INTRODUCTION

The prevalent architectural styles in Nigeria have undergone significant change over the last 100

years. Even though Nigeria is a sizable, oil-rich country in West Africa with a population of

more than 80 million people (211.4 million as of 2021), only a small number of traditional

structures are still being constructed. But due to the forces of westernization, the majority of

traditional architecture has either disappeared or undergone significant changes.

Rarely are Nigerian architects trained with enough knowledge of their own architectural heritage

to recognize its own merits. The case of the mosque in Zaria is a good example of how this

omission affects the built environment's quality.

This mosque is an exquisite example of

mud architecture. Approximately 7.00

meter square bays are covered in

reinforced arches to create a quiet

sanctuary. But in the early 1970s, this

building that might well serve as a

source of inspiration was on the verge of being destroyed.The local government representatives

and elders wanted to replace it with a contemporary building created by a Nigerian architect who

attended Ahmadu Bello University. The mosque could only have been saved by Prof. Saban

Biobaku's quick action. The interior of the more than 150-year-old mosque is still intact despite

being permanently enclosed in a cement block building with a corrugated roof.

This overview of Nigerian architecture is divided into three major historical eras: traditional

architecture, modified architecture, and modern architecture. Here, the traditionally constructed

environment is first discussed as a backdrop before examining the changes colonialism caused in
the patrons. A variety of modified traditional architectural styles resulted from these changes.

Petroleum has more recently made significant changes in the type of prestige architecture

possible.

TRADITIONAL BUILT ENVIRONMENTS

The dwelling units include nuclear families and large patriarchal extended families. Each adult

traditionally resides in his own room within a compound, which is a walled enclosure. Cities,

small villages, and dispersed settlement patterns all exist.

Widespread Traditional architectural Technologies

Many people all over the country share various types of wall and roof structures, despite the fact

that the final shape of their homes varies greatly. The Kamberi build their circular homes using a

pottery technique and live in dispersed communities close to Kanji Lake. The walls are about

15mm thick to support a large thatch roof and its wooden framework. The Yoruba people who

lived in cities built sizable rectangular courtyards with walls made of wet mud packed in courses

that supported gabled thatch roofs. The Nsukka Ibo construct a post-and-beam building that is

then surrounded by a mud curtain wall and has a tall gable roof.

Specialized Traditional Architectural Technologies

The Rkuba have used the nearby stones to create continuous circular spaces because they live on

rocky hillside terrain. Fishermen in the delta region have elevated their swells above the ocean

by using stilts. The Kanembu people near Lake Chad create skeletons in the shape of beehives

using water reeds that have been bound together.

 Because they live on rocky hillside terrain, the Rkuba have

used the nearby stones to create continuous circular spaces.

By using stilts, fishermen in the delta area have raised their

swells above the water. The Kanembu people, who live close

to Lake Chad, use bound water reeds to fashion skeletons that

resemble beehives.

Prior to the nineteenth century, Hausa master masons had

created a unique architectural technique based on mud and

wood construction. According to Staudinger's account of his

visit to the emir of Kano in late 1885, the ceilings of the emir's palace were painted and

plastered.

Defensive Build environments

The two main responses to the ongoing internecine wars and slave raids were the construction of

walled settlements and the retreat to isolated hill sites. Massive mud walls encircled many of the

remote settlements as well as the capitals of all the Hausa city states. The flat or domed mud

roofs characteristic of Hausa city architecture were intended for both defense and aesthetic

purposes. A mud roof offers some defense against conflagrations started by the enemy's flaming

arrows. Every Yoruba town in southern Nigeria had a wall or at the very least a ditch as a first

line of defense. The palaces were also walled, but this was more for the religious ruler's privacy

and sanctity, who was only allowed to be seen or heard during important ceremonial occasions.

Yoruba homes were built as massive, rectilinear compounds with only one entry and no windows

as an additional safety measure.

Royal prerogative and Traditional Architectural forms

Certain architectural forms and elements, depending on their size and quality, belonged to the

ruler in some traditional cultures. Building a house higher than the chief's is still viewed as a

rivalry and an insult in Kukawa, the former capital of Borno. Even the corrugated iron roofing

that the Europeans introduced into Yoruba towns was transformed into a representation of regal

power. Prior to the ruler, citizens dared not adopt this new knowledge, and for a long time in

Oyo, one of the oldest Yoruba kingdoms, the ruler was able to prevent the common people from

imitating him. Differentiations in status can occasionally be seen in architectural design. The

wealthy household head had spacious reception rooms at the entrance to the compound, while his

wives were relegated to smaller rooms in the back among the Hausa and those who adopted their

architectural style.

Modified traditional Architectural styles

Despite the variety of the traditional styles from which they have evolved, they share a number

of characteristics. The owner of a traditional home that has been modified leads a hybrid

lifestyle. Despite being a highly respected member, he still views himself as a part of the

traditional society. The requirement to accommodate certain elements of the physical comfort of

western lifestyles, such as furniture, fans, and electricity, should also have an impact on the

design and raise the status of the finished home.

The effects of colonial rule on Architectural styles

The social conditions changed as a result of British colonial rule, which in turn led to changes in

the architectural design programs. In the southern regions of the nation, the initial changes were
limited to the corrugated iron roofs that replaced the thatch roofs and the enlargement of doors

and windows; in contrast, the corrugated iron roof was not adopted in the northern regions until

after World War II. The decline in the authority of the traditional rulers led to a corresponding

decline in the superiority of their palace architecture in aristocratic societies like the

Hausa-Fulani emirates in the north and the Yoruba city states in the south.

Modified Traditional Architecture in the Traditional Hausa Architectural Idiom

The development of exterior facade

decoration was a result of the

Hausas' desire for ostentatious

display by the 1920s. In the past,

simple arts made by sweeping

fingertips across wet plaster had

been the only way to decorate

walls. By the 1950s, in Zaria,

where this style of ornamentation excelled, motifs inspired by daily life had become popular.

Initially, these motifs were abstract designs, probably indirectly derived from motifs adorning

leather cases for the Karan.

British Patronage of Hausa Architecture

The Hausa master masons and their traditional architectural designs were promoted by British

colonial officials in both direct and indirect ways. The British built all of the homes and offices

for their colonial officers in the traditional manner while they were in control of northern Nigeria
for a number of decades. These government structures were constructed using Hausa technology

and British design. While the master masons were employed by the British army engineers, large

windows and scaffolding were introduced into Hausa architectural technology.

Additionally, the spread of Hausa technology throughout larger regions was facilitated by British

rule. The promotion of Hausa culture was one result of indirect rule.
 SUSAN B. ARADEON- SUMMARY HISTORY OF
NIGERIAN ARCHITECTURE: THE LAST 100 YEARS

NAME: ADERINSOLA ADEBUKOLA ADEAGBO

EDMP21/22/H/0727

COURSE CODE: ARC 605