Colonial Lagos was a busy, cosmopolitan port. Slaves formerly had been traded for European goods, especially guns and gunpowder, but now the British encouraged trade in palm oil in the Niger delta states, ostensibly to replace the trade in slaves. [58], Some of these public work projects were accomplished with the help of forced labour from native black Africans, referred to as "Political Labour". Demanding immediate self-government, the Action Group was opposed by the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), which was composed largely of northerners and headed by several leaders, including Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Borno capitulated without a fight, but in 1903 Lugard's RWAFF mounted assaults on Kano and Sokoto. At the urging of Governor Frederick Lugard, the two territories were amalgamated as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, while maintaining considerable regional autonomy among the three major regions (Northern protectorate, Southern protectorate and the Colony of Lagos). In 1957, the Western and the Eastern regions became formally self-governing under the parliamentary system. If the emirs accepted British authority, abandoned the slave trade, and cooperated with British officials in modernizing their administrations, the colonial power was willing to confirm them in office. Although the Muslim emirs eventually collaborated with the British to establish such rule in Northern Nigeria, the absence of similar authority structures in the South led to more direct colonial rule. One continues to wonder how a national history could be attained I would encourage the society to resist by declaring a war against the Europeans. The cleavage between the Yoruba and the Igbo was accentuated by their competition for control of the political machinery. Maji-Maji Uprising (Tanganyika) 4. Frederick Lugard, shortly before becoming High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria.[68]. The delta masked the mouth of the great river, and for centuries Nigerians chose not to tell Europeans the secrets of the interior. . Gandhi. [55], Under the Colonial Office was the Governor, who managed the administration of his colony and held powers of emergency rule. [72] In the south, he saw the possibility of building an elite educated in schools modelled on a European method (and numerous elite children attended high-ranking colleges in Britain during the colonial years). British merchants led the trade in palm oil, while the Portuguese and others continued the slave trade. The present attempt is to inquire into the educational policy of colonial Nigeria, the aim, the nature and process of educational development and how it affected women in Nigeria. Instead, acts of resistance were usually prompted by some new colonial policy - like taking away land, or forcing people to pay a tax, or forcing them to work for free on roads or railways. Effects/Impact of Colonialism on Nigeria 1. This became the Lagos Constabulary, and subsequently the Nigerian Police Force. He aroused political awareness through his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. In the year 1901, Nigeria officially became a part of the huge British Empire. While initially organised for professional and fraternal reasons, these were centres of educated people who had chances to develop their leadership skills in the organisations, as well as form broad social networks. what were negative effects of colonial rule in african continent. Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. For some time, missionaries operated in the area between Lagos and Ibadan. The colony was created through the consolidation of the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. His government guided the country for the next three years, operating with almost complete autonomy in internal affairs. The impact of colonialism in Nigeria could be discussed under political, economic, social, educational and religious aspects. The 1922 constitution provided Nigerians with the chance to elect a handful of representatives to the Legislative Council. A lack of interest in extending the NPC beyond the Northern Region corresponded to this strictly regional orientation. Ken Swindell, "The Commercial Development of the North: Company and Government Relations, 19001906". Early nationalists tended to ignore Nigeria as the focus of patriotism. How did Algerias resistance to French control differ rom East africas resistance to German rule. Britain subsequently lobbied other European powers to stop the slave trade as well. As before, Aro merchants dominated trade in the hinterland, including palm products to the coast and the sale of slaves within Igboland. Village Heads were paid 10 shillings for conscripts, and fined 50 if they failed to supply. Total revenues of central and regional governments nearly doubled in relation to the gross domestic product during the decade. Its activist membership was drawn from local government and emirate officials who had access to means of communication and to repressive traditional authority that could keep the opposition in line. This scheme proved unpopular and confusing to many involved parties and was phased out. Read suggested they be merged, and more use made of Nigeria's natural resources. Political activists in the southern areas spoke of self-government in terms of educational opportunities and economic development. With one man in practical control of the Executive and Legislative organs of all the parts, the machine may work passably for sufficient time to enable the transition period to be left behind, by which time the answer to the problemUnitary v. Federal Statewill probably have become clear. These schools would teach "the basic principles that would and should regulate character and conduct". . Separate legislative bodies, the houses of assembly, were established in each of the three regions to consider local questions and to advise the Lieutenant Governors. The CMS initially promoted Africans to responsible positions in the mission field; for instance, they appointed Samuel Ajayi Crowther as the first Anglican Bishop of the Niger. The National Youth Movement used nationalist rhetoric to agitate for improvements in education. Algeria fought back and eventually was granted self rule and nigeria was put down and never got independance. The British, when faced with dissent, tended to grant political reforms in an effort to dispel the attractiveness of more-radical . The war years brought a polarization between the older, more parochial leaders inclined toward gradualism and the younger intellectuals, who thought in more immediate terms. Not wishing to appear out of control or weak, they approved the expedition (two days after it began) on 19 January 1903.,[47] In general, the Colonial Office allowed Lugard's expeditions to continue because they were framed as retaliatory and, as Olivier commented in 1906, "If the millions of people [in Nigeria] who do not want us there once get the notion that our people can be killed with impunity they will not be slow to attempt it."[48]. Palm oil was used locally for cooking, the kernels were a source for food, trees were tapped for palm wine, and the fronds were used for building material. nigeria resistance to colonial rule. This video gives a detailed explanation of Colonial rule in Africa, as it answers the questions: Why did Europeans colonize africa? There was virtually no pressure for greater unity among the regions until after the end of World War II. In the name of liberating the Igbos from the Aro Confederacy, the British launched the Anglo-Aro War of 19011902. This rate rose to 20,000 per year in the last quarter of the century. In response to Azikiwe and other nationalists, the Lyttelton constitution of 1954 created a fully federal system, comprising the three geographic regions of Nigeria, the Southern Cameroons, and the Federal Territory of Lagos. In contrast to Lugard, Clifford argued that colonial government had the responsibility to introduce as quickly as practical the benefits of Western experience. In the meantime, public sector spending increased even more dramatically than export earnings. "The agents performed similar but more expansive roles as their Company counterparts. Years of colonial rule yieleded system w/ all-powerful central government surrounded by weak and economically insolvent states. On a subsequent expedition to the Sokoto Caliphate, Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton learned about the mouth of the Niger River, and where it reached the sea, but after suffering malaria, depression and dysentery, he died before confirming it. In the early stages of British rule, it is desirable to retain the native authority and to work through and by the native emirs. In the ensuing decade, resistance to colonial rule continued, but Africans altered their tactics and women featured prominently in anticolonial resistance when cultural changes tended to disadvantage women. Lagos was annexed as a Crown Colony in 1861 via the Lagos Treaty of Cession.[30]. It continued to enjoy special privileges and maintained a de facto monopoly over commerce. Balewa formed a coalition government that included the Action Group as well as the NCNC to prepare the country for the final British withdrawal. 2, p. 211-221. . They caused major transformations in traditional society as they eroded the religious institutions such as human sacrifice, infanticide and secret societies, which had formerly played a role in political authority and community life.[26]. In pursuance of the above general principles the chief civil officers of the provinces are to be called Residents which implies one who carries on diplomatic relations rather than Commissioners or Administrators. Similar status was acquired by the Northern Region two years later. Frederick Lugard, who was appointed as High Commissioner of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1900 and served until 1906 in his first term, often has been regarded by the British as their model colonial administrator. Political opposition to colonial rule often assumed religious dimensions. Most people under colonialism lived their lives normally until a policy like this came about. It was suspended in 1950 against a call for greater autonomy, which resulted in an inter-parliamentary conference at Ibadan in 1950. ", Tamuno, T. N. (1970). David Richardson, "Background to annexation: Anglo-African credit relations in the Bight of Biafra, 17001891"; in Ptr-Grenouilleau. Any activity in the north that might include participation by the federal government (and consequently by southern civil servants) was regarded as a challenge to the primacy of the emirates. The Central African Federation, embracing Nyasaland, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, was created in 1953 . . Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1921. In practice, Lugard used the annual sessions to inform the traditional rulers of British policy, leaving them with no functions at the council's meetings except to listen and to assent. Modern nationalists in the south, whose thinking was shaped by European ideas, opposed indirect rule, as they believed that it had strengthened what they considered an anachronistic ruling class and shut out the emerging Westernised elite. [17] Much of this oil was sold elsewhere in the British Empire. European colonialists had managed to quell the efforts by Africans to resist the establishment of colonial rule with one exception. The charter allowed the company to collect customs and make treaties with local leaders.[12]. Although he reported on the eastward flow of the Niger, he was forced to turn back when his equipment was lost to Muslim Arab slave traders. Colonization of Nigeria. Before 1898, the scramble for Africa by European countries led to the partition of Africa after the Berlin conference of 1884-85. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1719. Local rulers continued to administer their territories, but consular authorities assumed jurisdiction for the equity courts established earlier by the foreign mercantile communities. As a philosophical movement and critical . The most striking departure was in the Northern Region, where special provisions brought the regional constitution into consonance with Islamic law and custom. Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo; the CMS worked among the Yoruba. rebellion. British staffs in each region continued to operate according to procedures developed before unification. By the mid-1940s, the major ethnic groups had formed such associations as the Igbo Federal Union and the Egbe Omo Oduduwa (Society of the Descendants of Oduduwa), a Yoruba cultural movement, in which Awolowo played a leading role. [11], The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. David Ellis, "African and European relations in the last century of the transatlantic slave trade"; in Ptr-Grenouilleau. British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. They wanted self-government, charging that only colonial rule prevented the unshackling of progressive forces in Nigeria and other states. Revolutionary Mahdism and resistance to colonial rule in the Sokoto Caliphate, 1905-6 / by Paul E. Lovejoy and J.S. Economic links among the regions increased, but indirect rule tended to discourage political interchange. [67], This system, in which the structure of authority focused on the emir to whom obedience was a mark of religious devotion, did not welcome change. Britain withdrew from the slave trade when it was the major transporter of slaves to the Americas. [67], The Colonial Office, where Lugard was still held in high regard, accepted that changes might be due in the south, but it forbade fundamental alteration of procedures in the north. (This was also reflective of growing pan-Africanism among American activists of the time.) [9] Administration and military control of the territory was conducted primarily by white Britons, both in London and in Nigeria. [19] Although the Ijebu had some weapons they were wiped out by British Maxims, the earliest machine gun. opposed early self-rule for colonial Nigeria on the ground of perceived domination by the southerners. Falola, Toyin, Ann Genova, and Matthew M. Heaton. In 1851 deposed king Akintoye of Lagos sought British help in restoring him to the throne. [25][n 1], The missionaries gained in power throughout the 1800s. After the defection of Kano, the only significant disagreement within the NPC was related to moderates. It occurs when one nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it, often while . Whenever a trader had become successful enough to keep a war canoe, he was expected to form his own "house". [61], The task of unification was achieved on the eve of World War I. All were knighted. Although Azikiwe later came to be recognised as the leading spokesman for national unity, when he first returned from university training in the United States, his outlook was pan-African rather than nationalist, and emphasised the common African struggle against European colonialism. Among the problems needing attention before the British would grant full independence was the minorities fear of discrimination by a future government based on majority ethnic groups. It was not a walk over for the British to conquer Nigeria, some individuals and groups resisted the imposition of colonial rule. Nigeria (/ n a d r i / ny-JEER-ee-), officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa.It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea to the south in the Atlantic Ocean.It covers an area of 923,769 square kilometres (356,669 sq mi), and with a population of over 225 million, it is the most populous country in Africa, and the world's . This was because; education in Southern Nigeria was already leading to a level of awareness and militancy or resistance to colonial rule. Even before gaining its charter, the Company signed treaties with local leaders which granted it broad sovereign powers. Ist October, 2010, marks The 50th anniversary of Nigeria's independence from imperial Britain. [16] Starting in 1740, the British were the primary European slave trafficker from this area. Contemporary photograph of the same building, now housing the, Developments in colonial policy under Clifford, Emergence of Southern Nigerian nationalism, Constitutional conferences in the UK (195758), All of this section to this point is from. The British had participated in it until human trafficking was abolished in 1807. Some European traders switched to legitimate business only when the commerce in slaves became too hazardous. The operations of this force are still not fully known due to a policy of strict secrecy mandated by the British Government. "The Hidden Hand of Overrule: Political Agents and the Establishment of British Colonial Rule in Northern Nigeria, 18861914". Portuguese Roman Catholic priests who accompanied traders and officials to the West African coast introduced Christianity to the Edo Empire in the fifteenth century. Although colonial rule appeared secure in the first two decades of the 20th century, the British struggled to keep control of their Nigerian colony and continued to do so until Nigeria became independent in 1960. Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. Frederick Lugard, who assumed the position of high commissioner of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria in 1900, often has been regarded as the model British colonial administrator. Although colonial rule appeared secure in the first two decades of the 20th century, the British struggled to keep control of their Nigerian colony and continued to do so until Nigeria became independent in 1960. On 9 May 1913, Lugard submitted a formal proposal to the Colonial Office in which Northern and Southern provinces would have separate administrations, under the control of a "strongly authoritarian" Governor-General. [70], Lugard's immediate successor (19191925), Sir Hugh Clifford, was an aristocratic professional administrator with liberal instincts who had won recognition for his enlightened governorship of the Gold Coast in 19121919. The NPC continued to represent the interests of the traditional order in the pre-independence deliberations. This was used for Britain's main purpose of taking control of the region. Elections were held for a new and greatly enlarged House of Representatives in December 1959; 174 of the 312 seats were allocated to the Northern Region on the basis of its larger population. This line was extended to Oshogbo, 100 kilometres (62mi) away, in 19051907, and to Zungeru and Minna in 19081911. He was aware that the Muslim north would present problems, but he had hopes for progress along the lines which he laid down in the south, where he anticipated "general emancipation" leading to a more representative form of government. 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