nigeria resistance to colonial rule

The delta masked the mouth of the great river, and for centuries Nigerians chose not to tell Europeans the secrets of the interior. The Nigerian Resistance. 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. 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. By the 1820s, the British had made connections . 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 conditions that led African peoples to resist colonial rule often emerged from longstanding grievances against colonial labor exploitation taxation racist and paternalist practices arbitrary violence and political illegitimacy. 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. The Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down the river to a waiting European ship. A more representative system did not appear until 1946, when each geographic group of provinces had its own House of Assembly, with a majority of nonofficial (though not yet all elected) members; there were also a House of Chiefs and, in Lagos, a central Legislative Council. Africans also were represented on the Lagos Legislative Council, a largely appointed assembly. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1012. Published August 7, 2020. [21], Whether British conquest of Nigeria resulted from a benevolent motive to end slavery or more instrumental motives of wealth and power, remains a topic of dispute between African and European historians. Quiz. All were knighted. Segments of the Yoruba community had their own animosities and new rivalries arose. These policies met with ongoing resistance. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1213. [74] The disease first found its home among the many trading ports along the West African coast. 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. In 1851 deposed king Akintoye of Lagos sought British help in restoring him to the throne. Gandhi. Libyan Resistance. THE COLONIAL ECONOMIC LEGACY. The forces unleashed against the British were now diverse, including soldiers who had served in World War II, the media, restless youth, market women, educated people, and farmers, all of whom became committed to the anticolonial movement. Borno capitulated without a fight, but in 1903 Lugard's RWAFF mounted assaults on Kano and Sokoto. [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. The superior weapons, tactics and political unity of the British are commonly given as reasons for their decisive ultimate victory. Central Africa to 1964. The war years brought a polarization between the older, more parochial leaders inclined toward gradualism and the younger intellectuals, who thought in more immediate terms. They later discovered that the demand for . Lagos remained the capital of the south, with Zungeru the new capital of the north. 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. Out of reverence for traditional kingship, for instance, the Oba of Benin, whose office was closely identified with Edo religion, was accepted as the sponsor of a Yoruba political movement. 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. British and French traders did a large share of this business until 1807 when they were replaced by the Portuguese and the Spaniards. [56], Walter Egerton's sixfold agenda for 1908, as detailed on 29 November 1907, in a telegram to the Colonial Office, is representative of British priorities. The introduction of the federal principle, with deliberative authority devolved on the regions, signalled recognition of the country's diversity. Each was under a Lieutenant Governor and provided independent government services. Newspapers, some of which were published before World War I, provided coverage of nationalist views. The Nigerian Legislative Council was established in 1914 and was given limited jurisdiction; it was replaced in 1922 by a larger one that included elected members from Lagos and Calabar, although its powers also were limited and the northern provinces remained outside its control. By the mid-1940s, the major ethnic groups had formed such associations as the Igbo Federal Union and the Egbe Omo Oduduwa (Society of the Descendants of Oduduwa), a Yoruba cultural movement, in which Awolowo played a leading role. Although colonial rule appeared secure in the first two decades of the 20th century, the British struggled to keep control of their Nigerian colony and continued to do so until Nigeria became independent in 1960. 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. [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. 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]. Direct taxation on men was introduced in 1928 without major incidents. Its final leg enabled it to meet another line, constructed 19071911, running from Baro, through Minnia, to Kano. Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. Initial British attempts to open trade with the interior by way of the Niger could not overcome climate and diseases such as malaria. 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. 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. nigeria resistance to colonial rule. 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. The Royal Niger Company established its headquarters far inland at Lokoja, which was the main trading port of the company,[34] from where it began to assume responsibility for the administration of areas along the Niger and Benue rivers where it maintained depots. Locally this involved the immediate invasion of the German-held Kamerun (Cameroon) by Nigerian forces, followed by a costly campaign that lasted until 1916. Colonialism is defined as "control by one power over a dependent area or people.". Frequently African armies of 20, 000 were defeated by European-led armies of 2,000 or less. Other Protestant denominations from Great Britain, Canada, and the United States also opened missions and, in the 1860s, Roman Catholic religious orders established missions. The influx of cowrie led to inflation. It represented a substantial element of reformism in the North. It was guerrilla warfare in the case of the Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya (1952-60) and Zimbabwe's war of independence (1965-79); it was all . Like in other countries under imperialist rule, colonialism in Nigeria resulted in numerous positive and negative impacts. As a philosophical movement and critical . In the south, by contrast, traditional rulers were employed as vehicles of indirect rule in Edoland and Yorubaland, but Christianity and Western education undermined their sacerdotal functions. RESISTANCE. The most powerful figure in the party was Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto. [57], Egerton also supervised improvements to the Lagos harbour and extension of the local telegraph network. Chapter 2 argues that following the transformation of the Northern Nigerian region by the Sokoto Jihad in the nineteenth century, Islamic structures provided the crucial structural and ideological frameworks on which the British colonial administrative system was rationalized in the Northern Nigeria Protectorate in the first half of the twentieth century. It was a relatively simple adjustment for many Igbo families to transport the oil to rivers and streams that led to the Niger Delta for sale to European merchants. Whenever a trader had become successful enough to keep a war canoe, he was expected to form his own "house". 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. [19] Ultimately, this became the Royal Niger Company. The similarity between the federal and regional constitutions was deceptive, however, and the conduct of public affairs reflected wide differences among the regions. This rate rose to 20,000 per year in the last quarter of the century. British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston detested slavery, and in 1851 he took advantage of divisions in native politics, the presence of Christian missionaries, and the maneuvers of British consul John Beecroft to encourage the overthrow of the regime. Every Sultan and Emir and the principal officers of state will be appointed by the high Commissioner throughout all this country. "John Beecroft, 17901854: Her Brittanic Majesty's Consul to the Bights of Benin and Biafra 18491854". 1960-1966: Early diplomatic relations. Revolts took place across Nigeria, but were most frequent in the Niger Delta. In case of resistance by one of its friends the other would join hands to mount formidable resistance against colonial rule e.g. The departure of Azikiwe and other Igbo members of the NYM left the organisation in Yoruba hands. 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. opposed early self-rule for colonial Nigeria on the ground of perceived domination by the southerners. [] These intermediaries assisted government diplomacy and helped to establish and maintain relations between the company and the traditional rulers. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. The colonisers decided to use divide and rule method . [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. . This primary resistance was not unified and centered, yet it allowed understanding that the colonial rule and the presence of Europeans in Africa were negative (Chamberlain 89). ", Tamuno, T. N. (1970). The rapid expansion in exports, especially after 1830, occurred precisely at the time slave exports collapsed. 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. Indigenous Resistance to New Colonialism. The pace of constitutional change accelerated after the promulgation of the Richards Constitution. Bolivian indigenous activist Ivan Ignacio, one of many indigenous activists at the second People's Summit in Qubec . European colonialists had managed to quell the efforts by Africans to resist the establishment of colonial rule. But in the 1700s, the Bight of Benin (also known as the Slave Coast) became the next most important hub. Nigerians also requested more political representation. Elliot J. Berg, "The Development of a Labour Force in Sub-Saharan Africa"; France sold Louisiana to the United States, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Military history of Nigeria during World War II, National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, discovery and exploitation of petroleum deposits, "The Nigeria (Constitution) Order in Council, 1954", "Gombe-Abba: Historic emirs' town ruined by the British", A Very Bloody Transaction: Old Calabar and the Massacre of 1767, The Impact of the Slave Trade on African Economies, "Managing Epidemic: The British Approach to 19181919 Influenza in Lagos", "The Nigerian Victory Against The 1918 Influenza Pandemic and 1897 Smallpox Epidemic", "African Pentecostalism and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic: The Supernatural Amid the Fearful and Implications for the COVID-19 Pandemic", "The influenza pandemic of 191819 and the spread of cassava cultivation on the lower Niger: a study in historical linkages", Google Cultural Institute: Birth of the Nigerian Colony, 18511914, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colonial_Nigeria&oldid=1136412842. 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