Africa was wide-open territory for expatriate scientists, engineers and technicians during much of the 20th century. British Colonial Africa was considered ripe for commercial and economic progress and 'Development' was the watchword and basis of government policy, as is clear from the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts. Alan Hayward came from a family of technicians and engineers - his father was an inventor and his brother worked on decoding operations at Bletchley Park - and after his degree in chemistry and a career in food science, he was recruited by the Colonial Service to work in Nigeria in 1948. He and his team researched ways of improving the quality of subsistence foodstuffs and export crops comprising cocoa, groundnuts and palm oil - all vital for the nascent colonial economy and export trade. African Colonial life provided expatriates with an immense and fascinating challenge. Hayward sets his devel-opment work in an exciting and vibrant context of exotic travel, sport - a huge expatriate enthusiasm - and a rich social life. 224pp, UK. RADCLIFFE PRESS.

A collection of the Nigerian President's speeches from the 1980s to the present, touching on issues from democracy and policy-making to human rights and the environment. BNS. 128pp. USA. KEGAN PAUL INTERNATIONAL, 0710306598

1999 DELAY paperback

Allison Ayida was a leading civil servant in Nigeria during the early years after independence and during the civil war. As the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development he was instrumental in shaping Nigeria's post civil war economy. Later in life he was on the boards of several companies and chaired a Nigerian bank. His autobiography sheds light on a generation of public servants and development economists over a period of four decades, which saw dramatic changes in the practice and politics of economics, and in the local and interna-tional environments. 364pp, NIGERIA. MALTHOUSE.

The autobiography of R.H. Lewis describing his long life in Nigeria. Illustrated with b/w photographs. 320pp, NIGERIA. WEST AFRICAN BOOK PUBLISHERS LTD., 9781530995

Covers the author's professional career in the Nigerian army, participation in military government, and personal life. BNS, ill, 252pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD, 9780292861

Biography of the Nigerian President Chief Obafemo Awolowo concentrating on his work as a philosopher inspired by Plato's social and political ideals. Includes four colour photos. Index, apps, gloss, notes, refs, xvi, 402pp, NIGERIA. OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY PRESS, 9781361298

Third edition with new material. Originally published in 1969, the account heralded one of the first occasions when Western consciences became aware of the suffering and atrocities being played out on the African continent. Highlights Britain's involvement in the Biafran genocide. 291pp, UK. PEN & SWORD BOOKS.

Narrates the life of the Nigerian nationalist. Chronicles his family setting, military career, involvement in the Civil war, his trial and execution. Bib, index, xviii, 127pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD, 9780292888

The story of an English woman who married a Nigerian during World War 2 and moved to Nigeria in 1956, where she established a silver jewelry company; studied astrology; and treated sickle cell patients with local herbs and remedies. BNS, 302pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD, 9780293175

2001 paperback

Collection of essays by the esteemed Nigerian writer which deal with themes of exile and racism in the UK and in Nigeria. 117pp, NIGERIA, 9781560126

Memoir of a civil servant during the dying days of British colonial rule in Nigeria. With a foreword by President Obasanjo. 264pp, UK. THE MEMOIR CLUB.

Nigerian-born Anthony Fatayi-Williams lost his life in the bombings of 7 July 2005, and since then his mother, Marie, has become a symbol of the grief caused by terrorists all over the world. Now, a year on, she describes her account of that terrible day and her personal struggle to face the senseless death of her son. From her growing fears for her missing son to her frustration with the official investigation and the bureaucratic delays she faced, her story is told with her uniquely vivid gift for language, with raw passion, and ultimately with the love of a mother. Her extraordinary strength and powers of organisation have led to the launch of the Anthony Fatayi-Williams Foundation to encourage multi-cultural debate, education and international peace. 212pp, UK. HODDER HEADLINE.

Details the journey into the world of academia of a village boy who became fatherless at the age of 5. Biyi Afonja is now a retired Professor of Statistics. He was the first and only Nigerian to be elected an honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and has held posts in the UN and was Pro-Chancellor at Ogun State University, Nigeria. 416pp, NIGERIA. STATCO PUBLISHERS.

As one of the first Western economists to serve as an adviser to the newly independent Nigeria, his diaries chronicle the struggles, frustrations and hope he encounters in Nigeria in the post independence years. BNS, 352pp, UK. ASHGATE PUBLISHERS, 0754609952

The memoirs of the man who served the Commonwealth for 34 years and was elected Secretary General in 1989. He describes growing up in Nigeria, working for a global institution, making the Commonwealth an agent for democracy and fighting apartheid. Illustrated with b/w photographs. Index, 352pp, UK. EVANS PUBLISHING GROUP, 0237527359

Omo N'Oba Erediauwa, formerly Prince Akenzua, is the present Oba of Benin, a position he has occupied since 1979. Previously, he variously served as a cadet administrative officer under the colonial government and a member of the cabinet office of the first independence government. Omo N'Oba Erediauwa has been writing this autobiography since 1965. It conveys his student days, his years of experience in the civil service, his Biafran war experiences, his accession to the throne of Benin, rise to kingship and subsequent tours and experiences. 354pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS.

2004 9780293825 Paperback

The author tells the story of her life in Nigeria, after she and her husband returned to his homeland with their two infant children in 1961. She describes the mingling of their different cultures, her husband's busy practice as a doctor in Kaduna and their survival through a succession of military coups and dictatorships. Illustrated with b/w photographs. 196pp, NIGERIA. WEST AFRICAN BOOK PUBLISHERS.

In 1995 the author was jailed by General Sani Abacha's government and this volume describes the events leading up to his arrest and his experiences in various Nigerian detention centres and prisons during the three years of his imprisonment. Index, app, xiii, 213pp, NIGERIA. HEINEMANN EDUCATIONAL BOOKS NIGERIA, 9781295597

The memoirs of the politically turbulent life of Mrs Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo. A life she shared with her husband, the legendary Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Illustrated with colour photographs. Index, bib, 112pp, NIGERIA.

2003 9781361395 Paperback

New edition includes an edited version of 'A Detention Diary', Saro-Wiwa's own record of his arrest in July 1993, and the story of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) and the struggle against the multinational Shell and the Nigerian military dictatorship. Saro-Wiwa's criticisms and questioning of a corrupt regime eventually led to his execution with eight others on 10 November 1995. Foreword by Wole Soyinka. It also includes a letter by Ken Wiwa to his late father 10 years on, and previously unpublished letters smuggled to and from Ken during his final imprisonment. Among these are letters from world leaders, writers and friends including Nelson Mandela, Nadine Gordimer, Ethel Kennedy, Anita Roddick and ordinary people from all over the world. 221pp, UK. AYEBIA.

The autobiography of Nigeria's first and only federal president. Covers his whole life first as a journalist and then in the fight against colonialism. Index, apps, b/w illus, xii, 452pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS.

2001 1970 9780290958 Paperback

Godwin Alaoma Onyegbula was formerly General Ojukwu’s top civilian aide and confidant, and Biafra’s chief ambassador. In this account, he conveys his intimate knowledge on questions such as the Biafran resistance and whether Ojukwu was involved in the coup of 15 January 1966. He further considers the merits of the French/Portuguese/South African axis to the Biafran diplomacy and war efforts; and how the beleaguered Biafran State survived for three years with under-equipped armed forces and wide-spread deprivation. Foreword by Ojukwu himself. 494pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD.

Nnewi is a town in the Igbo region of Nigeria that has come into prominence for many reasons: its contact with the colonial powers; as the headquarters of the Onitsha Southern County Council and of the local government; and for the many eminent figures originating in the area. This is a biographical account of the contributions of Chief Leonard Nsoedo of Nnewi, to the socio-economic and political development of the town of Nnewi and to Nigeria generally. 281pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD. DELAY.

A personal account of the military government of Nigeria between July 1975 and October 1979. App, index, 262pp, NIGERIA. UNIVERSITY PRESS LTD, 9782491616

1990 Paperback

This memoir provides insights into pre and post colonial African countries, and into British attitudes prevailing at that time. Index, apps, b/w photos, 464pp, UK. MEON HILL PRESS.

Supported with personal letters and other documents, General Olusegun Obasanjo, his close friend and confident, provides an account of the life of the controversial figure. Apps, b/w illus, 164pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD, 9780291342

An autobiography presented in poetic form by the Nigerian poet and dramatist. The author describes growing up by the Niger Delta, the arrival of an oil industry that would devastate the area, the Second World War and life in a polygamous family. 72pp, NIGERIA. MOSURO PUBLISHERS, 9783535986

Nostalgic text depicting the early years of the university system as a golden age. Also documents the old western-style civil service of the 50s. The author was an administrator in the colonial government; a member of the Nigerian High Commission in London before independence; Permanent Secretary in various Ministries in the 60s and 70s; and an academic and government advisor. BNS, 143pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD, 9780291407

This biography of the African statesman covering the first 39 years of his life. Illustrated with b/w photographs. Bib, 207pp, NIGERIA. AFRICANA LEGACY PRESS.

1997 1575790742 Paperback

A biography of Africa's first Anglican bishop describing in particular his work amongst the Igbo and the Lokoja and his linguistic studies of the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Ijo. The author also reveals his extensive travels across the Niger/Benue valley and his descriptions of the people and cultures of the region. Index, bib, notes, refs, x, 189pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS, 9780293140

Chronicle of the life of one of Nigeria's traditional rulers, Alhaji Ado Bayero. Index, refs, apps, notes, xxii, 298pp, ERITREA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS, 0865439524

Recounts the author's peripatetic life, starting in colonial Nigeria and trekking through times and places in Africa where the wind of change was blowing thick and strong. Ogbuji then travelled to Europe, where he hitch-hiked through summers - and eventually to the USA, in an extended sojourn as an academic and a scientist. Index, 239pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.

Now in paperback. This frank depiction of the author's childhood and relationship with his father recounts the journey he took to address the consequences of his father's legacy. Ultimately it is the story of how Ken Wiwa went looking for his father and ended up finding himself. 311pp, UK/USA. DOUBLEDAY, 0552998915

The life story of Nigeria's first democratically elected President. This book also tells the the story of Nigeria's transformation from colonial rule and the struggle to build a sustainable developed country with democratic institutions and strong values. B/w illus, notes, index, xv, 552pp, NIGERIA. HEINEMANN EDUCATIONAL BOOKS NIGERIA.

2001 9781299320 Paperback

Examines the life and work of Sir Adetokunbo Ademola in relation to his defence of judicial independence and the principle of separation of powers. As a magistrate and judge under colonial rule, he was concerned with the need to use the courts as an effective agency of legal control. As Chief Justice of the Western Region, he was concerned with the need to protect the interest of the opposition in serving as check on the possible abuse of power by the Action Group-led government. During the era of parliamentary democracy, the Supreme Court under Ademola collaborated with the central government to modify the federal constitution to bolster its capacity to arrest centrifugal tendencies of the federating units. In the era of military rule, Ademola's jurisprudence reflected a concern to protect individual rights against the excesses of the state exhibited in its retroactive ad hominem laws. Index, bib, 310pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.

New volume of his autobiography expands on his childhood, and writes his professional story from the viewpoint of a public servant who lived through eighteen years under British engineers, and the second half of his career as a co-formulator of policies with other Nigerians. The story spans childhood, university education from 1993, public service from 1943, further study and work in London, and public service, academic posts, and private sector consultancy up to 1988. 372pp, NIGERIA. HEINEMANN EDUCATIONAL BOOKS NIGERIA.

Despite being tricked into marriage and then left to bring up her children alone in the UK, Christine Oruche blazed a trail for black women in London by her sheer determination to succeed. She became a mini cab driver when she realised that black people couldn't get rides and no other jobs were open for her. Her autobiography sheds light on another aspect London life, that of a Nigerian single mother. iv, 164pp, UK. NEW MILLENNIUM, 1858453461

2002 Paperback

Autobiographical account of a man whose life spanned the extent of British colonialism in Nigeria. Adogbeji Salubi was born at the beginning of British colonial rule in Urhoboland, in the hinterland of Western Niger Delta. He attended one of the earliest colonial schools in Urhobo-land, before embarking on a two-week canoe voyage through rivers and creeks to distant Lagos, capital of colonial Nigeria, where he completed his elementary school education in 1926, before joining the Colonial Civil Service. In 1943, Salubi was awarded a scholarship to Cambridge. On retirement from the Civil Service in 1962, Salubi became the head of The Urhobo Progress Union. From 1938 onwards, he a meticulous diarist and by the time of his death in 1982, he left behind a vast record records of his personal life that reveals a great deal about the nature of British colonial rule in Nigeria. B/w illus, 578pp, NIGERIA.

URHOBO HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

The revised edition of an autobiographical journey of reflection on leadership in nation building in Nigeria, from the early seventies to the late nineties. illustrated with colour photographs. Index, xxii, 351pp, NIGERIA. SPECTRUM BOOKS LTD, 978029144X

The memoirs of the outspoken Nigerian judge and lawyer. BNS, 275pp, NIGERIA. FOURTH DIMENSION PUBLISHING CO.LTD, 9781565160

2002 Paperback

UK edition. Follows on from ‘Ake: The Years of Childhood’ and chronicles his turbulent adult life. 528pp, UK. METHUEN.