The end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970 marked a critical period in the country’s socio-political evolution, during which the rebuilding of national unity and the fostering of a collective identity were prioritised. By means of a critical discourse analysis of Highlife lyrics and a historical appraisal of the genre’s impact in Nigeria, the role of Highlife music as a cultural agent in the processes of national reconciliation and nation-building during the post-war era is investigated in this study.