factors that led to the british conquest of nigeriafactors that led to the british conquest of nigeria

For political the British were fixed on expanding their empire and gaining control of every major city, state, or country in the world so they could govern every man or woman as they Show More Description. 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. [9] Administration and military control of the territory was conducted primarily by white Britons, both in London and in Nigeria. Following the defeat of an unsuccessful foray by Consul General James R. Phillips, a larger retaliatory force captured Benin City and drove Ovonramwen, the Oba of Benin, into exile. 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. They caused major transformations in traditional society as they eroded the religious institutions such as human sacrifice, infanticide and secret societies, which had formerly played a role in political authority and community life.[26]. [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. This was a case of plenty harvest but few hands to cultivate. In time, they built depots onshore and eventually moved up the Niger River to establish stations in the interior. They gathered information which was needed for policy-making in administration. The Sokoto jihad and the Yoruba wars stimulated the slave trade at a time when the British were actively trying to stop it. In 1886, Taubman secured a royal charter and his company became the Royal Niger Company. 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 FULANI CONQUEST AND RULE OF THE HAUSA KINGDOM 235 from 1804, the date of the Hegira. Europeans, with an eye to colonization and conquest, restricted the sale of the new weaponry to Africa maintaining military superiority. Gradually, however, the trade forced major economic and social changes in the interior, although it hardly undermined slavery and the slave trade. Under the Political Department of the Civil Service were Residents and District Officers, responsible for overseeing operations in each region. 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 National Youth Movement used nationalist rhetoric to agitate for improvements in education. The early Nigerian nationalist did not seek independence. The factors that led to the colonization of africa by the europeans. The conference drafted the terms of a new constitution. 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 . In the long term, the acceptance of Christianity by large numbers of Nigerians depended on the various denominations adapting to local conditions. 24. The Norman conquest in 1066 was the last successful conquest of England. Its residents were employed in official capacities and were active in business. [36], The company, as was common among European businesses in Africa, paid its native workers in barter. David Ellis, "African and European relations in the last century of the transatlantic slave trade"; in Ptr-Grenouilleau. [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. From 1886 to 1899, much of the country was ruled by the Royal Niger Company, authorised by charter, and governed by George Taubman Goldie. [37] Economically, local colonial administrators also pushed for the imposition of British colonial rule, believing that trade and taxation conducted in British pounds would prove far more lucrative than a barter trade which yielded only inconsistent customs duties. 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. Borno capitulated without a fight, but in 1903 Lugard's RWAFF mounted assaults on Kano and Sokoto. Nigerian delegates were selected to represent each region and to reflect various shades of opinion. Individuals could be fined or jailed for refusing to comply.[12]. A third of the people associated with an 1842 riverine expedition died. Facebook Instagram Email. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. In the South, only English had official status. [79][80], Much of the colony's budget went to payments of its military, the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF). The Niger Delta and Calabar, which once had been known for the export of slaves, became notable for the export of palm oil. 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. The Reconquista, or reconquest, refers to the 800 years of violence and expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula after the failed Crusades. These include the fact that military conscription (draft) of numerous African colonial subjects into European armies generated great amounts of anger. In 1841 the British tried to settle some Egba on a model farm in Lokoja, but the plan was aborted because the mortality rate among European officials was so high. 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. 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 . [40] By 1893, most of the other political entities in Yorubaland recognised the practical necessity of signing another treaty with the British, this one explicitly joining them with the protectorate of Lagos. [73] An estimated 500,000 Nigerians would lose their lives due to the pandemic, severely decreasing production capabilities on Nigerian farms and plantations. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. The Action Group was thus the heir of a generation of flourishing cultural consciousness among the Yoruba and also had valuable connections with commercial interests that were representative of the comparative economic advancement of the Western Region. Both Africans and Europeans found illegal supplies such as secret stills, obtaining colonial liquor permits, and smuggling. Most internal problems were concealed, and open opposition to the domination of the Muslim aristocracy was not tolerated. What Britain Did to Nigeria A Short History of Conquest and Rule Max Siollun. Most of the fighting was done by Hausa soldiers, recruited to fight against other groups. According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyage Database, 308,800 were sold across the Atlantic from Lagos in 17761850. The CMS initially promoted Africans to responsible positions in the mission field; for instance, they appointed Samuel Ajayi Crowther as the first Anglican Bishop of the Niger. The search for oil, begun in 1908 and abandoned a few years later, was revived in 1937 by Shell and British Petroleum. The so-called Macpherson Constitution, after the incumbent Governor-General John Stuart Macpherson, went into effect the following year. Alan Lennox-Boyd, M.P., the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. Lord Lugard recorded a huge success mainly because he used the highly developed traditional system of administration that was already in existence in the Northern Nigeria. 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. Lagos was the first part of Nigeria to be conquered and declare a British colony in 1861. [65], Half of all taxes went to the colonial government and half went to the Native Treasury. In 1916, Sir Edward Carson led the majority of the Conservative and Unionist Party to vote against Party Leader Bonar Law on the issue, forcing it to withdraw from the Asquith coalition and for the government to begin to break apart. He said that he did "not consider that their past traditions and their present backward cultural conditions afford to any such experiment a reasonable chance of success". Balewa formed a coalition government that included the Action Group as well as the NCNC to prepare the country for the final British withdrawal. Dike, K. O. [55], Under the Colonial Office was the Governor, who managed the administration of his colony and held powers of emergency rule. It was supported not only by the income from huge agricultural surpluses but also by a new range of direct and indirect taxes imposed during the 1950s. The receding British presence enabled local officials and politicians to gain access to patronage over government jobs, funds for local development, market permits, trade licenses, government contracts, and even scholarships for higher education. It made anti-slavery treaties with West African powers, which it enforced militarily with the blockade of Africa. The trade subsequently continued under the Portuguese Empire. E-mail: tundeoduwobi@yahoo.com Recibido: 15 Marzo 2011 / Revisado: 7 Abril 2011 / Aceptado: 17 Abril . Another court was established in 1856 at Calabar, based on an agreement with local Efik traders which prohibited them from interfering with British merchants. [57], From 1895 to 1900, a railway was constructed running from Lagos to Ibadan; it opened in March 1901. The basic economic units in each town were "houses", family-operated entities that engendered loyalty for its employees. the British Government completed their assignment of conquest and came up with what they called the Amalgamation of Nigeria . Every Sultan and Emir and the principal officers of state will be appointed by the high Commissioner throughout all this country. with the Norman Conquest led by William, the Duke of Normandy. The approaches of the two men to colonial development were diametrically opposed. 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. Other commercial crops, such as cocoa and rubber, were encouraged, and tin was mined on the Jos Plateau. 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. The principal figure in the political activity that ensued was Herbert Macauley, often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. Because of the spread of mission schools and wealth derived from export crops, the southern parties were committed to policies that would benefit the south of the country. Wartime experiences provided a new frame of reference for many soldiers, who interacted across ethnic boundaries in ways that were unusual in Nigeria. [31], In 1891, the consulate established the Niger Coast Protectorate Force or "Oil Rivers Irregulars".[32]. By the eighteenth century, evidence of Christianity had disappeared. This article examines the deployment of West African soldiers for military service in West Africa, including the manner of mobilization and recruitment. By 1938 the NYM was agitating for dominion status within the British Commonwealth of Nations so that Nigeria would have the same status as Canada and Australia. Retrieved October 11, 2014 from. [35] However, the company did accept that local kings could act as partners in governance and trade. 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. Support for broad Nigerian concerns occupied a clear second place. Under Goldie's direction, the Royal Niger Company was instrumental in depriving France and Germany of access to the region. Balewa was called on to head an NPC-NCNC coalition government, and Awolowo became the official leader of the opposition. Though the Europeans possess many considerable settlements both upon the coast of Africa and in the East Indies, they have not yet established in either of those countries such numerous and thriving colonies as those in the islands and continent of America. During the 1880's through 1914, the start of WWI, was an age of imperialism. Britain subsequently lobbied other European powers to stop the slave trade as well. The British entry into World War I saw the confiscation of Nigerian palm oil firms operated by expatriates from the Central Powers. Other firms applying for licenses were rejected. 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". Accordingly, as the volume of trade increased, merchants requested that the Government of the United Kingdom appoint a consul to cover the region. The Colonial Office could veto or revise his policies. Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo; the CMS worked among the Yoruba. He insisted on maintaining the territorial integrity of the Northern Region. In practice, British administrative procedures under indirect rule entailed constant interaction between colonial authorities and local rulersthe system was modified to fit the needs of each region. To raise additional revenues, Lugard took steps to institute a uniform tax structure patterned on the traditional system that he had adopted in the north during his tenure there. Clifford emphasized economic development, encouraging enterprises by immigrant southerners in the north while restricting European participation to capital intensive activity. At the turn of the century, top wages were four bags of salt (company retail price, 3s 9d) for a month of work.

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