibadan: University Press.
- Anene, J. C. (1966). Southern Nigeria in Transition, 1885-1906. Cambridge: University Press.
- Ajayi, J. F. A. and Crowder, M. Tarikh: Grassroots Leadership in Colonial West Africa, Vol. 7. London: Longman.
- Atanda, J. A., Ashiwaju, G. and Abubakar, Y. (eds.) (1989). Nigeria since Independence: The First 25 Years (Religion). Ibadan: Heinemann.
- Barkindo, B. et al. (1989). Africa and the Wider World, Vol. 1. Lagos: Longman.
- Barkindo, B. et al. (1996). Africa and the Wider World, Vols. 2 and 3. Lagos: Longman.
- Boahen, A. A. (1969). The Revolutionary Years: West Africa since 1800. Longman.
- Coleman, J. S. (1986). Nigeria: Background to Nationalism. Benin: Broburg and Wistrom.
- Clarke, T. A. (1991). Right Honourable Gentleman: The Life and Times of Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Zaria: Hudahuda Publishing Company.
- Cohen, D. L. and Daniel, J. (eds.) (1981). Political Economy of Africa: Selected Readings. London: Longman.
- Crowder, M. (1977). West Africa: An Introduction to its History. London: Longman.
- Crowder, M. (1979). Nigeria: An Introduction to its History. London: Longman.
- Dike, K. O. (1956). Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta. London: Oxford University Press.
- Ekeh, P. P. and Ashiwaju, G. (eds.) (1989). Nigeria since Independence: The First 25 Years (Culture). Ibadan: Heinemann.
- Falola, T. et al. (1989). History of Nigeria, Vol. I. Lagos: Longman.
- Falola, T. et al. (1989). History of Nigeria, Vols. 2 and 3. Lagos: Longman.
- Hallett, R. (1975). Africa since 1875. Ibadan: Heinemann.
- Hopkins, A. G. (1973). An Economic History of West Africa. Longman.
- Ikime, O. (ed.) (1980). Groundwork of Nigerian History. Ibadan: Heinemann.
- Ikime, O. (1977). The Fall of Nigeria: The British Conquest. London: Heinemann.
- Ikime, O. (1968). Merchant Prince of the Niger Delta. London: Heinemann.
- Isichei, E. (1983). A History of Nigeria. London: Longman.
- de St. Jorre, J. (1972). The Nigerian Civil War. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
- Omolewa, M. (1986). Certificate History of Nigeria. Lagos: Longman.
- Onwubiko, K. B. C. (1983). School Certificate History of West Africa. Onitsha: African-First Publishers.
- Okafor, I. (1989). History for Senior Secondary Schools. Onitsha: Jet Publishers.
- Oliver, R. and Atmore, A. (1996). Africa since 1880 (Fourth Edition). New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Olusanya, G. O. (1973). The Second World War and Politics in Nigeria, 1939-1953. Ibadan: Evans.
- Omer-Cooper, J. D. (1966). The Zulu Aftermath: A Nineteenth-Century Revolution in Bantu Africa. London: Longman.
- Thompson, L. M. (2000). A History of South Africa. Yale: Yale University Press.
- Usman, Y. B. (ed.) (1979). Studies in the History of the Sokoto Caliphate. New York: Third Press International.
- Wilmot, P. F. (1980). Apartheid and African Liberation: The Grief and the Hope. Ile-Ife: University of Ife Press.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the structure of the JAMB History syllabus?
- It is split into two parts. Part I covers Nigerian History across four periods: the Nigeria Area up to 1800, the Nigeria Area 1800-1900, Nigeria 1900-1960, and Nigeria since Independence. Part II covers Africa and the Wider World since 1800, broken into West and North Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, and Imperialism, Colonialism and Nation-building in Africa.
- How many topics does the JAMB History syllabus contain?
- There are 41 topics in total, arranged within seven sections across the two parts. Part I (Nigerian History) holds the bulk of them, from Land and Peoples up to Nigeria in International Organizations, while Part II adds the continental and global topics such as the Mfecane, the Great Trek and Apartheid.
- What are the aims of the JAMB History syllabus?
- It aims to impart knowledge of Nigerian history from earliest times to the present, identify relationships among Nigerian peoples for national unity, use Nigerian history as a basis for understanding West African and African history, apply history to Africa's relationship with the wider world, analyse modernization and development, and relate the past to the present to plan for the future.
- Which areas of Nigerian history are most heavily tested?
- The pre-colonial states (Sokoto Caliphate, Kanem-Borno, Yorubaland, Benin, Igbo, Efik), the colonial period (the 1914 Amalgamation, indirect rule, constitutional developments and the road to independence), and post-independence politics (the First Republic, the Civil War, and the succession of military and civilian regimes) all carry significant weight.
- Does the JAMB History syllabus cover more than just Nigeria?
- Yes. Part II requires study of wider African history, including West African jihads, Egypt under Mohammed Ali, the Mahdiyya Movement in Sudan, the Omani Empire, 19th-century Ethiopia, the Mfecane and the Great Trek in Southern Africa, European imperialism and the scramble for Africa, and apartheid in South Africa.
- How is the History paper tested in the UTME?
- Like other UTME subjects, History is examined as objective multiple-choice questions drawn from across the full syllabus. Candidates should expect coverage spanning both Nigerian and broader African history, so even-handed preparation across all topics is important.
- What post-independence regimes should candidates know?
- The syllabus lists the politics of the First Republic and military intervention, the Civil War, the Gowon Regime, the Murtala/Obasanjo Regime, the Second Republic, the Buhari Regime, the Babangida Regime, the Interim National Government, and the Abacha Regime, plus Nigeria's role in international organizations like ECOWAS, the AU, the Commonwealth, OPEC and the UN.
- Are recommended textbooks provided for History?
- Yes. The syllabus lists an extensive reading list including standard works such as Crowder's West Africa and Nigeria introductions, Ajayi and Crowder's History of West Africa, Falola's History of Nigeria, Ikime's Groundwork of Nigerian History, Omolewa's Certificate History of Nigeria, and Thompson's A History of South Africa, among many others.
Source: the official JAMB UTME syllabus (jamb.gov.ng / IBASS). Always confirm details against the official syllabus.