Nigeria’s heritage: Yesterday, today and tomorrow

This paper discusses Nigeria’s heritage across the past and present, and explores considerations for achieving viable heritage management in the future. The study was prompted by the fact that many of the benefits of Nigeria’s rich and diverse heritage remain untapped. It therefore seeks to understand the reasons behind this and to offer solutions through a critical analysis of heritage management in the past and present, while proposing a sustainable blueprint for the future. The specific objectives of the study were to: (i) analyze heritage management in pre-colonial and contemporary Nigeria; (ii) discuss critical factors that can help reposition Nigeria’s heritage in the future. Literature analysis was employed as the data collection technique, and the data were presented using an interpretative-descriptive narrative method. The thematic analytical technique was used to interpret the data. A key argument of the paper is that proper management of Nigeria’s heritage in the future should take into account the best approaches for preserving and promoting heritage. These include: emphasis on heritage digitization, a regulatory system for heritage preservation, application of innovative methods in conserving architectural heritage and other cultural objects, use of GIS in managing archaeological sites, and a good understanding of heritage as an enabler of social capital. The study also argues that every effort made towards repositioning Nigeria’s heritage must be backed by the political will to do so. Therefore, policymakers must understand the centrality of heritage in the advancement of societies. It is believed that the outcome of the study will bolster current efforts being made to revitalize aspects of Nigeria’s heritage and propel it to a wider global visibility.