Colonial Subjugation

The Merchant Prince of the Niger Delta: Chief Nana Olomu and the Commercial Empire of the Benin River

The history of the 19th-century Niger Delta is often defined by the collision between indigenous African commercial structures and the encroaching tide of British imperialism. At the heart of this narrative stands Chief Nana Olomu (1852–1916), an Itsekiri merchant-prince whose wealth, administrative acumen, and military might earned him the title of “Governor of…