Known as the ‘African Giant’, Nigeria’s story is a complex and often contradictory one. How, despite the ravages of colonialism, civil war, ongoing economic disappointment and most recently the Boko Harem armed insurgency, has the country managed to stay together for a hundred years? Why, despite an abundance of oil, mineral and agricultural wealth, have so many of its people remained in poverty? These are the key questions explored by Richard Bourne in this remarkable and wide-ranging account of Nigeria’s history since it came into existence as a defined geographical entity in 1914. Featuring a wealth of original research and interviews, this is an essential insight into the shaping of a country where – despite the seemingly dashed hopes that were raised at independence – there still remains hope ‘the Nigeria project’ may still succeed.