In 1904, Empire Day, an invented tradition of yearly ritualistic veneration of the glory of the British Empire, was introduced to Nigeria. In this paper, I examine the story of Empire Day as a significant colonial spectacle and performance of imperial authority in Nigeria, and how it assumed new meanings and functions among diverse groups of Nigerian children. I am concerned with how it shaped new ideals of “proper” colonial childhood within the context of modernization and civilization. Empire Day, more than any other commemoration placed children at the centre of imperialism and recognized them as a vital element in the sustenance of an imagined citizenship of the British Empire. African historical research has examined the sites and symbols (such as Western biomedicine and education, police and prison, and indirect rule) through which the British imperialism established and maintained itself in Africa. However, little attention has been given to Empire Day as a major factor in the shaping of children’s experience of colonialism.