JAMB History Syllabus 2027: Full Topics, Objectives and Recommended Textbooks

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Last updated: October, 2026

Writing History in the 2027 UTME? The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) syllabus tells you exactly what the examiners can ask, so you can focus on what counts instead of reading everything.

This page lists all seven sections and 42 topics in the official JAMB History syllabus, the skills you are expected to show on each one, and the textbooks JAMB recommends. You will also find a six-week study plan, sample questions and answers to frequently asked questions.

Quick Facts

• Exam: Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), computer-based
• Subject: History
• Syllabus parts: 2 (Nigeria, and Africa and the Wider World since 1800)
• Syllabus sections: 7 (Sections A to D on Nigeria, and Sections A to C on Africa and the wider world)
• Total topics: 42 main topics (5 + 9 + 6 + 11 on Nigeria, and 3 + 3 + 5 on Africa)
• Biggest section: Nigeria Since Independence (11 topics)
• Source: Official JAMB syllabus

In This Guide

1. Aim and objectives of the syllabus
2. The sections at a glance
3. Detailed syllabus (topics and what you should be able to do)
4. Recommended textbooks
5. Six-week study plan
6. Sample questions
7. Subject combinations
8. FAQs

Aim and Objectives

The aim of the UTME History syllabus is to prepare candidates for the Board’s examination and test how well they have achieved the course objectives. Candidates are expected to:

• Impart knowledge of Nigerian history from earliest times to the present.
• Identify the similarities and relationships among the peoples of Nigeria as they relate to national unity and integration.
• Appreciate Nigerian history as the basis for understanding West African and African history.
• Apply history to understand Nigeria’s and Africa’s relationship with the wider world.
• Analyse issues of modernization and development.
• Relate the past to the present and plan for the future.

The Sections at a Glance

Part I: Nigeria

• Section A: The Nigeria Area up to 1800 (5 topics)
• Section B: The Nigeria Area 1800 to 1900 (9 topics)
• Section C: Nigeria 1900 to 1960 (6 topics)
• Section D: Nigeria Since Independence (11 topics)

Part II: Africa and the Wider World Since 1800

• Section A: West and North Africa (3 topics)
• Section B: Horn of Africa and Southern Africa (3 topics)
• Section C: Imperialism, Colonialism and Problems of Nation-Building in Africa (5 topics)

Detailed Syllabus

Part I, Section A: The Nigeria Area up to 1800

1. Land and Peoples of the Nigeria Area
   • Geographical zones and the people, their relationship with the environment, physical features and the impact of geography on human activity (hunting, fishing, farming), and relations and integration among the peoples of different zones
2. Early Centres of Civilization
   • Nok, Daima, Ife, Benin, Igbo Ukwu and Iwo Eleru; monuments and shelter systems (Kuyambana, Durbi-ta-Kusheyi, city walls, moats and palaces)
3. Origins and Formation of States in the Nigeria Area
   • Central Sudan (Kanuri and Hausa states), Niger-Benue valley (Nupe, Jukun, Igala, Idoma, Tiv and Ebira), the eastern forest belt (Igbo and Ibibio), the western forest belt (Yoruba and Edo), and the coastal and Niger Delta area (Efik, Ijo, Itsekiri and Urhobo)
   • Factors influencing origin and migration, social and political organizations, and inter-state relations, religion, war and peace
   • You should be able to: relate each group to its traditions of origin, determine inter-state relations, and highlight the differences between centralized and non-centralized (acephalous) states.
4. Economic Activities and Growth of States
   • Agriculture (hunting, farming, fishing, animal husbandry, horticulture), industries (pottery, salt-making, iron-smelting, blacksmithing, leather-working, wood-carving, cloth-making, dyeing, food processing), trade and trade routes (local, regional, long distance, including the slave trade and trans-Saharan trade) and the expansion of states
5. External Influences
   • North Africans, Arabs and Tuaregs: the introduction, spread and impact of Islam, and the trans-Saharan trade
   • Europeans: early trade with the coastal states, the trans-Atlantic slave trade (origin, organization and impact), and the impact of early missionary activities
   • You should be able to: assess the impact of contact with North Africa and Europe, and highlight the role of the Tuaregs in the trans-Saharan trade.

Part I, Section B: The Nigeria Area 1800 to 1900

1. The Sokoto Caliphate
   • Causes, course and consequences of the Sokoto Jihad, the establishment and administration of the caliphate and its relations with neighbours, achievements and impact, and its collapse
2. Kanem-Borno
   • The long survival and collapse of the Saifawa dynasty, Borno under the Shehus, Borno under Rabeh, and Borno and the Sokoto Caliphate
3. Yorubaland
   • The fall of the Old Oyo Empire, the Yoruba wars and their impact, and the peace treaty of 1886 and its aftermath
4. Benin
   • Internal political and cultural development, relations with neighbours and relations with Europeans
5. Nupe
   • Internal political and cultural development, relations with neighbours and Nupe imperialism
6. Igbo
   • Internal political and cultural development and relations with neighbours
7. Efik
   • Internal political and cultural development and relations with neighbours
8. European Penetration and Impact
   • European exploration of the interior, suppression of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the development of commodity trade and the rise of consular authority, Christian missionary activities, activities of the trading companies, and the impact of European activities on the coast and the hinterland
9. British Conquest of the Nigeria Area
   • The first phase (1851 to 1900, including the bombardment and annexation of Lagos), the second phase and its motives, methods and results, and resistance to and aftermath of the conquest

Part I, Section C: Nigeria 1900 to 1960

1. The Establishment of Colonial Rule up to 1914
   • Pacification and occupation of the territories, resistance (the Ekumeku Movement in the Asaba hinterland, 1898 to 1911, and the Satiru uprising of 1906) and administration of the Protectorates
2. The Amalgamation of 1914
   • The reasons and the effects
3. Colonial Administration After the Amalgamation
   • Central administration (Legislative and Executive Councils), indirect rule (reasons, working and effects), local administrative institutions (Native Authorities, Native Courts and Native Treasuries) and resistance to colonial rule (the Egba anti-tax agitation of 1918 and the Aba Women Movement of 1929)
4. The Colonial Economy
   • Currency, taxation and forced labour, infrastructure (transport, post and telecommunications), agriculture, mining, industry, commerce and banking
5. Social Development under Colonial Rule
   • Western education, urbanization and social integration, improvement unions and health institutions
6. Constitutional Developments, Nationalism and Independence
   • The 1922 Clifford Constitution and the rise of Nigeria’s first political party, World War II and the agitation for independence, the rise of nationalist movements, the Richards Constitution of 1946, the Macpherson Constitution of 1951, party politics (regionalism, federalism and the minority question), the Lyttelton Constitution of 1954, the constitutional conferences in Lagos (1957) and London (1958), and the general elections of 1959 and independence in 1960

Part I, Section D: Nigeria Since Independence

1. The Politics of the First Republic and Military Intervention
   • Struggle for the control of the centre, revenue allocation, the 1962/63 census controversies, the 1963 Republican Constitution, minority agitations, the Action Group crisis and the 1964/65 general elections, the coup of January 1966 and the counter-coup of July 1966, and the Ironsi regime
2. The Nigerian Civil War
   • Causes, course and effects
3. The Gowon Regime
4. The Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
5. The Second Republic
6. The Buhari Regime
7. The Babangida Regime
8. The Interim National Government (ING)
9. The Abacha Regime
10. Transition to the Fourth Republic
    • The Abdulsalami regime, the key actors in the transition and the growth and development of the Fourth Republic
11. Nigeria in International Organizations
    • ECOWAS, the African Union, the Commonwealth of Nations, OPEC and the United Nations, and Nigeria’s role in conflict resolution in the Congo, Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Sudan

For topics 3 to 9, you should be able to assess the challenges and achievements of each regime or republic.

Part II, Section A: West and North Africa

1. Islamic Reform Movements and State Building in West Africa
   • The relationship between Sokoto and other jihads, the jihads of Seku Ahmadu and Al-Hajj Umar, and the activities of Samori Toure
2. Sierra Leone, Liberia and Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa
   • The foundation of Sierra Leone and Liberia and the spread of Christianity, and the activities and impact of Christian missionaries
3. Egypt under Mohammed Ali and Khedive Ismail
   • The rise of Mohammed Ali and his reforms, his relations with Europeans, Ismail’s fiscal policies and the British occupation of Egypt

Part II, Section B: Horn of Africa and Southern Africa

1. Ethiopia in the 19th Century
   • The rise of Theodore II and his attempt at unification, and Menelik II and Ethiopian independence
2. The Mfecane
   • The rise of the Zulu nation, and the causes, course and consequences of the Mfecane
3. The Great Trek
   • The frontier wars, British intervention in Boer-African relations, and the Great Trek and its consequences

Part II, Section C: Imperialism, Colonialism and Problems of Nation-Building in Africa

1. The New Imperialism and European Occupation of Africa
   • The New Imperialism, the European scramble for Africa, the Berlin Conference, and occupation and African resistance
2. Patterns of Colonial Rule in Africa
   • British, French, Portuguese, Belgian, German and Spanish rule
3. The Politics of Decolonization
   • Colonial policies and African discontent, the impact of the two World Wars, nationalist activities and the emergence of political parties, and strategies for attaining independence
4. Apartheid in South Africa
   • Its origin, the rise of Afrikaner nationalism, the enactment of apartheid laws, internal and external reactions (the Frontline States, the Commonwealth, the OAU and the UN), the dismantling of apartheid and post-apartheid developments
5. Problems of Nation-Building in Africa
   • Political and economic challenges, physical and environmental challenges, ethnic and religious pluralism, military intervention and political instability, neo-colonialism and underdevelopment, boundary disputes, civil wars and the refugee problem, terrorism and globalisation

Recommended Textbooks

JAMB lists these texts for History. Full publication details are in the official syllabus PDF.

• Adesote, S. and Falade, D. (2020). District Comprehensive History for Senior Secondary Schools (1 to 3).
• Ayandele, A. E. et al (1986). The Making of Modern Africa, The Twentieth Century, Vol. 2. Longman.
• Akinloye, S. A. (1976). Emergent African States: Topics in Twentieth Century African History. Longman.
• Anene, J. C. and Brown, G. (1966). Africa in the 19th and 20th Centuries. Ibadan: University Press.
• Anene, J. C. and Brown, G. (eds) (1972). Africa in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: A Handbook for Teachers and Students. Ibadan: University Press and Nelson.
• Asiwaju, A. I., Crowder, M. and Denzel, I. R. (eds). Tarikh 25: Grassroots Leadership in Colonial West Africa, Vol. 7. London: Longman.
• Barkindo, B. et al (1989). Africa and the Wider World, Vol. 1. Lagos: Longman.
• Barkindo, B. et al (1996). Africa and the Wider World, Vols. 2 and 3. Lagos: Longman.
• Boahen, A. (1969). The Revolutionary Years: Africa Since 1800. Longman.
• Boahen, A. (1969). The Revolutionary Years: West Africa Since 1800. Longman.
• Sokoto Caliphate: History and Legacies, 1804 to 2004, Vols. I and II. Kaduna: Arewa House.
• Coleman, J. S. (1986). Nigeria: Background to Nationalism. Benin: Broburg and Wistrom.
• Crowder, M. (1977). West Africa: An Introduction to Its History. Longman.
• Crowder, M. (1979). Nigeria: An Introduction to Its History. London: Longman.
• Ekeh, P. P. and Ashiwaju, G. (eds) (1989). Nigeria Since Independence: The First 25 Years: Culture, Vol. VII. Ibadan: Heinemann.
• Falola, T. et al (1989). History of Nigeria, Vol. I. Lagos: Longman.
• Falola, T. et al (1989). History of Nigeria, Vols. 2 and 3. Lagos: Longman.
• Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds). Tarikh: Independence Movement in Africa (Part I), Vol. 3, No. 4. London: Longman.
• Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds). Tarikh: Government in Pre-Colonial Africa, Vol. 4, No. 2. London: Longman.
• Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds). Peoples and Kingdoms of West Africa in the Pre-colonial Period, Vol. 5, No. 1. London: Longman.
• Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds). Tarikh: European Conquest and African Resistance (Part 2), Vol. 4. London: Longman.
• Ikime, O. (1977). The Fall of Nigeria: The British Conquest. London: Heinemann.
• Ikime, O. (ed.) (1980). Groundwork of Nigerian History. Ibadan: Heinemann.
• Isichei, E. (1983). A History of Nigeria. London: Longman.
• de St. Jorre, J. (1972). The Nigerian Civil War. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
• Kani, A. M. and Gandi, K. (1990). State and Society in the Sokoto Caliphate, Series I. Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto.
• Mohammed, B. (1982). Africa and Non-alignment: A Study in the Foreign Relations of New Nations. Kano: Triumph Publishers.
• Offiong, D. A. (1980). Imperialism and Dependency: Obstacles to Development. Enugu: Fourth Dimension Publishers.
• Ojigbo, O. (1982). Shehu Shagari: The Biography of Nigeria’s First Executive President.
• Okafor, I. (1989). History for Senior Secondary Schools. Onitsha: Jet Publishers.
• Oliver, T. and Atmore, A. (1996). Africa Since 1800 (Fourth Edition). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Olaniyi, R. O. (2017). History for Senior Secondary Schools. Ibadan: Bounty Press.
• Olusanya, G. O. (1973). The Second World War and Politics in Nigeria, 1939 to 1953. Ibadan: Evans.
• Omolewa, M. (1986). Certificate History of Nigeria. Lagos: Longman.
• Onoja, I. (1998). Peace-keeping and International Security in a Changing World. Jos: Mono Expressions.
• Onwubiko, K. (1983). School Certificate History of West Africa. Onitsha: Africana-First Publishers.
• Tamuno, T. N. and Atanda, A. (eds) (1989). Nigeria Since Independence: The First 25 Years, Vol. III. Ibadan: Heinemann.
• Tamuno, T. N. and Ukpabi, S. C. (eds) (1989). Nigeria Since Independence: The First 25 Years (The Civil War Years), Vol. IV. Ibadan: Heinemann.
• Thompson, L. A. (2000). History of South Africa. Yale: Yale University Press.
• Usman, Y. B. (ed.) (1979). Studies in the History of the Sokoto Caliphate. New York: Third Press International.
• Usman, Y. B. and Alkali, M. N. (eds) (1983). Studies in the History of Pre-Colonial Borno. Zaria: NNPC.
• Usman, Y. B. and Kwanashie, G. A. (eds). Inside Nigerian History 1950 to 1970: Events, Issues and Sources. University of Ibadan.
• Usman, Y. B. (ed.) (1989). Nigeria Since Independence: The First 25 Years: The Society, Vol. I. Ibadan: Heinemann.
• Usman, Y. B. (2002). Election Violence in Nigeria: The Terrible Experience, 1952 to 2002. Zaria: Abdullahi Smith Centre for Historical Research.
• Webster, J. B. and Ikime, O. (eds). Tarikh: Early African Christianity, Vol. 2, No. 1. London: Longman.
• Wilmot, P. F. (1980). Apartheid and African Liberation: The Grief and the Hope. Ife: University of Ife Press.
• Yakubu, A. M., Jumare, I. and Saeed, A. G. (eds) (2005). Northern Nigeria: A Century of Transformation, 1903 to 2003. Kaduna: Arewa House.

Six-Week Study Plan

• Week 1: Part I, Section A. Learn the early centres of civilization, the states and their origins, the economic activities and the external influences.
• Week 2: Part I, Section B. Study the Sokoto Caliphate, Kanem-Borno, the Yoruba wars, Benin, Nupe, Igbo, Efik and the British conquest.
• Week 3: Part I, Section C. Study colonial rule, the 1914 Amalgamation, indirect rule, the colonial economy and the constitutions up to 1960.
• Week 4: Part I, Section D. Study the First Republic, the civil war, each regime and Nigeria in international organizations.
• Week 5: Part II. Study West and North Africa, the Horn and Southern Africa, imperialism, apartheid and nation-building.
• Week 6: Revise weak topics and practise past questions under timed conditions.

Tips:

• Make a timeline of key events and dates: the Sokoto Jihad, the Amalgamation of 1914, the Aba Women Movement of 1929, the constitutions of 1922, 1946, 1951 and 1954, independence in 1960, the coups of 1966 and the civil war.
• For each Nigerian ruler or regime after 1966, note the challenges and the achievements, because the objectives ask for both.
• Learn names with their roles: nationalist leaders, jihad leaders, kings, governors and heads of state.
• Make comparison tables for colonial policies (British, French, Portuguese, Belgian, German) and for the African jihads.
• Use the syllabus objectives as a checklist. If you cannot do what an objective says, you are not ready on that topic.

Sample Questions

1. The Sokoto Jihad was led by A. Usman dan Fodio B. Samori Toure C. Al-Hajj Umar D. Rabeh Answer: A
2. The Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria took place in A. 1900 B. 1906 C. 1914 D. 1960 Answer: C
3. The Berlin Conference is associated with A. the abolition of the slave trade B. the European scramble for Africa C. the Great Trek D. the Mfecane Answer: B
4. The Aba Women Movement took place in A. 1914 B. 1918 C. 1929 D. 1946 Answer: C
5. Shaka was the leader of the A. Zulu B. Ashanti C. Oyo D. Hausa Answer: A

Subject Combinations

History is commonly required for courses such as History and International Studies, Archaeology, Law, Political Science, Mass Communication and other Arts courses. Always check your chosen course and university in the JAMB brochure for the exact combination.

Related: JAMB Subject Combination for Arts Students | JAMB Brochure | JAMB Recommended Textbooks for All Subjects | JAMB UTME Registration Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the JAMB History syllabus?

It is the official JAMB document that lists the sections, topics and learning objectives candidates must cover for History in the UTME.

How many parts and sections are in the syllabus?

Two parts. The first part has four sections on Nigeria. The second part has three sections on Africa and the wider world since 1800.

How many topics are in the syllabus?

Forty-two main topics.

Which section has the most topics?

Nigeria Since Independence, with 11 topics, from the First Republic to Nigeria in international organizations.

Does the syllabus cover events outside Nigeria?

Yes. Part II covers West and North Africa, the Horn and Southern Africa, imperialism, apartheid and the problems of nation-building in Africa.

Where can I get past questions for History?

Click here

Check Other JAMB Subject Syllabuses

• All Subjects
• Use of English
• Agriculture Science
• Arabic
• Art
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Christian Religious Studies
• Commerce
• Computer studies
• Economics
• French
• Geography
• Government
• Hausa
• History
• Home-Economics
• Igbo
• Islamic-Studies
• Literature-In-English
• Mathematics
• Music
• Physics
• Physical and Health Education
• Principles of Accounts
• Yoruba