[59], Lugard advocated constantly for the unification of the whole territory, and in August 1911 the Colonial Office asked Lugard to lead the amalgamated colony.[60]. In 1922 Kamerun was divided under a League of Nations mandate between France and Britain, Britain administering its area within the government of Nigeria; after 1946 the mandated areas were redesignated as a United Nations (UN) trust territory. Joining the Royal Niger Company in 1894, Lugard was sent to Borgu to counter inroads made by the French, and in 1897 he was made responsible for raising the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) from local levies to serve under British officers. Although it reserved effective power in the hands of the Governor-General and his appointed Executive Council, the so-called Richards Constitution (after Governor-General Sir Arthur Richards, who was responsible for its formulation) provided for an expanded Legislative Council empowered to deliberate on matters affecting the whole country. The large companies that subsequently opened depots in the delta cities and in Lagos were as ruthlessly competitive as the delta towns themselves and frequently used force to compel potential suppliers to agree to contracts and to meet their demands. Focusing on Britain and Africa, this looks at the growth of anti-colonial resistance and opposition to racism in the prelude to the post-colonial era. Definition of Colonialism Colonialism means a system which the Europeans adopted in ruling the colonies of Africa to their own benefits. A third type of organisation that was more pointedly political was the youth or student group, which became the vehicle of intellectuals and professionals. In an economy with many qualified applicants for every post, great resentment was generated by any favouritism that authorities showed to members of their own ethnic group. Direct taxation on men was introduced in 1928 without major incidents. Herbert Richmond Palmer developed details of this model from 1906 to 1911 as the Governor of Northern Nigeria after Lugard.[66]. In: The Journal of African History: (1990 . By the 1820s, the British had made connections . 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. The principal figure in the political activity that ensued was Herbert Macauley, often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. Formal diplomatic relations were established with the opening of the American Embassy in Lagos and of the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, both on 1 October 1960, the same day which Nigeria acquired its independence from British rule. Although per capita income in the country as a whole remained low by international standards, rising incomes among salaried personnel and burgeoning urbanization expanded consumer demand for imported goods. Beecroft was the British representative to Fernando Po, where the African Slave Trade Patrol of the Royal Navy was stationed. Awolowo had little difficulty in appealing to broad segments of the Yoruba population, but he worked to avoid the Action Group from being stigmatized as a "tribal" group. It backed Yoruba irredentism in the Fulani-ruled emirate of Ilorin in the Northern Region, and separatist movements among non-Igbo in the Eastern Region. The British entry into World War I saw the confiscation of Nigerian palm oil firms operated by expatriates from the Central Powers. Nigeria is a country in West Africa and was colonized by the British in 1884 during a slave trade (Alme). This system, in which the structure of authority focused on the emir to . European colonialists had managed to quell the efforts by Africans to resist the establishment of colonial rule. A lack of interest in extending the NPC beyond the Northern Region corresponded to this strictly regional orientation. of the Belgian colonial rule that eventually gave rise to a violent resistance against colonial rule, and the repression of this resistance resulted in the . Otherwise, the Governor-General's office was essentially ceremonial. Before the discovery of oil in 1956, Nigeria's resources were the main focus for the British Empire, and this was primarily because Nigeria was rich in agricultural wealth and other natural resources, such as rubber and copper. [17] Much of this oil was sold elsewhere in the British Empire. Broadening political participation and expanding educational opportunities and other social services also were viewed as threats to the status quo. [18], In 1807, the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted the Slave Trade Act, prohibiting British subjects from participating in the Atlantic slave trade. Published August 7, 2020. The nationalism that became a political factor in Nigeria during the interwar period derived both from an older political particularism and broad pan-Africanism, rather than from any sense among the people of a common Nigerian nationality. The Royal Niger Company established its headquarters far inland at Lokoja, which was the main trading port of the company,[34] from where it began to assume responsibility for the administration of areas along the Niger and Benue rivers where it maintained depots. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. They took the right to rule over it, to levy taxes, to depose kings and to create kings. It is not a personal union of separate colonies under the same Governor like the Windwards, it is not a Confederation of States. On January 1, 1914, following the recommendations of Sir Frederick Lugard, the two protectorates were amalgamated to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria under a single governor-general resident in Lagos. Updated: 11/12/2021 Create an account Hon. Ken Swindell, "The Commercial Development of the North: Company and Government Relations, 19001906". The election of the House of Representatives after the adoption of the 1954 constitution gave the NPC a total of seventy-nine seats, all from the Northern Region. 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. He insisted on maintaining the territorial integrity of the Northern Region. The colony was created through the consolidation of the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. The emirs gave support to limited modernization largely from fears of the unsettling presence of southerners in the north, and by observing the improvements in living conditions in the South. Nigeria in the past was forced to participate in the slave trade. Significantly, the regional governments controlled public expenditures derived from revenues raised within each region. In an era of globalization, leaders of "recognized" nations often discuss the development of indigenous resources without inviting aboriginal leaders to the table. [8] Azikiwe was installed as Governor-General of the federation and Balewa continued to serve as head of a democratically elected parliamentary, but now completely sovereign, government. After the Napoleon war, the British tried to expand their colonial rule in Africa and began to establish trade tides with Nigeria in 1898. It is not a unitary state with local government areas but with one Central Executive and one Legislature. Unification meant only the loose affiliation of three distinct regional administrations into which Nigeria was subdividedNorthern, Western and Eastern regions. The protectorate was organised to control and develop trade coming down the Niger. To establish settled government in the newly won districts; To improve and extend native footpaths throughout the country; To construct properly graded roads in the more populated districts; To clear the numerous rivers in the country and make them suitable for launch and canoe traffic; and. History of Islam in Nigeria. Every Sultan and Emir and the principal officers of state will be appointed by the high Commissioner throughout all this country. Although this trade grew to significant proportionspalm oil exports alone were worth 1 billion a year by 1840it was concentrated near the coast, where palm trees grew in abundance. In this final section of this module, we will look at four phases of African reaction to . The company received 865,000 compensation for the loss of its Charter. Namely, it possessed colonies on all continents. In addition to their economic grievances, they also called for the end of the reform of the native courts. It was replaced by a new coalition government led by David Lloyd George featuring Conservatives and Lloyd George's supporters in the Liberal Party, while Asquith and the remainder of the Liberals entered opposition.[69]. Macaulay was despised by the British, but he came to be regarded as the father of modern Nigerian nationalism.. ", Helen Chapin Metz, ed. 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. [77] Its revenue quickly increased, from 4,424 in 1901 to 274,989 in 1910. In the name of liberating the Igbos from the Aro Confederacy, the British launched the Anglo-Aro War of 19011902. After the Berlin Conference of 1884, Britain announced the formation of the Oil Rivers Protectorate, which included the Niger Delta and extended eastward to Calabar, where the British Consulate General was relocated from Fernando Po. Northern leaders committed to modernization were also firmly connected to the traditional power structure. 19, no. Village Heads were paid 10 shillings for conscripts, and fined 50 if they failed to supply. The departure of Azikiwe and other Igbo members of the NYM left the organisation in Yoruba hands. Britain withdrew from the slave trade when it was the major transporter of slaves to the Americas. Instead, the companies had to be content with a monopoly of the export trade in these products. In the immediate post-World War II period, Nigeria benefited from a favourable trade balance. In 1958 exportation of Nigerian oil was initiated at facilities constructed at Port Harcourt. David Ellis, "African and European relations in the last century of the transatlantic slave trade"; in Ptr-Grenouilleau. 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). of British Colonial Nigeria. Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. The essential basis of this system was a money economyspecifically the British pound sterlingwhich could be demanded through taxation, paid to cooperative natives, and levied as a fine. It was guerrilla warfare in the case of the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya (1952-60) and Zimbabwe's war of independence (1965-79); it was all . The legitimate trade in commodities attracted a number of British merchants to the Niger River, as well as some men who had been formerly engaged in the slave trade but who now changed their line of wares. Rebellions Against Colonial Rule Before the Second World War. In 1894 the territory was redesignated the Niger Coast Protectorate and was expanded to include the region from Calabar to Lagos Colony and Protectorate, including the hinterland, and northward up the Niger River as far as Lokoja, the headquarters of the Royal Niger Company. In the north, for instance, legislation took the form of a decree cosigned by the Governor and the emir, while in the south, the Governor sought the approval of the Legislative Council. In 1907, the corporation received a loan of 25,000, repayable upon discovery of oil. Three years later internal divisions arose that was dominated by major ethnic loyalties. These organisations were primarily urban phenomena that arose after numerous rural migrants moved to the cities. The Governor-General, in turn, was responsible for appointing the prime minister and for choosing a candidate from among contending leaders when there was no parliamentary majority. The British, like other newcomers to the slave trade, found . The similarity between the federal and regional constitutions was deceptive, however, and the conduct of public affairs reflected wide differences among the regions. In 1923 Herbert Macaulay, the grandson of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, established the first Nigerian political party, the Nigerian National Democratic Party, which successfully contested three Lagos seats in the Legislative Council. [73] In direct reaction to the epidemic, colonial authorities allowed African doctors and medical personnel to work with influenza patients due to the severity of the situation. Slave trade ruling the colonies of Africa to their economic grievances, they also called the! Nigeria after Lugard. [ 66 ] left the organisation in Yoruba hands into War. Later internal divisions arose that was dominated by major ethnic loyalties the right to rule over,! The Igbos from the Central Powers the confiscation of Nigerian nationalism also for... British entry into World War I saw the confiscation of Nigerian nationalism the efforts by Africans to the. The establishment of colonial rule territorial integrity of the transatlantic slave trade ( Alme ) of Northern after... 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nigeria resistance to colonial rule