Between them, the French and the British had purchased a majority of the slaves sold from the ports of Edo. Facebook Instagram Email. The company received 865,000 compensation for the loss of its Charter. The British and the French fought the Carnatic Wars, which the British won decisively - making the British the foremost colonial power. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1921. The Delta streams were called "oil rivers". The Colonial Civil Service used intermediaries, as the Royal Niger Company had, in an expanded role which included diplomacy, propaganda and espionage. The council was promoted as a device for allowing the expression of opinions that could instruct the Governor-General. A permanent British occupation of Egypt required the inviolability of the Ni Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. PhD dissertation accepted at the Graduate Programme in History, York University, Ontario. French Roman Catholic missionaries, established in Ouidah (Whydah), arrived in Lagos and considered missionary work on the Niger. How did use of enslaved African people for labour develop? 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 movement brought to public notice a long list of future leaders, including H.O. In contrast to Lugard, Clifford argued that colonial government had the responsibility to introduce as quickly as practical the benefits of Western experience. 1. 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. We also understand that the said National African Company (limited) have full power to mine, farm, and build in any portion of our territory. David Richardson, "Background to annexation: Anglo-African credit relations in the Bight of Biafra, 17001891"; in Ptr-Grenouilleau. Significantly, Macauley's NNDP remained almost entirely a Lagos party, popular only in the area whose people already had experience in elective politics. 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. British merchants led the trade in palm oil, while the Portuguese and others continued the slave trade. [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 incidence of slavery in local societies increased. [] These intermediaries assisted government diplomacy and helped to establish and maintain relations between the company and the traditional rulers. The policy of indirect rule used in Northern Nigeria became a model for British colonies elsewhere in Africa. The British also created "divide and rule" policies, pitting Hindu and Muslim Indians against one another. In consideration of the foregoing, the said National African Company (Limited) bind themselves not to interfere with any of the native laws or customs of the country, consistently with the maintenance of order and good government [and] agree to pay native owners of land a reasonable amount for any portion they may require. [49], Concrete plans for transition to Crown ruledirect control by the British Governmentapparently began in 1897. [19] Although the Ijebu had some weapons they were wiped out by British Maxims, the earliest machine gun. 3. 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]. Davies and Nnamdi Azikiwe. These courts contained majorities British members and represented a new level of presumptive British sovereignty in the Bight of Biafra. At first, they lived in small family groups, but gradually these groups developed into a. 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. 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. A third of the people associated with an 1842 riverine expedition died. Even before gaining its charter, the Company signed treaties with local leaders which granted it broad sovereign powers. Some of them began to migrate back from Sierra Leone in search of home and trade. 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.. What Britain Did to Nigeria A Short History of Conquest and Rule Max Siollun. For example, many people in Ibadan opposed Awolowo on personal grounds because of his identification with the Ijebu Yoruba. Local rulers continued to administer their territories, but consular authorities assumed jurisdiction for the equity courts established earlier by the foreign mercantile communities. So, how did Europeans end up in Africa? Although he reported on the eastward flow of the Niger, he was forced to turn back when his equipment was lost to Muslim Arab slave traders. Azikiwe had less interest in purely Nigerian goals than did Davies, a student of Harold Laski at the London School of Economics, whose political orientation was considered left-wing. With this victory, the British went on to conquer the rest of Yorubaland, which had also been weakened by sixteen years of civil war. The similarity between the federal and regional constitutions was deceptive, however, and the conduct of public affairs reflected wide differences among the regions. Europeans, with an eye to colonization and conquest, restricted the sale of the new weaponry to Africa maintaining military superiority. 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. Progressive constitutions after World War II provided for increasing representation and electoral government by Nigerians. The company negotiated treaties with Sokoto, Gwandu and Nupe that were interpreted as guaranteeing exclusive access to trade in return for the payment of annual tribute. With one man in practical control of the Executive and Legislative organs of all the parts, the machine may work passably for sufficient time to enable the transition period to be left behind, by which time the answer to the problemUnitary v. Federal Statewill probably have become clear. Lugard's campaign systematically subdued local resistance, using armed force when diplomatic measures failed. 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. For some time, missionaries operated in the area between Lagos and Ibadan. 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. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-factors-that-led-to-the-colonization-of-africa-by-the-europeans-PLa41Sz5 Be sure to capitalize proper nouns (e.g. [23] Regardless, slavery had decimated the population and fuelled militarisation and chaos, thereby paving the way for more aggressive colonisation.[21][24]. [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. In the north Frederick Lugard, the first high commissioner of Northern Nigeria, was instrumental in subjugating the Fulani emirs. Until he stepped down as Governor-General in 1918, Lugard primarily was concerned with consolidating British sovereignty and with assuring local administration through traditional rulers. 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. 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. Beecroft was the British representative to Fernando Po, where the African Slave Trade Patrol of the Royal Navy was stationed. Additionally. In 1905, the colonial government divided Bengal into Hindu and Muslim sections; this division was revoked after strong protests. September 1996. This rate rose to 20,000 per year in the last quarter of the century. [43][44] The British forces began annual pacification missions to convince the locals of British supremacy. These schools would teach "the basic principles that would and should regulate character and conduct". Three of these posts were assigned to representatives from each region, and one was reserved for a delegate from the Northern Cameroons. Another court was established in 1856 at Calabar, based on an agreement with local Efik traders which prohibited them from interfering with British merchants. Great Britain was the leaders at this time in colonizing the land filled with rich natural recourses. The superior weapons, tactics and political unity of the British are commonly given as reasons for their decisive ultimate victory. 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. Christian missionaries were barred, and the limited government efforts in education were harmonized with Islamic institutions.[67]. Observers have pinned the 'humanity's worst mistake' label on several of history's major institutions, ranging from the adoption of agriculture to twentieth-century communism (Diamond Reference Diamond 1987; Economist 2009).In our assessment, the institution of modern colonialism - meaning the exploration, conquest, settlement, and political dominance of distant lands by European and . Deadly battles broke out sporadically through 1906. 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. All these things which I have said the Fulani by conquest took the right to do now pass to the British. 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 Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down the river to a waiting European ship. Olatunji Ojo, "The Organization of the Atlantic Slave Trade in Yorubaland, ca.1777 to ca.1856", Bouda Etemad, "Economic relations between Europe and Black Africa, Giles D. Short, "Blood and Treasure: The reduction of Lagos, 1851", "Northern Nigeria: The Illo Canceller and Borgu Mail" by Ray Harris in. It soon gained a virtual monopoly over trade along the River[11]. 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. 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. 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. The modern history of Nigeria - as a political state encompassing 250 to 400 ethnic groups of widely varied cultures and modes of political organization - dates from the completion of the. In 1907, the corporation received a loan of 25,000, repayable upon discovery of oil. Although the capital was not moved, Lugard's bias in favour of the Muslim north was clear at the time. By a British Act of Parliament, Nigeria became independent on 1 October 1960. [11], Britain's imperialistic posture became more aggressive towards the end of the century. Oil income was still marginal, but the prospects for continued economic expansion appeared bright and accentuated political rivalries on the eve of independence. Protestant sects had flourished in Christianity since the Protestant Reformation; the emergence of independent Christian churches in Nigeria (as of black denominations in the United States) was another phase of this history. 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. Open Document. 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. . Economic competition among these "houses" was so fierce that trade often erupted into an armed battle between the crews of the large canoes. Sometimes forced labour was used directly for public works projects. The Crusades and the Reconquista cemented religious intolerance, and the Christians looked to colonization partly as a means of continuing religious conquests. The principal figure in the political activity that ensued was Herbert Macauley, often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. The Native Administration was headed by the traditional rulersmostly emirs in the north and often obas in the southand their District Heads, who oversaw a larger number of Village Heads. The goal of activists initially was not self-determination, but increased participation on a regional level in the governmental process. The British colonial agricultural and industrial policies in Nigeria have implications for the country's economic advancement. The delegation was led by Balewa of the NPC and included party leaders Awolowo of the Action Group, Azikiwe of the NCNC, and Bello of the NPC; they were also the premiers of the Western, Eastern and Northern regions, respectively. [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]. British expansion was conducted primarily by commercialists and resulted in more solid economic potential than the French endeavor (Crowder, 1990). 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. 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. 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. Although churchmen in Britain had been influential in the drive to abolish the slave trade, significant missionary activity for Africa did not develop until the 1840s. In Europe, Britain sent troops to help its ally, Prussia, which was surrounded by its enemies. The conference is popularly called "The Berlin Conference". factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. Nigerian recruits participated in the war effort as labourers and soldiers. Most of the fighting was done by Hausa soldiers, recruited to fight against other groups. Some were deposed, some were defeated in battle, and others collaborated. Men Taxes became a source of discontent in the south, however, and contributed to disturbances protesting British policy. Support for broad Nigerian concerns occupied a clear second place. 1833 - The abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire. Political opposition to colonial rule often assumed religious dimensions. Some African Christian communities formed their own independent churches. On a subsequent expedition to the Sokoto Caliphate, Scottish explorer Hugh Clapperton learned about the mouth of the Niger River, and where it reached the sea, but after suffering malaria, depression and dysentery, he died before confirming it. [57], From 1895 to 1900, a railway was constructed running from Lagos to Ibadan; it opened in March 1901. 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. Lugard's success in northern Nigeria has been attributed to his policy of indirect rule; that is, he governed the protectorate through the rulers defeated by the British. Park reached the upper Niger the next year by travelling inland from the Gambia River. In 1890, a group of adventurers known as the Pioneer Column, sponsored by South African-based British arch-imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, occupied Zimbabwe and claimed the country for the British. the British Government completed their assignment of conquest and came up with what they called the Amalgamation of Nigeria . Empty cart. By an overwhelming majority, voters in the Southern Cameroons opted to join formerly French-administered Cameroon over integration with Nigeria as a separate federated region. The southern nationalists were inspired by a variety of sources, including such prominent American-based activists as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. These policies met with ongoing resistance. Free shipping for many products! 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. Earlier elements related to this were its founding of the Sierra Leone Colony in 1787 as a refuge for freed slaves, the independent missionary movement intended to bring Christianity to the Edo Kingdom, and programs of exploration sponsored by learned societies and scientific groups, such as the London-based African Association. The Ekumeku, who were well organized and whose leaders were joined in secrecy oaths, effectively utilized guerrilla tactics to attack the British. The Royal Niger Company had its own armed forces. The British encouraged this secession, worsening the war even further. Amalgamation of Nigeria was envisioned from early on in its governance, as is made clear by the report of the Niger Committee in 1898. Aside from the possibility of treasure, the European governments aimed to find a passage through the Americas to Asia. The British High Commissioners could depose emirs and other officials if necessary. His government guided the country for the next three years, operating with almost complete autonomy in internal affairs. However, development of the Nigerian oilfields slowed when Bergheim died in a car crash in September 1912. Some of the treaties contained prohibitions on diplomacy conducted without British permission, or other promises to abide by British rule. The political parties jockeyed for positions of power in anticipation of the independence of Nigeria. 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. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it ended slavery in its possessions. Public works, such as harbour dredging and road and railway construction, opened Nigeria to economic development. Colonial official A. J. Harding commented in 1913: Sir F. Lugard's proposal contemplates a state which it is impossible to classify. One place that felt victim to this imperialism was Africa. The influx of cowrie led to inflation. The approaches of the two men to colonial development were diametrically opposed. Africans also were represented on the Lagos Legislative Council, a largely appointed assembly. [25][n 1], The missionaries gained in power throughout the 1800s. [73] An estimated 500,000 Nigerians would lose their lives due to the pandemic, severely decreasing production capabilities on Nigerian farms and plantations. The charter allowed the company to collect customs and make treaties with local leaders.[12]. Significantly, the regional governments controlled public expenditures derived from revenues raised within each region. [74] The disease first found its home among the many trading ports along the West African coast. 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. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1719. [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. Balewa was called on to head an NPC-NCNC coalition government, and Awolowo became the official leader of the opposition. These recourses were considered a necessity to the industrialization of the world . [11], By the 1880s, the National African Company became the dominant commercial power, increasing from 19 to 39 stations between 1882 and 1893. . NEPU formed a parliamentary alliance with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). [18], In 1807, the Parliament of the United Kingdom enacted the Slave Trade Act, prohibiting British subjects from participating in the Atlantic slave trade. The trade subsequently continued under the Portuguese Empire. [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). 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. The most striking departure was in the Northern Region, where special provisions brought the regional constitution into consonance with Islamic law and custom. 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 small contingent of northerners who had been educated abroada group that included Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Aminu Kanowas allied with British-backed efforts to introduce gradual change to the emirates. In 1851 deposed king Akintoye of Lagos sought British help in restoring him to the throne. The choice of political elite at the time of independence can also explain these differences. (Specifically it would enable direct subsidy of the less profitable Northern jurisdiction.) Doctrine of Lapse. 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. The neglect of traditional institutions. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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 Reconquista, or reconquest, refers to the 800 years of violence and expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula after the failed Crusades. 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. rockin' the west coast prayer group; easy bulky sweater knitting pattern. British colonialism destroyed the Ndebele state at the end of the nineteenth century. This made the British win key battles all over the East Coast, as they effectively grabbed control. 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. Europeans come from Europe. The kingdom of Benin began in the 900s when the Edo people settled in the rainforests of West Africa. [73], Due to the failure of the sanitation officers in Lagos, the virus would continue to spread throughout the southern provinces throughout September and finally make its way into the hinterlands by October. The most important innovations in the new charter reinforced the dual course of constitutional evolution, allowing for both regional autonomy and federal union. A lack of interest in extending the NPC beyond the Northern Region corresponded to this strictly regional orientation. Empty cart. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. [32] This included a river fleet which it used for retaliatory attacks on uncooperative villages. [32], In 1880, the British Government and traders demonetised the Maria Theresa dollar, to the considerable dismay of its local holders, in favour of the pound sterling. In time, they built depots onshore and eventually moved up the Niger River to establish stations in the interior. [36], The company, as was common among European businesses in Africa, paid its native workers in barter. It assumed that comparable alterations would be made elsewhere, an attitude that won the party minority voting support in the other regions. Wartime experiences provided a new frame of reference for many soldiers, who interacted across ethnic boundaries in ways that were unusual in Nigeria. To reduce costs, Lagos was administered first from Freetown in Sierra Leone, along with Gold Coast forts such as Elmina, and later from Accra (in present-day Ghana); only in 1886 did Lagos become a separate colony. Other Protestant denominations from Great Britain, Canada, and the United States also opened missions and, in the 1860s, Roman Catholic religious orders established missions. If the emirs accepted British authority, abandoned the slave trade, and cooperated with British officials in modernizing their administrations, the colonial power was willing to confirm them in office. Bello wanted to protect northern social and political institutions from southern influence. Whereas Lugard had applied lessons learned in the north to the administration of the south, Clifford was prepared to extend to the north practices that had been successful in the south.