The Bank of British West Africa (BBWA)—whose early headquarters stood prominently on the Lagos Marina, often photographed in the early 20th century—marked the dawn of modern banking in Nigeria and across the wider British West African territories. Founded in the late nineteenth century, the BBWA became the financial backbone of Britain’s colonial economy in West Africa and laid the foundation for Nigeria’s contemporary banking sector.

Founding and Early Operations

The BBWA was established in 1894 by Sir Alfred Lewis Jones, a prominent Liverpool shipping magnate. Recognising the growing need for structured financial services in Britain’s West African colonies, Jones founded the bank to facilitate trade and provide reliable banking for merchants and colonial administrators. While its registered head office was in Liverpool, its first African branch opened that same year in Lagos, Nigeria, quickly making the city a key financial hub of the British colonial economy.
(First Bank of Nigeria, “Our History”; E.O. Ogunsola, A History of Banking in Nigeria, 1982)

Role in the Colonial Economy

From its base on the Lagos Marina, the BBWA introduced modern banking services to a region where cash-based trade and informal credit systems had long prevailed. It provided credit and safe deposit facilities to traders, financed import-export businesses, and offered secure monetary transactions—services that were previously unavailable.

However, in its early decades, the BBWA primarily served European merchants, expatriate firms, and colonial officials, offering very limited access to indigenous Nigerian entrepreneurs. This reflected the racial and economic hierarchies of the colonial period, even as the bank’s presence helped integrate Nigeria’s economy into global trade networks.

(Akin Mabogunje, Urbanization in Nigeria, 1968)

Growth and Regional Influence

The success of the Lagos branch spurred rapid expansion across British West Africa, with new branches opening in Sierra Leone (1896), the Gold Coast (now Ghana, 1896) and The Gambia (1898). By the early 20th century, the BBWA had become the dominant financial institution in the region, shaping the flow of capital and enabling large-scale colonial commerce.

(First Bank of Nigeria, “Our History”)

Transition to First Bank of Nigeria

As Nigeria moved toward independence, the BBWA gradually localized its identity. In 1957, it changed its name to the Bank of West Africa (BWA) to reflect a less overtly colonial image. In 1969, following Nigeria’s banking reforms and indigenisation policies, the institution formally became First Bank of Nigeria Limited.

Today’s First Bank of Nigeria, still headquartered in Lagos, is the direct successor of the BBWA and remains one of the country’s largest and most enduring financial institutions—widely regarded as Nigeria’s oldest bank.

(First Bank of Nigeria, “Our History”; Central Bank of Nigeria, Fifty Years of Central Banking in Nigeria, 2009)

Legacy

The original BBWA building on the Lagos Marina—captured in photographs from the early 1900s—remains a striking symbol of the intersection between colonial trade and the rise of modern finance in West Africa. More than a century later, the institution it founded continues to shape Nigeria’s financial landscape. The BBWA’s story is therefore not only a chapter in colonial history but also the starting point of Nigeria’s modern banking tradition.

Sources
First Bank of Nigeria. “Our History.” FirstBankNigeria.com

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Macleans toothpaste stands as one of the early global brands that helped transform oral hygiene from a luxury to an everyday practice. First introduced in Britain in 1919 by Macleans Ltd., the brand quickly became a pioneer of modern toothpaste marketing and packaging—well before oral care became a staple of households worldwide.

Origins and Early Development in Britain

The early 20th century was a turning point in personal hygiene, as toothpaste shifted from a powdered luxury to a convenient daily necessity. Macleans Ltd. capitalized on this trend by offering toothpaste in collapsible metal tubes, a modern packaging innovation that kept the product hygienic and easy to use.

Unlike traditional tooth powders, Macleans marketed its paste as a symbol of freshness, health, and modern living, themes that resonated in post–First World War Britain when consumer culture and middle-class aspirations were expanding. While company archives confirm the brand name derived from its founders, the detailed biography of the original “Maclean” behind the firm is not well documented.

Integration into Beecham and Global Expansion

Macleans’ early success attracted the attention of Beecham, one of the United Kingdom’s major pharmaceutical and consumer goods firms. By the mid-20th century, Beecham had acquired the brand, scaling up production and enabling distribution throughout the British Commonwealth, including Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.

Corporate mergers later carried the brand through several major pharmaceutical giants:

1989: Beecham merged with SmithKline Beckman to form SmithKline Beecham.

2000: SmithKline Beecham merged with Glaxo Wellcome to form GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

2022: GSK demerged its consumer healthcare division into Haleon Plc, which today manages the

Macleans brand. Arrival and Popularity in Nigeria

By the early 1970s, Macleans toothpaste had become a household name in Nigeria, coinciding with the country’s post-independence economic boom and rising urban middle class. Print and outdoor advertising promoted not only oral health but also aspiration and modern success.

A striking example is an April 1973 outdoor advertisement in Kano, which boldly declared:
> “Be Successful Be Important Use Macleans Toothpaste.”

This slogan captured the era’s consumer culture, when imported brands symbolized sophistication and social mobility. Macleans’ strategy of linking dental care with upward status resonated strongly in Nigeria’s expanding cities.

Competition and Market Dynamics

Macleans maintained dominance for decades even as rivals entered the market. In the 1970s, Close-Up (Unilever) launched as a gel toothpaste with youth-oriented marketing, while Aquafresh (another GSK brand) later offered a triple-strip formula. Yet Macleans retained its reputation for reliability and quality, becoming a staple of Nigerian households and a trusted name across generations.

Enduring Legacy

More than a century after its British debut, Macleans remains a key player in Nigeria’s oral care industry and across the world. Its journey—from an innovative 1919 British toothpaste to a multinational brand under Haleon—illustrates the evolution of modern consumer goods and the power of early 20th-century marketing to create products that become daily essentials.

Sources
Nigerian newspaper archives, Daily Times and New Nigerian, April 1973 (advertising features)

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

Peanuts, bagged and stacked in pyramid-like structures, await transport in Kano, Northern Region, Nigeria.

Circa: 1955
Photo Credit: Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images

The groundnut pyramids stood as monumental symbols of Nigeria’s agricultural wealth in the mid-20th century. Built from thousands of groundnut sacks, they rose higher than surrounding buildings and became both an economic landmark and a tourist attraction.

By the 1950s, Nigeria produced 41% of West Africa’s groundnuts, with Kano at the heart of the trade. Farmers either sold to local agents or carried their produce directly to Kano, where the marketing board fixed prices. From there, produce was transported by rail to the port of Lagos for export.

Production peaked at over 1.6 million tonnes by 1973, but later declined sharply to less than 0.7 million tonnes by the mid-1980s.

The collapse of organized marketing boards, coupled with farmers’ shift to other crops (cowpea, millet, sorghum), marked the decline of the pyramid era.

Industries dependent on groundnut oil and by-products also suffered, with many closing or adapting to alternative raw materials.

Today, the once-famous pyramids are remembered as relics of Nigeria’s agricultural golden age, with the lingering question: can the pyramids be revived?

Source: asirimagazine

Peanuts, bagged and ready for transport, are stacked in pyramids at Kano, Northern Region, Nigeria, 1955. (Photo byPictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM