Subsequent revisions contained in the Lyttleton Constitution, enacted in 1954, firmly established the federal principle and paved the way for independence. The principal figure in the political activity that ensued was Herbert Macauley, often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. [57], Egerton also supervised improvements to the Lagos harbour and extension of the local telegraph network. In quick order, a large British military forcedeemed the Punitive Expeditionwas assembled, and on February 18, they arrived in Benin City under orders to invade and conquer it. Village Heads were paid 10 shillings for conscripts, and fined 50 if they failed to supply. NEPU formed a parliamentary alliance with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. Facebook Instagram Email. While they all shared a desire for wealth and power, their motivations for colonization differed somewhat, and thus the pattern and success of their colonies varied significantly. A Review of "What Britain Did to Nigeria" by Max Siollun - Foreign Affairs The only significant interruption in economic development arose from natural disasterthe Great Drought of 191314. Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands). Clifford emphasized economic development, encouraging enterprises by immigrant southerners in the north while restricting European participation to capital intensive activity. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria [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]. The Factors That Led to the Colonization of Africa by the Europeans In the north, the emirs intended to maintain firm control on economic and political change. 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]. It is not a unitary state with local government areas but with one Central Executive and one Legislature. How Nigeria Was Colonized by the British: The Complete History [22] Many locals remained unconvinced of the Crown's authority to completely reverse the legal and moral attributes of a social institution through fiat. Columbus, in his voyage, sought fame and fortune, as did his Spanish sponsors. He aroused political awareness through his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. But in the 1700s, the Bight of Benin (also known as the Slave Coast) became the next most important hub. Some of them began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of home and trade. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1315. In-text citation: British merchants led the trade in palm oil, while the Portuguese and others continued the slave trade. It was also partly to protect the Egba that the British shelled Lagos in 1851, expelled Kosoko, the reigning oba, and restored his uncle, Akitoye, who appeared more willing to join in a campaign to abolish the slave trade. He was convinced that the Muslim religion had fallen into utter degeneration as a result of moral depravity of the Hausa Emirs. Most internal problems were concealed, and open opposition to the domination of the Muslim aristocracy was not tolerated. The Royal Navy bombarded Lagos in November 1851, ousted the pro-slavery Oba Kosoko and established a treaty with the newly installed Oba Akintoye, who was expectedly more amenable to British interests. The transfer of responsibility for budgetary management from the central to the regional governments in 1954 accelerated the pace of public spending on services and on development projects. The Colonial Office approved most of Lugard's plan, but balked at authorising him to pass laws without their approval. Open Document. Although the capital was not moved, Lugard's bias in favour of the Muslim north was clear at the time. Local leaders, cognizant of the situation in the West Indies, India, and elsewhere, recognised the risks of British expansion. The British penetration of Nigeria met with various forms of resistance throughout the country. The company received 865,000 compensation for the loss of its Charter. Norman Conquest - National Geographic Society The Colonial and Pre-Colonial Eras in Nigeria | AHA - Historians 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. The Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down the river to a waiting European ship. In 1916 Lugard formed the Nigerian Council, a consultative body that brought together six traditional rulersincluding the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano and the Oba of Beninto represent all parts of the colony. At first, they lived in small family groups, but gradually these groups developed into a. Colonialism is both a practice and a word that means so much to Nigeria. By 1919 the National Council of British West Africa, an organization consisting of elites across West Africa, was demanding that half the members of the Legislative Council be Africans; they also wanted a university in West Africa and more senior positions for Africans in the colonial civil service. The said National African Company (Limited) bind themselves to protect the said King and Chiefs from the attacks of any neighbouring tribes (Ibid.). A Summary of British Rule in India - ThoughtCo The militias and RWAFF battalions were reorganized into the RWAFF Nigeria Regiment.[62]. [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. History of the British Takeover of Nigeria - U.OSU 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. [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. [82], Oil exploration began in 1906 under John Simon Bergheim's Nigeria Bitumen Corporation, to which the Colonial Office granted exclusive rights. The pace of constitutional change accelerated after the promulgation of the Richards Constitution. Developed from Mayan civilization B. acquired empires by means of military conquest C. Independently developed iron technology D. Depended entirely on oral record keeping . [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. The operations of this force are still not fully known due to a policy of strict secrecy mandated by the British Government. They were helped by two major factors; the discovery of quinine as a preventive drug against malaria and the armory the British possess which was superior compared to those of the Nigerians. 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. 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. A.J. He insisted on maintaining the territorial integrity of the Northern Region. 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. The British also created "divide and rule" policies, pitting Hindu and Muslim Indians against one another. The company's major imports to the area included gin and low-quality firearms. sutton united average attendance; granville woods most famous invention; alcoa utilities power outage; In 1958 exportation of Nigerian oil was initiated at facilities constructed at Port Harcourt. All these things which I have said the Fulani by conquest took the right to do now pass to the British. Their history illustrates that rarely they had put a programme or a plan before themselves and then acted upon it. The history of external colonisation of Africa can be divided into two stages: Classical antiquity and European colonialism. European Conquest and Colonization of Africa - 1504 Words | Critical [11], Britain's imperialistic posture became more aggressive towards the end of the century. As a further step toward independence, the Governor's Executive Council was merged with the Council of Ministers in 1957 to form the all-Nigerian Federal Executive Council. While each generated considerable political controversy, they moved the country toward greater internal autonomy, with an increasing role for the political parties. In 1805, he set out on a second expedition, sponsored by the British Government, to follow the Niger to the sea. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Europeans had raced to colonize the country Africa. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1719. A "house" included the extended family of the trader, including retainers and slaves. [19], The company considered itself the sole legitimate government of the area, with executive, legislative and judicial powers all subordinate to the rule of a council created by the company board of directors in London. Most of these came from military backgrounds. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeriacan low magnesium kill you. European slave trading from West Africa began before 1650, with people taken at a rate of about 3,000 per year. Africans also were represented on the Lagos Legislative Council, a largely appointed assembly. In all three regions, minority parties represented the special interests of ethnic groups, especially as they were affected by the majority. "The Hidden Hand of Overrule: Political Agents and the Establishment of British Colonial Rule in Northern Nigeria, 18861914". (This was also reflective of growing pan-Africanism among American activists of the time.) Kingdoms and empires of precolonial Nigeria, Controversies surrounding the 2007 presidential election, Nigeria under Umaru Musa YarAdua and Goodluck Jonathan, The 2015 elections and electorate concerns, Recession, fight against corruption, and insecurity, Which Country Is Larger By Population? Gradually, however, the trade forced major economic and social changes in the interior, although it hardly undermined slavery and the slave trade. To start with, European nations were motivated by economic factors arising from the industrial revolution which started in Britain and extended to other European countries such as Belgium, France and Germany (Hochschild, 158).They wanted cheaper mineral resources for their home industries claiming that resources were abundant in Africa for In the meantime, public sector spending increased even more dramatically than export earnings. 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. 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.

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