The British entry into World War I saw the confiscation of Nigerian palm oil firms operated by expatriates from the Central Powers. The huge African continent (three times the size of the continental United States) was particularly vulnerable to European conquest. The conquest and colonization of the Nigerian territory stirring up nationalist sentiments among the few educated elements mostly foreign educated Africans and liberated slaves, and later African students in Britain. The Mad Rush Into Africa in the Early 1880s Within just 20 years, the political face of Africa had changed, with only Liberia (a colony run by formerly enslaved African Americans) and Ethiopia remaining free of European control . The Nigeria Regiment of the RWAFF, integrating troops from the north and south, saw action against German colonial forces in Cameroon and in German East Africa. He was convinced that the Muslim religion had fallen into utter degeneration as a result of moral depravity of the Hausa Emirs. Although lacking Azikiwe's compelling personality, Awolowo was a formidable debater as well as a vigorous and tenacious political campaigner. It is not a unitary state with local government areas but with one Central Executive and one Legislature. "Nigerian Forces Comforts Fund, 19401947: 'The Responsibility of the Nigerian Government to Provide Funds for the Welfare of Its Soldiers'. One 1885 treaty read: We, the undersigned King and Chiefs [] with the view to the bettering of the condition of our country and people, do this day cede to the National Africa Company (Limited), their heirs and assigns, forever, the whole of our territory [] We also give the said National African Company (Limited) full power to settle all native disputes arising from any cause whatever, and we pledge ourselves not to enter into any war with other tribes without the sanction of the said National Africa Company (Limited). Although realistic in its assessment of the situation in Nigeria, the Richards Constitution undoubtedly intensified regionalism as an alternative to political unification. Some of them began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of home and trade. The goal of activists initially was not self-determination, but increased participation on a regional level in the governmental process. The influx of cowrie led to inflation. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 8(04), 563. doi:10.1017/s0022278x00023909. As before, Aro merchants dominated trade in the hinterland, including palm products to the coast and the sale of slaves within Igboland. British exploitation of their fatherland. 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. 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). British colonialism led to the spread of the English language in Africa, and many former British colonies still maintain English as an official language. In time, they built depots onshore and eventually moved up the Niger River to establish stations in the interior. They wanted self-government, charging that only colonial rule prevented the unshackling of progressive forces in Nigeria and other states. British business interests wanted to use this to create a monopoly over the industry, but Prime Minister H. H. Asquith's Liberal government and subsequent war coalition favored allowing international free trade. The basic economic units in each town were "houses", family-operated entities that engendered loyalty for its employees. Beecroft was the British representative to Fernando Po, where the African Slave Trade Patrol of the Royal Navy was stationed. With this victory, the British went on to conquer the rest of Yorubaland, which had also been weakened by sixteen years of civil war. [78], After establishing political control of the country, the British implemented a system of taxation in order to force the indigenous Africans to shift from subsistence farming to wage labour. The classic example in English history was the victory of the Parliament over the king. [76], The British treasury initially supported the landlocked Northern Nigeria Protectorate with grants, totalling 250,000 or more each year. He definitely laid the basis for British claims. This line was extended to Oshogbo, 100 kilometres (62mi) away, in 19051907, and to Zungeru and Minna in 19081911. [63], The Protectorate was centrally administered by the Colonial Civil Service, staffed by Britons and Africans called the British Native Staffmany of whom originated from outside the territory. As a practice, colonialism is traced to the1854 and 1855 conference at Berlin in Germany. [46] Lugard was slow to describe these excursions to the Colonial Office, which apparently learned of preparations to attack Kano from the newspapers in December 1902. The Nigerian Civil War is also known as the Nigerian-Biafran war and took place between July 1967 and January 1970. They, in turn, have by defeat lost their rule which has come into the hands of the British. Thanks to this skewed writing of history, many Nigerians today still have Empire nostalgia and view the colonial period through rose-tinted . [42], The British had difficulty conquering Igboland, which lacked a central political organisation. Officials of the Sokoto Caliphate considered these treaties quite differently; from their perspective, the British were granted only extraterritorial rights that did not prevent similar arrangements with the Germans and the French and certainly did not surrender sovereignty. mitchelville beach house. 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. Initial British attempts to open trade with the interior by way of the Niger could not overcome climate and diseases such as malaria. In some cases, British assignment of people to ethnic groups, and treatment based along ethnic lines, led to identification with ethnicity where none had existed before.[84]. (Specifically it would enable direct subsidy of the less profitable Northern jurisdiction.) Harding, director of Nigerian affairs at the Colonial Office, defined the official position of the British Government in support of indirect rule when he said that "direct government by impartial and honest men of alien race [] never yet satisfied a nation long and [] under such a form of government, as wealth and education increase, so do political discontent and sedition". Consequently, in 1849, John Beecroft was accredited as consul for the bights of Benin and Biafra, a jurisdiction stretching from Dahomey to Cameroon. sutton united average attendance; granville woods most famous invention; alcoa utilities power outage; In general, the regional constitutions followed the federal model, both structurally and functionally. [11][12], In 1900, the British Government assumed control of the Southern and Northern Protectorates, both of which were ultimately governed by the Colonial Office at Whitehall. But by providing for comparable regional governments exercising broad legislative powers, which could not be overridden by the newly established 185-seat federal House of Representatives, the Macpherson Constitution also gave a significant boost to regionalism. In 1912, Lugard returned to Nigeria from his six-year term as Governor of Hong Kong, to oversee the merger of the northern and southern protectorates. European interpretations of Christian orthodoxy in some cases refused to allow the incorporation of local customs and practices, although the various mission denominations interpreted Christianity in different ways. British expansion accelerated in the last decades of the nineteenth century. Its program reflected greater planning and was more ideologically oriented than that of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons. The Action Group was largely the creation of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, General Secretary of Egbe Omo Oduduwa and leader of the Nigerian Produce Traders' Association. Among his leading lieutenants were Samuel Akintola of Ogbomoso and the Oni of Ife, the most important of the Yoruba monarchs. Du Bois. 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. June 30, 2022 . [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). 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. The choice of political elite at the time of independence can also explain these differences. God, Gold, and Glory. European Colonialism in Africa. This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 05:21. the British Government completed their assignment of conquest and came up with what they called the Amalgamation of Nigeria . Several churches were built to serve the Edo community and a small number of African converts. A "house" included the extended family of the trader, including retainers and slaves. Sometimes forced labour was used directly for public works projects. In Europe, Britain sent troops to help its ally, Prussia, which was surrounded by its enemies. Siollun concludes with what he calls "the mistake of 1914": his view that the British resolution to join their northern and southern protectorates into one poorly integrated colony constitutes the single most consequential decision of colonial rule in Nigeria. In the long term, the acceptance of Christianity by large numbers of Nigerians depended on the various denominations adapting to local conditions. Bello wanted to protect northern social and political institutions from southern influence. Some of the treaties contained prohibitions on diplomacy conducted without British permission, or other promises to abide by British rule. Trained as an army officer, he had served in India, Egypt and East Africa, where he expelled Arab slave traders from Nyasaland and established British presence in Uganda. The most striking departure was in the Northern Region, where special provisions brought the regional constitution into consonance with Islamic law and custom. His mission failed, but Park and his party covered more than 1,500 kilometres (930mi), passing through the western portions of the Sokoto Caliphate, before drowning when their boats overturned in rapids near Bussa. Nigerian delegates were selected to represent each region and to reflect various shades of opinion. Because of the hazards of climate and tropical diseases for Europeans and the absence of any centralized authorities on the mainland responsive to their interests, European merchants moored their ships outside harbours or in the delta, and used the ships as trading stations and warehouses. The palm oil trade was also linked to the Sokoto jihad and the Yoruba wars, because many warriors recognized the importance of slaves not only as soldiers and producers of food to feed soldiers but additionally as producers of palm oil to trade for European dane guns and other goods. Despite his somewhat successful efforts to enlist non-Yoruba support, the regionalist sentiment that had stimulated the party initially continued. The British Conquest of Nigeria From about the mid nineteenth century, the British began to alter the nature of their relationship between themselves and Nigerians. Retrieved October 11, 2014 from. After the defection of Kano, the only significant disagreement within the NPC was related to moderates. British Colonizing in Nigeria. The influence of Christianity and the establishment of schools made the nationalists realize that after all God created everyman equal . Native Administration was responsible for police, hospitals, public works and local courts. (This was also reflective of growing pan-Africanism among American activists of the time.) 4. Empty cart. In 1920, portions of former German Cameroon were mandated to Britain by the League of Nations and were administered as part of Nigeria. Three years later internal divisions arose that was dominated by major ethnic loyalties. Between them, the French and the British had purchased a majority of the slaves sold from the ports of Edo. The CMS pioneered trade on the Niger by encouraging Scottish explorer and merchant Macgregor Laird to run a monthly steamboat, which provided transportation for missionary agents and Sierra Leonean traders going up the Niger. Total revenues of central and regional governments nearly doubled in relation to the gross domestic product during the decade. For this objective, the Company chose to administer the African inhabitants of the Niger Sudan through their traditional rulers and their political institutions. They took the right to rule over it, to levy taxes, to depose kings and to create kings. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Final Conquest Verse By Verse Study of The Book Revelation DVD Robert Jeffress at the best online prices at eBay! The racial discriminatory tendencies of the Europeans to Nigerians. "The agents performed similar but more expansive roles as their Company counterparts. 24. Consequently, he may well deserve the epithet of the "father of Nigeria", which historians accorded him. They later discovered that the demand for palm oil was in fact stimulating an internal slave trade, because slaves were largely responsible for collecting palm fruits, manufacturing palm oil, and transporting it to the coast, whether by canoe or by human porterage. Their forces, which were drawn from hundreds of Igbo youth from all parts of the region, created many problems for the British, but the British used forceful tactics and heavy armaments (destroying homes, farms, and roads) to prevail. The company received 865,000 compensation for the loss of its Charter. They were the most politically conscious segment of the population and created the vanguard of the nationalist movement. [11], Britain's imperialistic posture became more aggressive towards the end of the century. [61] John Anderson diplomatically suggested: If it is the necessity for formally submitting the drafts that hurts Sir F. Lugard, I should be quite prepared to omit that provision provided that the period of publication of the draft prior to enactment is extended from one month to two. Nigeria: A Country Study. In addition, two other protectorates were declared, one over the Oil Rivers and the other over the hinterland of Lagos, to establish a claim that these areas were also British spheres of interest.. 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. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to see among other things the British interest in the area referred to as Sokoto Caliphate, the crises and conflicts that ensued, the resistance put up by the people and the eventual conquest of the caliphate. [9] Administration and military control of the territory was conducted primarily by white Britons, both in London and in Nigeria. In the Northern Region, the colonial government took careful account of Islam and avoided any appearance of a challenge to traditional values that might incite resistance to British rule. The official languages of Kenya, for example, are English and Kiswahili, while Zimbabwe -- formerly Rhodesia under British colonial rule -- uses English as its only official language. Borno capitulated without a fight, but in 1903 Lugard's RWAFF mounted assaults on Kano and Sokoto. In German East Africa, Britain took over Tangayika while Ruanda-Urundi possessions were given to Belgium. 1) Lack of British Personnel: Obviously Nigeria was not the only West African country colonized by the British, other countries like Ghana, Sierra-Leone and The Gambia were part of the British colonies. The rapid expansion in exports, especially after 1830, occurred precisely at the time slave exports collapsed. . Order. In-text citation: The charter allowed the company to collect customs and make treaties with local leaders.[12]. The search for oil, begun in 1908 and abandoned a few years later, was revived in 1937 by Shell and British Petroleum. The experiment began in 1890 and was repealed in 1939,[71]. British colony and protectorate from 1914 to 1960, 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. ", Simon Heap, "'We think prohibition is a farce': drinking in the alcohol-prohibited zone of colonial northern Nigeria. Other Protestant denominations from Great Britain, Canada, and the United States also opened missions and, in the 1860s, Roman Catholic religious orders established missions. [50] In the same year, the British created the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF or WAFF), under the leadership of Colonel Frederick Lugard. The most important innovations in the new charter reinforced the dual course of constitutional evolution, allowing for both regional autonomy and federal union. Lugard's governmental model for Nigeria was unique and there was apparently not much planning for its future development. In the Northern Cameroons, however, the largely Muslim electorate chose to merge with Nigeria's Northern Region. He aroused political awareness through his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. Lugard informed the leaders of conquered Sokoto: The Fulani in old times [] conquered this country. [72], The Influenza pandemic made its way to the port of Lagos by September 1918 by way of a number of ships including the SS Panayiotis, the SS Ahanti, and the SS Bida. Its architecture was in both Victorian and Brazilian style, as many of the black elite were English-speakers from Sierra Leone and freedmen repatriated from the Empire of Brazil and Spanish Cuba. The Reconquista, or reconquest, refers to the 800 years of violence and expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula after the failed Crusades. "Separatist Agitations in Nigeria Since 1914." Independence was achieved on 1 October 1960. Colonial Lagos was a busy, cosmopolitan port. His political platform called for economic and educational development, Africanization of the civil service, and self-government for Lagos. Antrobus, Fiddes and Strachey in the Colonial Office promoted amalgamation, along with Lugard. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991. In popular parlance, discussions of colonialism in Africa usually focus on the European conquests that resulted in the scramble for Africa after the Berlin Conference in the 19th century. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. Economic links among the regions increased, but indirect rule tended to discourage political interchange. [] They needed special personnel: such officials who knew the local conditions and who could communicate between the Company and the indigenous people. His objective was to conquer the entire region and to obtain recognition of the British protectorate by its indigenous rulers, especially the Fulani emirs of the Sokoto Caliphate. The Governor was, in effect, the coordinator for virtually autonomous entities that had overlapping economic interests but little in common politically or socially. penn wood high school alumni; picture of shawn westover; microblading nickel allergy 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. The Southern Protectorate financed itself from the outset, with revenue increasing from 361,815 to 1,933,235 over the same period. Direct taxation on men was introduced in 1928 without major incidents. It was British colonialism which was the ultimate cause of the war . 1. These organisations were primarily urban phenomena that arose after numerous rural migrants moved to the cities. The company interfered in the territory along the Niger and the Benue, sometimes becoming embroiled in serious conflicts when its British-led native constabulary intercepted slave raids or attempted to protect trade routes. The early Nigerian nationalist did not seek independence. There were three main factors that contributed to the European colonization Africa which were, political, social, and economic. Other firms applying for licenses were rejected. The approaches of the two men to colonial development were diametrically opposed. The mud-walled city of Kano was captured in February, and, after a vigorous skirmish at Kotorkwashi, the sultan's capital, Sokoto, fell the next month. Far from that, NEPU political struggles transformed the Nigerian Independence struggle from the fight against the British to a fight against both the British and the local agents of the British (the Aristocracy). What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule by Max Siollun Hurst, 20, 408 pages Join our online book group on Facebook at FT Books Caf Letter in response to this article: The legal justification for this campaign was a treaty signed in 1886, when the British had interceded as peacemakers to end the Ekiti Parapo war, which imposed free trade requirements and mandated that all parties continue to use British channels for diplomacy. 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. [57], Egerton also supervised improvements to the Lagos harbour and extension of the local telegraph network. The British annexed Lagos in 1861 in order to protect Akitoyes son and successor, foil Kosokos bid to return, and secure a base for further activities. French Roman Catholic missionaries, established in Ouidah (Whydah), arrived in Lagos and considered missionary work on the Niger. Ouidah (now part of Benin) and Lagos were the major ports on the coast. All the territories were now under British control, and the search for an identity began, first as Northern and Southern Nigeria and then with eventual amalgamation. 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]. [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. Otherwise, the Governor-General's office was essentially ceremonial. The operations of this force are still not fully known due to a policy of strict secrecy mandated by the British Government. One of the most effective tactics, the British used to take over most of India. In the 1920s, Nigerians began to form a variety of associations, such as professional and business associations, like the Nigerian Union of Teachers; the Nigerian Law Association, which brought together lawyers, many of whom had been educated in Britain; and the Nigerian Produce Traders' Association, led by Obafemi Awolowo. Park reached the upper Niger the next year by travelling inland from the Gambia River. The principal figure in the political activity that ensued was Herbert Macauley, often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. England would forever be changed politically, economically, and socially as a result. From 1886 to 1899, much of the country was ruled by the Royal Niger Company, authorised by charter, and governed by George Taubman Goldie. They received attention from major parties before elections, at which time either a dominant party from another region or the opposition party in their region sought their alliance. 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. Afeadie, Philip Atsu. A permanent British occupation of Egypt required the inviolability of the Ni 1 Economic Motives. Its residents were employed in official capacities and were active in business. [11], The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. The NPC, entering candidates only in the Northern Region, confined campaigning largely to local issues but opposed the addition of new regimes. Uneasy with the amount of latitude allowed traditional rulers under indirect rule, Clifford opposed further extension of the judicial authority held by the northern emirs.