Perched in many Nigerians’ memory as a solemn reminder of service and sacrifice, the Soldier Idumota Cenotaph (often referred to in public conversation as the “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”) commemorates the thousands of West Africans who served — and died — in the two world wars. Erected in the colonial era to mark Nigerian contributions to Britain’s war efforts, the cenotaph has also come to symbolise a wider national duty to remember those whose names and graves were lost to distant battlefields.
A colonial-era memorial with local meaning
The memorial was commissioned after the Second World War as part of a broader imperial practice of erecting cenotaphs to honour soldiers who fell in the Great War and World War II. For Nigerians it had the added importance of publicly acknowledging African manpower and sacrifice at a time when such contributions were too often marginalised in metropolitan histories.
Form and symbolism
The monument pairs two figures in bronze: a soldier and a carrier. These figures are usually described in contemporary accounts as representing the combatant troops of the Nigeria Regiment and the men of the Nigeria Carrier Corps — the latter being the porters and logistical personnel whose work was essential to Allied campaigns in Africa and elsewhere. The juxtaposition of the armed combatant and the carrier emphasizes that victory in large-scale wars depended not only on front-line infantry but also on the largely uncelebrated labour of carriers, orderlies and support staff.
Because many surviving descriptions in public sources are descriptive rather than archival, it is safest to describe the figures by role (soldier; carrier) rather than assign specific ethnic labels to them unless a primary source confirms such identification.
Sites and movement: from Idumota to national remembrance
Originally installed in Idumota, a busy commercial district on Lagos Island, the memorial served for years as a focal point for Remembrance Day ceremonies and local acts of commemoration. As Nigeria’s political geography and national institutions evolved after independence, the cenotaph’s place of honour also shifted. Public accounts indicate that the monument was moved to Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos for some decades, and that a national cenotaph and war-memorial complex in Abuja later incorporated or replaced the Lagos memorial as the principal federal site for national remembrance.
The exact dates and administrative details of those relocations vary in different accounts: contemporary newspapers, government gazettes and archival records offer the strongest route to precise confirmation. What is clear, however, is the monument’s continuing role: wreath-laying and remembrance ceremonies (notably around Armed Forces Remembrance Day) keep the memorial alive as a site of national memory.
National and historical significance
Beyond its original imperial context, the Soldier Idumota Cenotaph today stands as: a public recognition of West Africans’ wartime service;
a reminder of the logistical and human costs of global conflict; and a meeting point where veterans’ families, service organizations and the state perform rituals of remembrance.
In that sense it functions similarly to “unknown soldier” monuments elsewhere in the world: it is less about a single individual than about collective loss and national responsibility to remember.
Preservation, interpretation and contested histories
Like many colonial-era monuments in postcolonial settings, the cenotaph raises questions about interpretation and stewardship. Whose stories are told at the site? Which archives have been used (or neglected) when the memorial’s history is narrated? How have relocations and restorations changed the public’s access to — and understanding of — the monument?
Answering these questions requires archival work and cross-referencing: colonial government orders, Lagos city planning records, National Commission for Museums and Monuments files, and contemporary press coverage all shed light on the cenotaph’s provenance and movements.
Nollywood icon Genevieve Nnaji has fired off a sharp response after a man on X (formerly Twitter) advised Igbo men to stop marrying Igbo women and instead seek wives from other African countries.
The controversy began after a photo of a Rwandan woman said to be engaged to an Anambra man went viral.
Resharing the image, the user wrote, “Dear Igbo men, instead of marrying an Igbo woman who’ll falsely accuse you of r4ping your daughter, better look outside for a wife.
“Go to East Africa, especially Rwanda, and pick a damsel. They’re all over social media, and you can link up with them.”
Genevieve, who rarely comments on online drama, responded, “In other words, instead of checking yourself and taking accountability, go for the unsuspecting and carry on with your evil. Got it.”
Another user attempted to challenge her, claiming the original tweet was aimed at “false rape accusers” and that Genevieve was avoiding the real issue.
“His tweet was clearly against false rape accusers, but instead of holding the evil women accountable and demanding change, you chose to tweet this?”
But the actress hit back with equal clarity: “The same way a woman can’t tell an abusive man apart from a good one is the same way you shouldn’t say avoid all Igbo women. ‘Not all women’.”
Reality TV star Phyna has offered words of encouragement to fellow Big Brother Naija winner Imisi amid a family feud between the latter and her mother.
In an X post on Monday, Phyna wrote,”To Imisi, @imisiofficial and to anyone walking through the same fire… I’m praying for your strength.
“My own experience broke me, but I’m slowly rising.
“And I’m rooting for you with everything in me, don’t handle it like I did, build strong and focus on you baby girl.”
The post comes against the backdrop of a family dispute in which Imisi’s mother accused her daughter of hatred and revealed the poor condition of the home where she currently lives, despite Imisi winning N150 million after her Big Brother victory.
Imisi replied in Yoruba,”This is why Aunty Debola said you should not show your face to the world. I can’t be saying all that now, you are in the midst of people. Just overlook everything and leave social media.
“Don’t worry, I will send you money to rent a new house. I am tired of all this drama. I am still recovering from the stress of Big Brother.
“Should I be facing another stress now? Please forgive me, I am your daughter.”
Recall Imisi’s mother has publicly expressed frustration on social media, saying she does not need her daughter’s money after being sidelined following the win.
She also blamed Imisi for recounting her childhood experiences, which she claims involve untrue allegations of parental neglect and sexual assault.
In a video, she showed the old house she currently resides in, saying she is content with her situation, a revelation that sparked online controversy.
In 2023, after Phyna’s BBNaija win, her father, Felix Otabor, revealed in an interview that he was distressed by his daughter’s actions following her BBNaija win.
Otabor said Phyna had asked him to stop working as a hearse driver and requested that he sell his cars, promising to improve the family’s life.
He said he later struggled financially after selling the vehicles, losing his business momentum and community position, and has not seen his daughter since her victory.
He described feeling sidelined while she enjoyed her wealth.
Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels, has opened up about her marriage to her estranged husband, Senator Ned Nwoko.
It was reports that the embattled wife revealed why their seven-year relationship remained faithful despite his polygamous lifestyle.
In a reply to a comment on her Instagram page, Daniels said that during their years together, Nwoko never slept with other women outside their home because she held him well in the other room.
She wrote: “Yes i think he loved me but a toxic one! Because tell me why a polygamous man forgot what it meant to be in polygamy, except for the media.
“Just because it boosted his ego of being seen with multiple women which is easy by me because anyone that sees a man as an odogwu sees the wife as what? He basically had to beg that he share days at ours and other days with his other wives because they begged for his attention.
“Y’all should pls forget this yeye social media comparison because my ex man never slept outside one day in our 7 years of marriage. You know why? Because as a delta babe, I hold am well for the other room ladies use your skills that’s all men want actually!”
