Fola Fagbule and Feyi Fawehinmi discuss the main theme in the opening chapter of their forthcoming book FORMATION: The Making of Nigeria from Jihad to Amalgamation The River Niger is the central defining geographical feature of West Africa. In simple historical terms, the River is the raison d’etre for the existence of the eponymous country. The River was an important ancient transportation artery which led to its political, economic and cultural importance for Nigeria.  In this podcast, the authors explore the following themes around the opening chapter What fascinating new insights they gained into the subject of the River Niger while researching the book Some examples of peoples and places in the world that have been shaped by a domineering river around them The most commonly misunderstood (or least known) fact or set of facts about the River and its influence in the Formation of modern Nigeria How important is the River, still, today? What does the current state of the River say about the future of Nigeria? To leave us a voice message, please go to https://anchor.fm/nigeriaformation/message Please leave your name in your message and where you live. We will play some of your messages in the next episode and answer your questions.  You can also continue the conversation by tagging us on twitter at @doubleeph and @folaagbule. Please also use the hashtag #FormationNG