'NAIJ' The History Of Nigeria

Doing this post was quite exciting, because I felt like I had  stumbled on something really good. I don't do too many posts on movies, unless I see a really good one. I'm not your typical movie person, so the chances of coming across a good movie is slim for me. The original plan of this blog was to write about my holy trinity (Music, fashion, and food) , But  of course if I come across something interesting other than these three, I'm  always happy to share. 

This movie was done in 2007, and I just saw it for the first time last night, this is understandable because the use of social media as at then was not as widespread as we have today, and as our people say in local parlance "whatever time you wake up is your morning" , for me, the most important thing is that you finally wake up.

The film was directed by Jide Olanrewaju an investment banker (yes you read right), who tells the story of Nigeria through its tumultuous transition from British Colony to an 'Independent nation' . Using a combination of previously unseen archive footage, historical documents and interviews, the film attempts to explain how Nigeria has evolved into the country it is today while emphasis was placed on the role some prominent Nigerians have played  in shaping the country into what it is now. Interestingly, the director Jide, does not have any professional training in film making , the documentary was made on his home computer over a period of 2 years.

This movie was quite a revelation for me, a lot of the information I got, were new to me, some of the big surprises of  the movie were how young military officers in their early 30's planned and executed coups in such quick succession, it was alarming! Another surprise was Biafra, I wasn't aware that the Igbos that had money in the banks were given just £20 each after the war, irrespective of the amount they had in their accounts prior to the war. I also observed that these leaders had very good diction and were very well spoken ....... It is interesting to note how this has changed over time.

The audience might be divided about the views of the director, for me, it was quite a revelation, such that it helped in trying to make sense of the various political problems Nigeria has experienced. It also throws some light on the genesis of some of the contemporary challenges facing Nigeria especially tribal, religious, political instability and corruption. Overall, the film left me feeling even more saddened about the situation in the country. 

To think that the director put together this documentary without any formal training!...........great movie, good story, fairly balanced, I would say its a  must see for every Nigerian.

Check it out  HERE

Have a great week!

xoxo