The Story of Heros and Epic: The History of Football in Nigeria

DescriptionAs a businessman, I have always appreciated Nigeria in its entirety and viewed our diversity as an asset. Sadly, this unified view of Nigeria in all its richness is not taught widely enough or observed in other sectors of society. I am therefore very pleased to see that in this deeply researched book on the history of football in colonial Nigeria, Dr. Boer has worked painstakingly to tell a positive and unifying story of Nigeria as one that focuses on what we have in common, and what makes us collectively great as a nation, Dr Aliko Dangote (president and CEO, Dangote Group) Dr. Boer has gone to the lengths and breadths of Nigeria to reveal the story of how football became so important to us as a nation. As he shows in his book, though introduced by foreigners, football quickly became indigenised and was an important element for anti-colonial protest, the development of a Nigerian national identity and nation building. Amaju Melvin Pinnick (president, Nigeria Football Federation) The History of Football in Nigeria offers a deep insight into the country’s social and political culture during colonial rule, showing how national sentiment grew and strengthened with the scope and popularity of the sport The study is an important contribution to Nigerian history and its complex colonial background. Professor Lamin Sanneh (D. Willis James Professor of Mission and World Christianity, Yale University) I remember with fondness how Dr. Wiebe Boer challenged and reconstructed everything I thought I knew about African history during his time as my history professor in Calvin College. He has brought his unique approach to this amazing book and readers will put it down with a renewed sense of what unites us as Nigerians and Africans. As a fiercely passionate Nigerian and an avid football fan, I had never connected these two elements but reading this book I developed a deeper understanding of my history, and a clearer vision of how we can continue to grow together. Jude ‘MI’ Abaga (CEO, Chocolate City Music)