Writing
Minority Identities in Nigeria:
Contesting and Claiming Citizenship in the Twentieth Century
Published by Cambridge University Press, 2025
Ethnic majorities and minorities are produced over time by the same processes that define national borders and create national institutions. This book traces how western Niger Delta communities became political minorities first, through colonial administrative policies in the 1930s; and second, by embracing their minority status to make claims for resources and representation from the British government in the 1940s and 50s
Praise for the Book:
“Oghenetoja Okoh has crafted a significant contribution to the study of Nigerian political history. In accessible prose and well-organized chapters, she explores the historical construction of majority and minority identities in Nigeria and how they became centered around ethnicity. This study is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the roots of contemporary NIgerian state and its relationship with communities of the Niger Delta.”
~ Judith Byfield, author of A Great Upheaval: Women and Nation in Post-War Nigeria
“Conceptually sophisticated, methodologically rigorous, and beautifully written ,Minority Identities in Nigeria is a milestone in historical scholarship on Nigeria in particular, and the history of minority agitation in Africa, in general.”
~ Saheed Aderinto, author of Animality and Colonial Subjecthood in Africa