[72] In line with this attitude, he rejected Lugard's proposal for moving the capital from Lagos, the stronghold of the elite in whom he placed so much confidence for the future. Instead, the companies had to be content with a monopoly of the export trade in these products. In the 1700s, the British Empire and other European powers had settlements and forts in West Africa but had not yet established the full-scale plantation colonies which existed in the Americas. Their common denominators tended to be based on newly assertive ethnic consciousness, particularly that of the Yoruba and Igbo. Alienated by the anonymity of the urban environment and drawn together by ties to their ethnic homelandsas well as by the need for mutual aidthe new city dwellers formed local clubs that later expanded into federations covering whole regions. 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]. If an eye is kept on the Gazettes as they come in this will enable us to warn him of any objections we may entertain to legislative proposals, and also give Liverpool and Manchester an opportunity of voicing their objections. The Sokoto jihad and the Yoruba wars stimulated the slave trade at a time when the British were actively trying to stop it. It soon gained a virtual monopoly over trade along the River[11]. The British captured Kano in 1903. As before, Aro merchants dominated trade in the hinterland, including palm products to the coast and the sale of slaves within Igboland. [73], Africa as a whole was hit by three waves of H1N1 influenza A, the first and second would be the most deadly for the colony of Nigeria. The approaches of the two men to colonial development were diametrically opposed. 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. [36], The company, as was common among European businesses in Africa, paid its native workers in barter. Most of the fighting was done by Hausa soldiers, recruited to fight against other groups. In one year, Lugard recruited 2600 troops, evenly split between Hausa and Yoruba. The principal commodities of legitimate trade were palm oil and palm kernels, which were used in Europe to make soap and as lubricants for machinery before petroleum products were developed for that purpose. The pace of constitutional change accelerated after the promulgation of the Richards Constitution. 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. In German East Africa, Britain took over Tangayika while Ruanda-Urundi possessions were given to Belgium. Inconsistencies in British policy reinforced existing cleavages based on regional animosities, as the British tried both to preserve the indigenous cultures of each area and to introduce modern technology, and Western political and social concepts. . Most of the fighting was done by Hausa soldiers, recruited to fight against other groups. As a practice, colonialism is traced to the1854 and 1855 conference at Berlin in Germany. 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. This led to protests known as Women's War. 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 officers of the RWAFF were British. Ever since, the north-south divide has dominated the politics of independent Nigeria. Most accounts of Nigeria's colonisation were written by British officials, presenting it as a noble civilising mission to rid Africans of barbaric superstition and corrupt tribal leadership. [49], Concrete plans for transition to Crown ruledirect control by the British Governmentapparently began in 1897. The war was between the Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist nation that had declared independence from Nigeria. The British wanted products like palm oil and palm kernel and export trade in tin, cotton, cocoa, groundnuts, palm oil and so on (Graham, 2009). 4. [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. Missionaries were active: Presbyterians in Calabar and the Church Missionary Society (CMS), Methodists, and Baptists in Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Oyo, and Ogbomoso. (This was also reflective of growing pan-Africanism among American activists of the time.) In the north, appeals to Islamic legitimacy upheld the rule of the emirs, so that nationalist sentiments were related to Islamic ideals. In the 1870s, therefore, George Taubman Goldie began amalgamating companies into the United African Company, soon renamed the National African Company. 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: Despite his somewhat successful efforts to enlist non-Yoruba support, the regionalist sentiment that had stimulated the party initially continued. 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. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. To . The boundaries of the two protectorates and the territories of the Royal Niger Company were difficult to define, but the tension was eased in 1894 when both entities were merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate. 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. The operations of this force are still not fully known due to a policy of strict secrecy mandated by the British Government. [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. "John Beecroft, 17901854: Her Brittanic Majesty's Consul to the Bights of Benin and Biafra 18491854". What Britain Did to Nigeria A Short History of Conquest and Rule Max Siollun. Islam reached Nigeria through the Bornu Empire . European Colonialism in Africa. 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. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. 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. The departure of Azikiwe and other Igbo members of the NYM left the organisation in Yoruba hands. 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. (Specifically it would enable direct subsidy of the less profitable Northern jurisdiction.) So, how did Europeans end up in Africa? 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. [17] In 1767, British traders facilitated a notorious massacre of hundreds of people at Calabar after inviting them onto their ships, ostensibly to settle a local dispute. British expansion accelerated in the last decades of the nineteenth century. For some time, missionaries operated in the area between Lagos and Ibadan. The factors that led to the colonization of africa by the europeans. Several churches were built to serve the Edo community and a small number of African converts. The early Nigerian nationalist did not seek independence. Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo; the CMS worked among the Yoruba. Other Protestant denominations from Great Britain, Canada, and the United States also opened missions and, in the 1860s, Roman Catholic religious orders established missions. Other firms applying for licenses were rejected. The most dramatic event having a long-term effect on Nigeria's economic development was the discovery and exploitation of petroleum deposits. [19][41], In 18961897 the forces of the Niger Coast Protectorate fought with the remnants of the Edo Empire. 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. by How Africa 6 years ago. . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The yoruba-Igbo rivalry became increasingly important in Nigerian politics. A permanent British occupation of Egypt required the inviolability of the Ni L'indpendance du. 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. 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. Goods were made available on credit to African middlemen, who were expected to trade them at a pre-arranged price and deliver the proceeds to the company. 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. . The Action Group consistently supported minority-group demands for autonomous states within a federal structure, as well as the severance of a midwest state from the Western Region. The movement brought to public notice a long list of future leaders, including H.O. Alan Lennox-Boyd, M.P., the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. Ouidah (now part of Benin) and Lagos were the major ports on the coast. The Crusades and the Reconquista cemented religious intolerance, and the Christians looked to colonization partly as a means of continuing religious conquests. Hausa was recognised as an official language in the north, and knowledge of it was expected of colonial officers serving there. 1 Economic Motives. Lagos became a major slave port in the late 1700s and into the 1850s. The appointment of Joseph Chamberlain as colonial secretary in 1895 especially marked a shift towards new territorial ambitions of the British Empire. In the south the British had to fight many wars, in particular the wars against the Ijebu (a Yoruba group) in 1892, the Aro of eastern Igboland, and, until 1914, the Aniocha of western Igboland. In some instances, however, a double allegianceto the idea of sacred monarchy for its symbolic value and to modern concepts of law and administrationwas maintained. Its final leg enabled it to meet another line, constructed 19071911, running from Baro, through Minnia, to Kano. From there, the strategy to conquer the additional portions of what would be Nigeria was planned and executed until nearly all of what is today Nigeria was under British control in 1905. They, in turn, have by defeat lost their rule which has come into the hands of the British. One of the most influential monarchies in the history of England began in 1066 C.E. 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. While each generated considerable political controversy, they moved the country toward greater internal autonomy, with an increasing role for the political parties. By the eighteenth century, evidence of Christianity had disappeared. The incidence of slavery in local societies increased. It assumed that comparable alterations would be made elsewhere, an attitude that won the party minority voting support in the other regions. Retrieved October 11, 2014 from. 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. The political parties jockeyed for positions of power in anticipation of the independence of Nigeria. These included the decline of the Mughal Empire. A lack of interest in extending the NPC beyond the Northern Region corresponded to this strictly regional orientation. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeriaannalise mahanes height. The early history of Lagos Colony was one of repeated attempts to end the Yoruba wars. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991. [11], The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. Egypt) and titles (e.g. British soap and cosmetics manufacturers tried to obtain land concessions for growing oil palms, but these were refused. In the main the following factors contributed to the growth of colonies: Firstly, in the first place the discovery of new lands encouraged the various colonies to establish their colonies there. The British were not yet willing to assume the expense of maintaining an administration in Nigeria. 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. 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 . Lugard's campaign systematically subdued local resistance, using armed force when diplomatic measures failed. British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. A chief of Bonny in 1860 explained that he refused a British treaty due to the tendency to "induce the Chiefs to sign a treaty whose meaning they did not understand, and then seize upon the country".[14]. FACTORS THAT LED TO NATIONALISM IN NIGERIA. "Separatist Agitations in Nigeria Since 1914." The supply of precious metals was finite, and monarchs hoped to find large deposits of gold and silver in the Americas. [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]. With this victory, the British went on to conquer the rest of Yorubaland, which had also been weakened by sixteen years of civil war. Great Britain was the leaders at this time in colonizing the land filled with rich natural recourses. One of the factors that contributed to the success of indirect rule in Northern Nigeria was the use of the existing traditional system of administration. [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. If adopted, his proposals can hardly be a permanent solution and I gather that Sir F. Lugard only regards them as temporaryat any rate in part. Both Africans and Europeans found illegal supplies such as secret stills, obtaining colonial liquor permits, and smuggling. Men such as Balewa believed that only by overcoming political and economic backwardness could the NPC protect the foundations of traditional northern authority against the influence of the more advanced south. [75] The colonial government was not equipped nor ready in general for such a situation. After the defection of Kano, the only significant disagreement within the NPC was related to moderates. 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. necessitated by several factors. Robin Hermann, "Empire Builders and Mushroom Gentlemen: The Meaning of Money in Colonial Nigeria". 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. Britain subsequently lobbied other European powers to stop the slave trade as well. [73] The colonial government would enact new legislation in reaction to the pandemic including, travel passes for individuals in the colony, increased usage of sanitary practices, and door to door checks on indigenous Nigerian households. Colonial Lagos was a busy, cosmopolitan port. 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. Subsequent revisions contained in the Lyttleton Constitution, enacted in 1954, firmly established the federal principle and paved the way for independence. 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. Between them, the French and the British had purchased a majority of the slaves sold from the ports of Edo. Independent Christian churches had emerged at the end of the nineteenth century. [57], From 1895 to 1900, a railway was constructed running from Lagos to Ibadan; it opened in March 1901. [27] To produce all this oil, the economy of the southern region crossed over from mostly subsistence to the production of palm oil as a cash crop.[28]. The Norman conquest in 1066 was the last successful conquest of England. By demonstrating the heavy reliance on West African soldiers for the 'European' conduct of the Great War campaign in the region, it shows how West Africans helped determine the outcome of war in the region. It was colonized by the British in 1884 and the colony is established at the Berlin conference which divides Africa by European powers. 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. Other European powers acknowledged Britain's dominance over the area in the 1885 Berlin Conference. Some of them also manned Company stations and served as District Agents.". The pulpits of the independent congregations became avenues for the free expression of critics of colonial rule. The preparation of a new federal constitution for an independent Nigeria was carried out at conferences held at Lancaster House in London in 1957 and 1958, which were presided over by The Rt. The trade subsequently continued under the Portuguese Empire. The so-called Macpherson Constitution, after the incumbent Governor-General John Stuart Macpherson, went into effect the following year. 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 history of external colonisation of Africa can be divided into two stages: Classical antiquity and European colonialism. The protectorate was organised to control and develop trade coming down the Niger. In a sense, you can say that the British were the cause of the Biafran Civil War which happened in Nigeria from 1967 to 1970. The British colonial agricultural and industrial policies in Nigeria have implications for the country's economic advancement. African nationalism is a political movement for the unification of Africa (Pan-Africanism) and for national self-determination. The Colonial Office approved most of Lugard's plan, but balked at authorising him to pass laws without their approval. At the same time, British scientists were interested in exploring the course and related settlements along the Niger River. When Faidherbe and his successors proceeded with their conquest of the hinterlands they met with strong and sustained resistance from a number of sources including the Moors, the Toucouleur Empire of Segou under Al Hajj Umar and the powerful Almamy . To some extent, competition amongst these companies undermined their collective position vis--vis, local merchants. 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. The Nigerian Civil War is also known as the Nigerian-Biafran war and took place between July 1967 and January 1970. 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. Its effects are still widely felt up till today. Dike, K. O. Missionary forces demanded prohibition of liquor, which proved highly unpopular. This was a case of plenty harvest but few hands to cultivate. The Emirs and chiefs who are appointed will rule over the people as of old-time and take such taxes as are approved by the High Commissioner, but they will obey the laws of the Governor and will act in accordance with the advice of the Resident. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1921. Colonial official A. J. Harding commented in 1913: Sir F. Lugard's proposal contemplates a state which it is impossible to classify. In April 1927, the British colonial government in Nigeria took measures to enforce the Native Revenue (Amendment) Ordinance. They were the most politically conscious segment of the population and created the vanguard of the nationalist movement. There was virtually no pressure for greater unity among the regions until after the end of World War II. In the Northern Cameroons, however, the largely Muslim electorate chose to merge with Nigeria's Northern Region. How did use of enslaved African people for labour develop? 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. 979 Words. Quiz. "Specifically, the Company sought to secure the cooperation of the traditional rulers in ensuring peaceful conditions for trade.
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