factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria
Lugard bequeathed to his successor a prosperous colony when his term as Governor-General expired. Developed from Mayan civilization B. acquired empires by means of military conquest C. Independently developed iron technology D. Depended entirely on oral record keeping . We also understand that the said National African Company (limited) have full power to mine, farm, and build in any portion of our territory. The Colony was ultimately governed by the British Colonial Office in London. Nigerian recruits participated in the war effort as labourers and soldiers. Newspapers, some of which were published before World War I, provided coverage of nationalist views. [19] Ultimately, this became the Royal Niger Company. 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. There were some specific outcomes and impacts for Africans as a result of WWI. Similar status was acquired by the Northern Region two years later. 1819 - Singapore founded by Sir Stamford Raffles. This made the British win key battles all over the East Coast, as they effectively grabbed control. [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. factors that led to the british conquest of 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. [77] Its revenue quickly increased, from 4,424 in 1901 to 274,989 in 1910. A consul was maintained at Fernando Po to oversee the lucrative palm oil trade in the region called the Oil Rivers. The war was driven by the commercial and imperial rivalry between Britain and France, and by the antagonism between Prussia (allied to Britain) and Austria (allied to France). These policies met with ongoing resistance. [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). 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. European interpretations of Christian orthodoxy in some cases refused to allow the incorporation of local customs and practices, although the various mission denominations interpreted Christianity in different ways. Bello wanted to protect northern social and political institutions from southern influence. Initial British attempts to open trade with the interior by way of the Niger could not overcome climate and diseases such as malaria. The proliferation of labour organisations fragmented the movement, and potential leaders lacked the experience and skill to draw workers together. One place that felt victim to this imperialism was Africa. 0 Wishlist. The British finalized the border between Nigeria and French West Africa with the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. This article examines the deployment of West African soldiers for military service in West Africa, including the manner of mobilization and recruitment. Men The Conquest (La Conqute) is a term used to describe the acquisition of Canada by Great Britain during the Seven Years' War.It also refers to the resulting conditio British expansion was conducted primarily by commercialists and resulted in more solid economic potential than the French endeavor (Crowder, 1990). During the 1880's through 1914, the start of WWI, was an age of imperialism. He definitely laid the basis for British claims. 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. Description. The British also created "divide and rule" policies, pitting Hindu and Muslim Indians against one another. [45], A campaign against the Sokoto Caliphate began in 1900 with the creation of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, under the direction of Governor Lugard. 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. In 1950 Aminu Kano, who had been instrumental in founding the NPC, broke away to form the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), in protest against the NPC's limited objectives and what he regarded as a vain hope that traditional rulers would accept modernization. oriented. In 1958 exportation of Nigerian oil was initiated at facilities constructed at Port Harcourt. The policy of indirect rule used in Northern Nigeria became a model for British colonies elsewhere in Africa. Officials of the Sokoto Caliphate considered these treaties quite differently; from their perspective, the British were granted only extraterritorial rights that did not prevent similar arrangements with the Germans and the French and certainly did not surrender sovereignty. The traders suffered from the risks of their position and believed they were at the mercy of the coastal rulers, whom they considered unpredictable. 2. The emirs gave support to limited modernization largely from fears of the unsettling presence of southerners in the north, and by observing the improvements in living conditions in the South. Africans also were represented on the Lagos Legislative Council, a largely appointed assembly. The trade subsequently continued under the Portuguese Empire. A constabulary force was raised and used to pacify the coastal area. The political parties jockeyed for positions of power in anticipation of the independence of Nigeria. The Southern Protectorate financed itself from the outset, with revenue increasing from 361,815 to 1,933,235 over the same period. Wartime experiences provided a new frame of reference for many soldiers, who interacted across ethnic boundaries in ways that were unusual in Nigeria. These recourses were considered a necessity to the industrialization of the world . [19] Although the Ijebu had some weapons they were wiped out by British Maxims, the earliest machine gun. It soon gained a virtual monopoly over trade along the River[11]. It was suspended in 1950 against a call for greater autonomy, which resulted in an inter-parliamentary conference at Ibadan in 1950. 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 Ouidah (now part of Benin) and Lagos were the major ports on the coast. The principal figure in the political activity that ensued was Herbert Macauley, often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. [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]. They selected an increasingly high proportion of African clergy for the missions. The British were not yet willing to assume the expense of maintaining an administration in Nigeria. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991. At first, the trade centered around West Central Africa, now the Congo. Beecroft agreed on condition that the slave trade be abolished, and British merchants have a monopoly in commodities. The introduction of the federal principle, with deliberative authority devolved on the regions, signalled recognition of the country's diversity. [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. British staffs in each region continued to operate according to procedures developed before unification. 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. Economic competition among these "houses" was so fierce that trade often erupted into an armed battle between the crews of the large canoes. 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. In-text citation: The first factor to be taken into account is that the British by nature are conservative. [51], Guidelines for running the Nigerian colony were established in 1898 by the Niger Committee, chaired by the Earl of Selborne, in 1898. 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. The Colonial Office approved most of Lugard's plan, but balked at authorising him to pass laws without their approval. The rapid growth of organised labour in the 1940s also brought new political forces into play. [67], This system, in which the structure of authority focused on the emir to whom obedience was a mark of religious devotion, did not welcome change. Even before gaining its charter, the Company signed treaties with local leaders which granted it broad sovereign powers. In the north, appeals to Islamic legitimacy upheld the rule of the emirs, so that nationalist sentiments were related to Islamic ideals. With these events, the daily routines of the royal court were . by | Jun 15, 2022 | north node conjunct neptune synastry | greek mythology son falls in love with mother | Jun 15, 2022 | north node conjunct neptune synastry | greek mythology son falls in love with mother 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. As a practice, colonialism is traced to the1854 and 1855 conference at Berlin in Germany. During World War II, three battalions of the Nigeria Regiment fought against Fascist Italy in the Ethiopian campaign. Support for broad Nigerian concerns occupied a clear second place. The British targeted Nigeria because of its resources. A third of the people associated with an 1842 riverine expedition died. According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Voyage Database, 308,800 were sold across the Atlantic from Lagos in 17761850. The essential basis of this system was a money economy specifically the British pound sterling which could be demanded through taxation, paid to cooperative natives, and levied as a fine. . 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. The British colonization of Kenya destroyed the culture and economy of the native people, but it established a democratic government and left Kenya a more modernized country. Most of the fighting was done by Hausa soldiers, recruited to fight against other groups. Segments of the Yoruba community had their own animosities and new rivalries arose. In 1851 deposed king Akintoye of Lagos sought British help in restoring him to the throne. The company's major imports to the area included gin and low-quality firearms. The Governor-General, in turn, was responsible for appointing the prime minister and for choosing a candidate from among contending leaders when there was no parliamentary majority. British are not always carriers of high economic freedom (see Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, and Nigeria). He was prepared to introduce educational and economic changes to strengthen the north. In the Bight of Biafra, the major ports were Old Calabar (Akwa Akpa), Bonny and New Calabar. Crowther, a liberated Yoruba slave, had been educated in Sierra Leone and in Britain, where he was ordained before returning to his homeland with the first group of CMS missionaries. The southern nationalists were inspired by a variety of sources, including such prominent American-based activists as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B. Ever since, the north-south divide has dominated the politics of independent Nigeria. [] These intermediaries assisted government diplomacy and helped to establish and maintain relations between the company and the traditional rulers. In the immediate post-World War II period, Nigeria benefited from a favourable trade balance. So, how did Europeans end up in Africa? [81] In 1936, of 6,259,547 income for the Nigerian state, 1,156,000 went back to England as home pay for British officials in the Nigerian civil service. Columbus, in his voyage, sought fame and fortune, as did his Spanish sponsors. 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. For this objective, the Company chose to administer the African inhabitants of the Niger Sudan through their traditional rulers and their political institutions. Trained as an army officer, he had served in India, Egypt and East Africa, where he expelled Arab slave traders from Nyasaland and established British presence in Uganda. By the 1870s the Niger trade was becoming profitable, and a few French companies took notice. Many of the slaves exported in the 1820s and 30s were intercepted by the ships of the Royal Navy, emancipated, and deposited in Sierra Leone under missionary tutelage. Most of these came from military backgrounds. The first known encounter between the British and the people of the region of modern-day Nigeria was on April 1, 1600, when English sailors landed on the Niger River near Katsina, the largest city in northern Nigeria. [22] Many locals remained unconvinced of the Crown's authority to completely reverse the legal and moral attributes of a social institution through fiat. He was convinced that the Muslim religion had fallen into utter degeneration as a result of moral depravity of the Hausa Emirs. [73] The spread of the disease was quick and deadly, with an estimated 1.5% of the population of Lagos falling victim. 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. Following military conquest, the British imposed an economic system designed to profit from African labor. One 1885 treaty read: We, the undersigned King and Chiefs [] with the view to the bettering of the condition of our country and people, do this day cede to the National Africa Company (Limited), their heirs and assigns, forever, the whole of our territory [] We also give the said National African Company (Limited) full power to settle all native disputes arising from any cause whatever, and we pledge ourselves not to enter into any war with other tribes without the sanction of the said National Africa Company (Limited). The most dramatic event having a long-term effect on Nigeria's economic development was the discovery and exploitation of petroleum deposits. 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. Consequently, in 1849, John Beecroft was accredited as consul for the bights of Benin and Biafra, a jurisdiction stretching from Dahomey to Cameroon. 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 the acceptance of European and North American influences, the nationalists were critical of colonialism for its failure to appreciate the antiquity, richness and complexity of indigenous cultures. 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. [38][39], In 1892 the British Armed Forces set out to fight the Ijebu Kingdom, which had resisted missionaries and foreign traders. Doctrine of Lapse. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. 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. 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 . 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. [19], West Africa also bought British exports, supplying 3040% of the demand for British cotton during the Industrial Revolution of 17501790.[27]. The kingdom of Benin began in the 900s when the Edo people settled in the rainforests of West Africa. Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo; the CMS worked among the Yoruba. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The movement soon assumed both religious and national characteristics. 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. In the north, for instance, legislation took the form of a decree cosigned by the Governor and the emir, while in the south, the Governor sought the approval of the Legislative Council. The Igbo redirected slaves into the domestic economy, especially to grow the staple food crop, yams, in northern Igboland for marketing throughout the palm-tree belt. This scheme proved unpopular and confusing to many involved parties and was phased out. In all three regions, minority parties represented the special interests of ethnic groups, especially as they were affected by the majority. British Colonizing in Nigeria. Imperialism, or the extension of one nation-state's domination or control over territory outside its own boundaries, peaked in the 19th century as European powers extended their holdings around the world. 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. Balewa was called on to head an NPC-NCNC coalition government, and Awolowo became the official leader of the opposition. 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. Its architecture was in both Victorian and Brazilian style, as many of the black elite were English-speakers from Sierra Leone and freedmen repatriated from the Empire of Brazil and Spanish Cuba. 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. The Action Group, which staged a lively campaign, favoured stronger government and the establishment of three new states while advocating the creation of a West Africa Federation that would unite Nigeria with Ghana and Sierra Leone. The nationalism that became a political factor in Nigeria during the interwar period derived both from an older political particularism and broad pan-Africanism, rather than from any sense among the people of a common Nigerian nationality.
