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JAMB History Syllabus 2026/2027

Complete official UTME History syllabus — all topics, sub-topics and JAMB learning objectives. Study what actually comes out, nothing extra.

2
Parts
60
Questions
📄
JAMB History Syllabus PDF
Official JAMB document • Free download
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A · The Nigeria Area up to 1800 B · The Nigeria Area 1800–1900 C · Nigeria 1900–1960 D · Nigeria Since Independence E · West and North Africa Since 1800 F · Horn of Africa and Southern Africa G · Imperialism, Colonialism and Problems of Nation-Building in Africa

Part I — Section A

A
The Nigeria Area up to 1800
+
1. Land and Peoples of the Nigeria Area
  • Geographical zones and the people
  • The people's relationship with the environment
  • Main physical features and the impact of geography on human activity (hunting, fishing, farming etc.)
  • Relations and integration among the peoples of different zones
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Identify the geographical zones and the people within them
  • Establish the relationship between the people and the environment
  • Relate the impact of geography on human activity in the specific zones
  • Comprehend the relationships among the various peoples of the Nigeria area
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
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Highlight the main features of the early centres of civilization
  • Examine the significance of various centres
  • Establish the historical significance of the various monuments such as caves and rocky formations
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
  • Eastern Forest Belt — Igbo and Ibibio
  • Western Forest Belt — Yoruba and Edo
  • Coastal and Niger-Delta — Efik, Ijo, Itsekiri and Urhobo
  • Factors influencing their origin and migration
  • Social and political organizations
  • Inter-state relations, religion, war and peace
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Relate the different groups of people occupying the various zones to their traditions of origin
  • Determine the inter-state relations
  • Account for their social and political organizations
  • Highlight the differences between centralized and non-centralized (acephalous) states
4. Economic Activities and Growth of States
  • Agriculture — hunting, farming, fishing, animal husbandry and horticulture
  • Industries — pottery, salt-making, iron-smelting, blacksmithing, leather-working, wood-carving, cloth-making, dyeing and food processing
  • Trade and trade routes — local, regional, long distance, including the trade in slaves and trans-Saharan trade
  • Expansion of states
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Identify the various economic activities of the people
  • Differentiate the economic activities and specialties of the people
  • Relate trade and other economic activities to the growth of the states
5. External Influences
  • North Africans / Arabs / Tuaregs — introduction, spread and impact of Islam; trans-Saharan trade
  • Europeans — early European trade with the coastal states
  • The trans-Atlantic slave trade: origin, organization and impact
  • Impact of early missionary activities in the coastal areas
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Assess the impact of the contact with North Africa on the people and states south of the Sahara
  • Highlight the role of the Tuaregs in the trans-Saharan trade
  • Examine the impact of early European contact with the coastal people
  • Outline the impact of the early Christian missionary activities in the coastal areas
  • Trace the origin, organization and impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade

Part I — Section B

B
The Nigeria Area 1800–1900
+
1. The Sokoto Caliphate
  • The Sokoto Jihad — causes, course and consequences
  • The causes and the process of the Jihad
  • The establishment and administration of the caliphate and relations with neighbours
  • The achievements and impact of the caliphate
  • The collapse of the caliphate
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the causes and the course of the Jihad
  • Determine the factors that led to the rise of the caliphate
  • Examine the administrative set-up of the caliphate and its relations with its neighbours
  • Examine the impact of the caliphate
  • Trace the internal and external factors that led to the collapse of the caliphate
2. Kanem-Borno
  • The long survival and collapse of the Saifawa dynasty
  • Borno under the Shehus
  • Borno under Rabeh
  • Borno and the Sokoto caliphate
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Highlight the factors for the long survival of the Saifawa dynasty
  • Determine the factors that led to the collapse of the Saifawa dynasty
  • Examine Borno under the administration of the Shehus
  • Assess the role of Rabeh in Borno's history
3. Yorubaland
  • The fall of the Old Oyo Empire
  • The Yoruba wars and their impact
  • The peace treaty of 1886 and its aftermath
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the causes and the implications of the fall of the Old Oyo Empire
  • Examine the causes and effects of the Yoruba wars
  • Assess the impact of the 1886 peace treaty
4. Benin
  • Internal political and cultural development
  • Relations with neighbours
  • Relations with the Europeans
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the internal political and cultural development
  • Examine her relations with her neighbours
  • Assess her relationship with the Europeans
5. Nupe
  • Internal political and cultural development
  • Relations with neighbours
  • Nupe Imperialism
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine Nupe internal political and cultural development
  • Assess her relations with her neighbours
  • Highlight the scope and nature of Nupe Imperialism
6. Igbo
  • Internal political and cultural development
  • Relations with neighbours
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine Igbo internal political and cultural development
  • Assess her relations with her neighbours
7. Efik
  • Internal political and cultural development
  • Relations with neighbours
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine Efik internal political and cultural development
  • Assess her relations with her neighbours
8. European Penetration and Impact
  • European exploration of the interior
  • The suppression of the trans-Atlantic slave trade
  • The development of commodity trade and rise of consular authority
  • Christian missionary activities
  • The activities of the trading companies
  • Impact of European activities on the coast and the hinterland
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the motive for the exploration of the interior
  • Give reasons for the suppression of the trans-Atlantic slave trade
  • Trace the development of commodity trade
  • Examine missionary and European activities in the area
  • Assess the activities of the European trading companies
  • Account for the rise of consular authority
9. British Conquest of the Nigeria Area
  • The first phase of the British conquest of Nigeria 1851–1900
  • Second phase of the conquest and motives
  • Methods of the conquest and its result
  • Resistance to and aftermath of the conquest
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Highlight the factors responsible for the bombardment and annexation of Lagos
  • Determine the reasons for the conquest and the methods used during the second phase
  • Examine the various acts of resistance to the conquest
  • Evaluate the results and the aftermath of the conquest

Part I — Section C

C
Nigeria 1900–1960
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1. The Establishment of Colonial Rule up to 1914
  • Pacification and occupation of the territories
  • Resistance to pacification and occupation — the Ekumeku Movement in Asaba hinterland 1898–1911, the Satiru uprising of 1906
  • Administration of the Protectorates
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Outline the various features and methods of the British pacification and occupation of the territories
  • Examine the administrative set-up of the Protectorates
2. The Amalgamation of 1914
  • Reasons for the Amalgamation
  • Effects of the Amalgamation
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the reasons for the 1914 Amalgamation and its 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
  • Resistance to colonial rule — Egba Anti-tax Agitation of 1918, and the Aba Women Movement in 1929
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Relate the composition of the central administrative set-up to its consequences
  • Identify the reasons for the introduction and workings of the indirect rule system
  • Assess the effects of indirect rule
  • Examine the local administrative units
  • Account for the anti-colonial movements and their significance
4. The Colonial Economy
  • Currency, taxation and forced labour
  • Infrastructure — transportation, post and telecommunications
  • Agriculture
  • Mining
  • Industry
  • Commerce
  • Banking
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the nature of the economy as it affected the society under colonial rule
5. Social Development under Colonial Rule
  • Western education
  • Urbanization and social integration
  • Improvement unions
  • Health institutions
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Identify the scope of social development under colonial rule
  • Examine the impact of urbanization on the people
  • Examine the level of social integration among the people
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 minority question
  • Lyttleton Constitution of 1954
  • Constitutional Conferences in Lagos in 1957 and London in 1958
  • The general elections of 1959 and independence in 1960
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Highlight the significance of the Clifford Constitution of 1922
  • Examine the effect of World War II on the agitations for independence and constitutional developments
  • Trace the emergence of the nationalist movement
  • Assess the roles of the different constitutions in constitutional development
  • Trace the development of party politics and its impact on regionalism and the minority question
  • Examine the impact of the constitutional conferences on the move towards independence
  • Determine the factors that aided the attainment of independence

Part I — Section D

D
Nigeria Since Independence
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1. The Politics of the First Republic and Military Intervention
  • Struggle for the control of the centre
  • Issue of revenue allocation
  • The 1962/63 census controversies
  • The 1963 Republican constitution
  • Minority agitations
  • The Action Group crisis and the General Elections of 1964/65
  • The coup d'état of January 1966 and the counter-coup of July 1966
  • The Ironsi Regime
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Give reasons behind the struggle for the control of the centre
  • Account for the controversies in revenue allocation
  • Account for the controversies generated by the 1962/63 census
  • Highlight the key features and significance of the 1963 constitution
  • Account for the controversies generated by minority agitations and the quest for creation of states
  • Examine the problems created by the Action Group crisis and the General Elections of 1964/65
  • Analyse the consequences of the 1966 military intervention
2. The Nigerian Civil War
  • Causes
  • Course
  • Effects
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the remote and immediate causes of the war
  • Examine the course of the war
  • Assess the effects of the war
3. The Gowon Regime
  • Challenges of the Gowon Regime
  • Achievements of the Gowon Regime
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Assess the challenges and achievements of the Gowon Regime
4. Murtala / Obasanjo Regime
  • Challenges of the Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
  • Achievements of the Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Assess the challenges and achievements of the Murtala/Obasanjo Regime
5. The Second Republic
  • Challenges of the Second Republic
  • Achievements of the Second Republic
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Evaluate the challenges and achievements of the Second Republic
6. The Buhari Regime
  • Challenges of the Buhari Regime
  • Achievements of the Buhari Regime
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Assess the challenges and achievements of the Buhari Regime
7. The Babangida Regime
  • Challenges of the Babangida Regime
  • Achievements of the Babangida Regime
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Assess the challenges and achievements of the Babangida Regime
8. The Interim National Government (ING)
  • Role of the Interim National Government
  • Challenges of the Interim National Government
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the role and challenges of the Interim National Government
9. The Abacha Regime
  • Challenges of the Abacha Regime
  • Achievements of the Abacha Regime
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Assess the challenges and achievements of the Abacha Regime
10. Transition to the Fourth Republic
  • Challenges and achievements of the Abdulsalami Regime
  • Key actors in the transition process
  • Growth and development of the Fourth Republic
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Assess the challenges and achievements of the Abdulsalami Regime
  • Examine the role of the key actors in the transition process and the growth and development of the Fourth Republic
11. Nigeria in International Organizations
  • Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
  • African Union (AU)
  • Commonwealth of Nations
  • Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
  • United Nations Organization
  • Nigeria's role in conflict resolutions in the Congo, Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Sudan
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the role of Nigeria in ECOWAS
  • Assess the role of Nigeria in the AU
  • Evaluate the role of Nigeria in the Commonwealth of Nations
  • Assess the role of Nigeria in OPEC
  • Examine the role of Nigeria in the UN
  • Examine the role of Nigeria in conflict resolutions in the Congo, Chad, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Sudan

Part II — Section A

E
West and North Africa Since 1800
+
1. Islamic Reform Movements and State Building in West Africa
  • Relationship between Sokoto and other Jihads
  • The Jihads of Seku Ahmadu and Al-Hajj Umar
  • The activities of Samori Touré
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Establish the relationship between the Sokoto Jihad and other Jihads in West Africa
  • Compare the achievements of the Jihads of Seku Ahmadu and Al-Hajj Umar
  • Examine the activities of Samori Touré of the Mandinka Empire
2. Sierra Leone, Liberia and Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa
  • The foundation of Sierra Leone and Liberia and the spread of Christianity
  • The activities and impact of Christian missionaries
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Determine the factors that led to the founding of Sierra Leone and Liberia
  • Examine the importance of Sierra Leone and Liberia in the spread and impact of Christianity in West Africa
  • Assess the impact of Christian missionary activities in West Africa
3. Egypt under Mohammed Ali and Khedive Ismail
  • The rise of Mohammad Ali and his reforms
  • Mohammad Ali's relations with the Europeans
  • Ismail's fiscal policies
  • The British occupation of Egypt
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Determine the factors that aided Mohammad Ali's rise to power and his reforms
  • Establish the relationship between Mohammad Ali's Empire and the Europeans
  • Account for the fiscal policies of Ismail
  • Examine the reasons for the British occupation of Egypt

Part II — Section B

F
Horn of Africa and Southern Africa
+
1. Ethiopia in the 19th Century
  • The rise of Theodore II and his attempt at the unification of Ethiopia
  • Menelik II and Ethiopian independence
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the factors that led to the rise of Theodore II as the Emperor of Ethiopia
  • Analyse the strategies that were adopted to achieve Ethiopian unification
  • Assess the role of Menelik II in the maintenance of Ethiopian independence
2. The Mfecane
  • The rise of the Zulu Nation
  • Causes, course and consequences of the Mfecane
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Trace events in Nguniland before the Mfecane
  • Determine the factors that led to the rapid rise of Shaka
  • Examine the causes, course and consequences of the Mfecane
3. The Great Trek
  • The frontier wars
  • British intervention in the Boer-African relations
  • The Great Trek and its consequences
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Determine the factors that led to the frontier wars
  • Account for British intervention in the Boer-African relations
  • Describe the nature of the Great Trek
  • Examine its consequences

Part II — Section C

G
Imperialism, Colonialism and Problems of Nation-Building in Africa
+
1. The New Imperialism and European Occupation of Africa
  • The New Imperialism in Africa
  • European scramble for Africa
  • The Berlin Conference
  • The occupation and resistance by Africans
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Understand the concept of the New Imperialism
  • Assess the justifications for the New Imperialism
  • Examine the causes of the scramble and the nations involved
  • Account for the significance of the Berlin Conference
  • Highlight African resistance to the occupation
2. Patterns of Colonial Rule in Africa
  • The British
  • The French
  • The Portuguese
  • The Belgians
  • The Germans
  • The Spanish
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine and compare the patterns of colonial rule by the various European powers
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 associations
  • Strategies for attaining independence
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the policies employed by the colonial rulers and the magnitude of African discontent
  • Assess the impact of the First and Second World Wars on African nationalism
  • Determine the strategies used in the attainment of independence
4. Apartheid in South Africa
  • The origin of Apartheid
  • Rise of Afrikaner Nationalism
  • Enactment of Apartheid laws
  • Internal reactions to Apartheid and the suppression of African Nationalist movements
  • External reactions to Apartheid — the Frontline States, the Commonwealth of Nations, OAU and the UN
  • The dismantling of Apartheid
  • Post-Apartheid developments
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Trace the origin of Apartheid in South Africa
  • Give reasons for the rise of Afrikaner Nationalism
  • Highlight Apartheid laws
  • Relate the internal reactions to Apartheid to the African struggle for majority rule
  • Relate the contributions of African states and international organizations to the fight against Apartheid
  • Identify the steps taken towards the dismantling of Apartheid in South Africa
  • Assess the post-Apartheid developments in South Africa
5. Problems of Nation-Building in Africa
  • Political and economic challenges and constraints
  • Physical and environmental challenges
  • Ethnic and religious pluralism
  • Military intervention and political instability
  • Neo-colonialism and underdevelopment
  • Boundary disputes and threat to African unity
  • Civil wars and the refugee problem
  • Terrorism
  • Globalisation
What JAMB expects you to do:
  • Examine the political and economic problems faced by African countries in nation-building
  • Assess the effects of natural disasters on Africa
  • Determine the role of ethnic and religious problems in Africa
  • Examine the role and implications of military interventions in African politics
  • Examine the role and implications of neo-colonialism in Africa
  • Highlight the problems of boundary disputes
  • Establish the relationship between civil wars and refugee problems in Africa
  • Examine the consequences of terrorism for African states and societies
  • Enumerate the effects of globalisation on African nations
🚀
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📚 JAMB Recommended Textbooks

These are the official books listed by JAMB for History preparation:

📖 Adesote, S. and Falade, D. (2020) — District Comprehensive History for Senior Secondary Schools (1–3), Unique Mercy and Features, Ondo
📖 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, Longman, London
📖 Barkindo, B. et al (1989) — Africa and the Wider World, Vol. 1, Longman, Lagos
📖 Barkindo, B. et al (1996) — Africa and the Wider World, Vols. 2 and 3, Longman, Lagos
📖 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, 1804–2004, Vols. I and II, Arewa House, Kaduna
📖 Coleman, J. S. (1986) — Nigeria: Background to Nationalism, Broburg and Wistrom, Benin
📖 Crowder, M. (1977) — West Africa: An Introduction to its History, Longman
📖 Crowder, M. (1979) — Nigeria: An Introduction to its History, Longman, London
📖 Ekeh, P. P. and Ashiwaju, G. (eds) (1989) — Nigeria since Independence: The First 25 Years — Culture, Vol. VII, Heinemann, Ibadan
📖 Falola, T. et al (1989) — History of Nigeria, Vol. 1, Longman, Lagos
📖 Falola, T. et al (1989) — History of Nigeria, Vols. 2 and 3, Longman, Lagos
📖 Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds) — Tarikh: Independence Movement in Africa (Part I), Vol. 3, No. 4, Longman, London
📖 Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds) — Tarikh: Government in Pre-Colonial Africa, Vol. 4, No. 2, Longman, London
📖 Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds) — Tarikh: Peoples and Kingdoms of West Africa in the Pre-colonial Period, Vol. 5, No. 1, Longman, London
📖 Ikime, O. and Osoba, S. O. (eds) — Tarikh: Europeans Conquest and African Resistance (Part 2), Vol. 4, Longman, London
📖 Ikime, O. (1977) — The Fall of Nigeria: The British Conquest, Heinemann, London
📖 Ikime, O. (ed) (1980) — Groundwork of Nigerian History, Heinemann, Ibadan
📖 Isichei, E. (1983) — A History of Nigeria, Longman, London
📖 Jorre, J. D. (1972) — The Nigerian Civil War, Hodder and Stoughton, London
📖 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, Triumph Publishers, Kano
📖 Offiong, D. A. (1980) — Imperialism and Dependency: Obstacles to Development, Fourth Dimension Publishers, Enugu
📖 Ojigbo, O. (1982) — Shehu Shagari: The Biography of Nigeria's First Executive President, Mladinska Knjiga, Yugoslavia
📖 Okafor, I. (1989) — History for Senior Secondary Schools, Jet Publishers, Onitsha
📖 Oliver, T. and Atmore, A. (1996) — Africa since 1880 (4th ed.), Cambridge University Press, New York
📖 Olaniyi, R. O. (2017) — History for Senior Secondary Schools, Bounty Press, Ibadan
📖 Olusanya, G. O. (1973) — The Second World War and Politics in Nigeria, 1939–1953, Evans, Ibadan
📖 Omolewa, M. (1986) — Certificate History of Nigeria, Longman, Lagos
📖 Onoja, I. (1998) — Peace-keeping and International Security in a Changing World, Mono Expressions, Jos
📖 Onwubiko, K. (1983) — School Certificate History of West Africa, African First Publishers, Onitsha
📖 Tamuno, T. N. and Atanda, A. (eds) (1989) — Nigeria since Independence: The First 25 Years, Vol. III, Heinemann, Ibadan
📖 Tamuno, T. N. and Ukpabi, S. C. (eds) (1989) — Nigeria since Independence: The First 25 Years — The Civil War Years, Vol. IV, Heinemann, Ibadan
📖 Thompson, L. A. (2000) — History of South Africa, Yale University Press
📖 Usman, Y. B. (ed) (1979) — Studies in the History of Sokoto Caliphate, Third Press International, New York
📖 Usman, Y. B. (ed) and Alkali, M. N. (1983) — Studies in the History of Pre-Colonial Borno, NNPC, Zaria
📖 Usman, Y. B. and Kwanashei, G. A. (eds) — Inside Nigeria History 1950–1970: Events, Issues and Sources, University of Ibadan
📖 Usman, Y. B. (ed) (1989) — Nigeria since Independence: The First 25 Years — The Society, Vol. I, Heinemann, Ibadan
📖 Usman, Y. B. (2002) — Election Violence in Nigeria: The Terrible Experience, 1952–2002, Abdullahi Smith Centre for Historical Research, Zaria
📖 Webster, J. B. and Ikime, O. (eds) — Tarikh: Early African Christianity, Vol. 2, No. 1, Longman, London
📖 Wilmot, P. F. (1980) — Apartheid and African Liberation: The Grief and the Hope, University of Ife Press
📖 Yakubu, A. M., Jumare, I. and Saeed, A. G. (eds) (2005) — Northern Nigeria: A Century of Transformation, 1903–2003, Arewa House, Kaduna

Common Questions 🤔

JAMB History is divided into two parts. Part I covers Nigerian History and has four sections: Section A (The Nigeria Area up to 1800), Section B (The Nigeria Area 1800–1900), Section C (Nigeria 1900–1960), and Section D (Nigeria Since Independence). Part II covers Africa and the Wider World and has three sections: Section A (West and North Africa), Section B (Horn of Africa and Southern Africa), and Section C (Imperialism, Colonialism and Nation-Building in Africa).
JAMB sets 60 questions in History. Questions are drawn from both parts of the syllabus — Nigerian History (Part I) and Africa and the Wider World (Part II). Nigerian History typically carries more questions since it spans four sections.
The highest-yield topics are: the Sokoto Jihad and its consequences, the Amalgamation of 1914, Indirect Rule and colonial administration, constitutional developments leading to independence (1922–1960), the Nigerian Civil War, the First Republic and the 1966 coup, Apartheid in South Africa, and the Berlin Conference and the scramble for Africa. These appear in virtually every JAMB sitting.
Both parts are examined, but Part I (Nigerian History) carries more weight since it spans four full sections while Part II (Africa and the Wider World) covers three. However, questions on the Mfecane, Apartheid, Samori Touré, and the Berlin Conference from Part II appear regularly. Aim to cover both parts thoroughly.
Section D of Part I covers all Nigerian military regimes: Ironsi (1966), Gowon, Murtala/Obasanjo, Buhari, Babangida, the Interim National Government under Shonekan, and Abacha — followed by the transition to the Fourth Republic under Abdulsalami. For each regime, know the key challenges and achievements.
The JAMB History syllabus structure — two parts covering Nigerian History and Africa and the Wider World — has remained stable. The six general objectives of the syllabus continue to guide the scope of testing. Always practise past questions from 2023 onwards to stay current with JAMB's question style.

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