nigeria resistance to colonial rule
During his six-year tenure as High Commissioner, Sir Frederick Lugard (as he became in 1901) was occupied with transforming the commercial sphere of influence inherited from the Royal Niger Company into a viable territorial unit under effective British political control. The French had abolished slavery following the French Revolution, although it briefly re-established it in its Caribbean colonies under Napoleon. 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. Further dislocation accompanied the outbreak of World War I. I would encourage the society to resist by declaring a war against the Europeans. But in the 1700s, the Bight of Benin (also known as the Slave Coast) became the next most important hub. Whenever a trader had become successful enough to keep a war canoe, he was expected to form his own "house". His government guided the country for the next three years, operating with almost complete autonomy in internal affairs. opposed early self-rule for colonial Nigeria on the ground of perceived domination by the southerners. The political parties jockeyed for positions of power in anticipation of the independence of Nigeria. Resistance movements began to rise in . practice of indirect rule, Brown contends that culture industries like Nollywood can sustain capitalism . As a latecomer in the struggle for colonies, Germany had to settle for four territories, called "protectorates," in . [59], Following the order recommended by the Niger Committee, the Colonial Office merged Lagos Colony and the Southern Nigeria Protectorate on 1 May 1906, forming a larger protectorate (still called the Southern Nigeria Protectorate) which spanned the coastline between Dahomey and Cameroon. 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. [11][12], The amalgamation of different ethnic and religious groups into one federation created internal tension which persists in Nigeria to the present day.[13]. [32] This included a river fleet which it used for retaliatory attacks on uncooperative villages. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1719. [36], The company, as was common among European businesses in Africa, paid its native workers in barter. 22. Nigerians also requested more political representation. European traders in Nigeria initially made widespread use of the cowrie, which was already valued locally. 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. Despite conquering villages by burning houses and crops, continual political control over the Igbo remained elusive. The proliferation of labour organisations fragmented the movement, and potential leaders lacked the experience and skill to draw workers together. The British, when faced with dissent, tended to grant political reforms in an effort to dispel the attractiveness of more-radical . Between them, the French and the British had purchased a majority of the slaves sold from the ports of Edo. Otherwise, the Governor-General's office was essentially ceremonial. [54] Olivier was a member of the Fabian Society and a friend of George Bernard Shaw. Alan Lennox-Boyd, M.P., the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. 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. . There were numerous differences of detail among the regional systems, but all adhered to parliamentary forms and were equally autonomous in relation to the Nigerian federal government at Lagos. History of Islam in Nigeria. [25][n 1], The missionaries gained in power throughout the 1800s. By 18261850, the British Royal Navy was intervening significantly with Lagos slave exports. 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. [52], The territory of the Royal Niger Company became the Northern Nigeria Protectorate, and the Company itself became a private corporation which continued to do business in Nigeria. The seven men who governed Northern Nigeria, Southern Nigeria and Lagos through 1914 were Henry McCallum, William MacGregor, Walter Egerton, Ralph Moor, Percy Girouard, Hesketh Bell and Frederick Lugard. In these territories, violent resistance brought colonial rule to a close. Main aim. Balewa formed a coalition government that included the Action Group as well as the NCNC to prepare the country for the final British withdrawal. As a protectorate, it did not have the status of a colony, so its officials were appointed by the Foreign Office and not by the Colonial Office. Progressive constitutions after World War II provided for increasing representation and electoral government by Nigerians. Crowther was succeeded as bishop by a British cleric. In the Eastern Region, appointed officials who were given "warrants" and hence called warrant chiefs, were strongly resisted by the people because they lacked traditional claims. [29] His servant, Richard Lander, and Lander's brother John were the ones to demonstrate that the Niger flowed into the sea. Lagos remained the capital of the south, with Zungeru the new capital of the north. Indigenous responses to imperialism during the period of 1750-1900 varied widely depending on the specific group of people and the imperial power they were interacting with. Asante Resistance (Ghana) 6. Laird's efforts were stimulated by the detailed reports of a pioneer German explorer, Heinrich Barth, who travelled through much of Borno and the Sokoto Caliphate, where he recorded information about the region's geography, economy and inhabitants. RESISTANCE. There was virtually no pressure for greater unity among the regions until after the end of World War II. It is not a federal state with federal Executive, Legislature and finances, like the Leewards. Because Western education and Christianity spread rapidly in the south and not in the north, development was much slower in the north, and the growing disparity between north and south later caused political tensions. Ouidah (now part of Benin) and Lagos were the major ports on the coast. This was used for Britain's main purpose of taking control of the region. . Borno capitulated without a fight, but in 1903 Lugard's RWAFF mounted assaults on Kano and Sokoto. The Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down the river to a waiting European ship. Read suggested they be merged, and more use made of Nigeria's natural resources. Nigeria's first nationalist movements appeared in the 1920s, and resistance to colonial rule grew over the next three decades. Please let us discuss the brave roles of this groups and peoples. Throughout this period of reign, many changes were made to their . By the end of World War I, most of Africa had been effectively colonized. In the face of threats to the divided Yoruba states from Dahomey and the Sokoto Caliphate, as represented by the emirate of Ilorin, the British Governorassisted by the CMSsucceeded in imposing peace settlements on the interior. 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. Two tiers of government emerged, central and local. 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. Among the other major parties, the NCNC took fifty-six seats, winning a majority in both the Eastern and the Western regions, while the Action Group captured only twenty-seven seats. 3 The Amakholwa's upsurge as a black, conservative, and educated class in the Cape Colony helped establish political resistance to colonial rule. The introduction of the federal principle, with deliberative authority devolved on the regions, signalled recognition of the country's diversity. [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. American president Dwight D. Eisenhower was represented at the independence ceremonies by Nelson Rockefeller, the . [50] In the same year, the British created the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF or WAFF), under the leadership of Colonel Frederick Lugard. Accordingly, as the volume of trade increased, merchants requested that the Government of the United Kingdom appoint a consul to cover the region. After the defection of Kano, the only significant disagreement within the NPC was related to moderates. To some extent, competition amongst these companies undermined their collective position vis--vis, local merchants. Local administration, where the colonial citizens typically experienced colonial authority, was based on the policy of indirect rule first developed in the north. This system, in which the structure of authority focused on the emir to . They were instrumental in the development of government diplomacy with the traditional rulers; they spread government propaganda among the indigenous people; and they assisted colonial officials in parleying with native forces at war with government troops. Nigeria: A Country Study. Native Administration was responsible for police, hospitals, public works and local courts. Three years later internal divisions arose that was dominated by major ethnic loyalties. Webster, Boahen and Idowu are of the opinion that the conquest of Africa was very simple and that it was carried out with ease. Its final leg enabled it to meet another line, constructed 19071911, running from Baro, through Minnia, to Kano. This study examines the nature of various economic activities of the Adamawa emirate during the pre-colonial period. Nigerian students abroad, particularly at British schools, joined those from other colonies in pan-African groups such as the West African Students Union, founded in London in 1925. "Specifically, the Company sought to secure the cooperation of the traditional rulers in ensuring peaceful conditions for trade. 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. 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. With the exception of Brandenburg-Prussia's short-lived attempt to gain a foothold on the West African coast and to participate in the 17th-century transatlantic slave trade, German colonialism began only in the 1880s. Retrieved October 11, 2014 from. Menelik II, emperor of Ethiopia, led his army to accomplish this unique feat in March 1896, defeating General Oreste Baratieri's Italian . Villages by burning houses and crops, continual political control over the Igbo elusive! Years later internal divisions arose that was dominated by major ethnic loyalties [ 1. Can sustain capitalism use made of Nigeria 's natural resources were made to their the river to a waiting ship! Adamawa emirate during the pre-colonial period of Kano, the British Secretary of State for colonies. Movement, and more use made of Nigeria 's natural resources Dwight Eisenhower! 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