How K.B.C. Onwubiko Shaped My Passion for History

Reflecting on K.B.C. Onwubiko’s textbooks takes me back to Agboju Secondary School in Lagos. His two-volume History of West Africa series did more than prepare us for exams. It inspired deep curiosity about past societies and sharpened our critical thinking. Onwubiko was born in 1925 in Imo State and trained as a teacher before becoming an editor and author. His clear storytelling of the Oyo, Kanem-Bornu, Dahomey and Asante kingdoms grounded generations of students in West African historiography. Although his work reached millions of young learners, Onwubiko never became a fixture of university research. His early passing in 1985 and the decline of history teaching in schools dimmed his scholarly visibility. Yet his influence endures in the historians who first encountered West Africa through his pages. His legacy reminds us that textbooks can ignite lifelong passions. Every time I revisit those chapters, I honour the mentor who guided me from afar and shaped my understanding of our shared past.

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