factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria

Borno capitulated without a fight, but in 1903 Lugard's RWAFF mounted assaults on Kano and Sokoto. It was suspended in 1950 against a call for greater autonomy, which resulted in an inter-parliamentary conference at Ibadan in 1950. He was convinced that the Muslim religion had fallen into utter degeneration as a result of moral depravity of the Hausa Emirs. Nigerian recruits participated in the war effort as labourers and soldiers. With this victory, the British went on to conquer the rest of Yorubaland, which had also been weakened by sixteen years of civil war. Their common denominators tended to be based on newly assertive ethnic consciousness, particularly that of the Yoruba and Igbo. The emirs retained their caliphate titles but were responsible to British district officers, who had final authority. The mud-walled city of Kano was captured in February, and, after a vigorous skirmish at Kotorkwashi, the sultans capital, Sokoto, fell the next month. At the same time, George Dashwood Goldie, a British businessman, bought out all French rivals and created the Royal Niger Company (chartered 1886) in order to control trade on the Niger and administer the immense territories of the Sokoto caliphate and Borno. British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. When direct Portuguese contacts in the region were withdrawn, however, the influence of the Catholic missionaries waned. [54] Olivier was a member of the Fabian Society and a friend of George Bernard Shaw. [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. 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. Ethnic and kinship organisations that often took the form of a tribal union also emerged in the 1920s. [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. 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. As before, Aro merchants dominated trade in the hinterland, including palm products to the coast and the sale of slaves within Igboland. Developed from Mayan civilization B. acquired empires by means of military conquest C. Independently developed iron technology D. Depended entirely on oral record keeping . Among the other major parties, the NCNC took fifty-six seats, winning a majority in both the Eastern and the Western regions, while the Action Group captured only twenty-seven seats. So, how did Europeans end up in Africa? 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. [74] But with the advancement and efficiency of colonial transportation networks, it was only a matter of time before the disease began to spread into the interior. They invited missionaries to follow them and, in the 1840s, made themselves available as agents who allowed missionaries and British traders to gain access to such places as Lagos, Abeokuta, Calabar, Lokoja, Onitsha, Brass, and Bonny. Each was under a Lieutenant Governor and provided independent government services. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it ended slavery in its possessions. 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 incidence of slavery in local societies increased. 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 . [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. A third type of organisation that was more pointedly political was the youth or student group, which became the vehicle of intellectuals and professionals. Separate legislative bodies, the houses of assembly, were established in each of the three regions to consider local questions and to advise the Lieutenant Governors. The supply of precious metals was finite, and monarchs hoped to find large deposits of gold and silver in the Americas. 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. In 1907, the corporation received a loan of 25,000, repayable upon discovery of oil. [22] Many locals remained unconvinced of the Crown's authority to completely reverse the legal and moral attributes of a social institution through fiat. In 1958 exportation of Nigerian oil was initiated at facilities constructed at Port Harcourt. The Delta streams were called "oil rivers". [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. Other European powers acknowledged Britain's dominance over the area in the 1885 Berlin Conference. 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. 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. [8] British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. 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. [73] The spread of the disease was quick and deadly, with an estimated 1.5% of the population of Lagos falling victim. 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). [59], Following the order recommended by the Niger Committee, the Colonial Office merged Lagos Colony and the Southern Nigeria Protectorate on 1 May 1906, forming a larger protectorate (still called the Southern Nigeria Protectorate) which spanned the coastline between Dahomey and Cameroon. A "house" included the extended family of the trader, including retainers and slaves. They later discovered that the demand for palm oil was in fact stimulating an internal slave trade, because slaves were largely responsible for collecting palm fruits, manufacturing palm oil, and transporting it to the coast, whether by canoe or by human porterage. Local rulers continued to administer their territories, but consular authorities assumed jurisdiction for the equity courts established earlier by the foreign mercantile communities. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Military Conquest. Consequently, in 1849, John Beecroft was accredited as consul for the bights of Benin and Biafra, a jurisdiction stretching from Dahomey to Cameroon. At the same time it is feasible by degrees to bring them gradually into approximation with our ideas of justice and humanity. Their history illustrates that rarely they had put a programme or a plan before themselves and then acted upon it. What Britain Did to Nigeria A Short History of Conquest and Rule Max Siollun. Men Combining the three jurisdictions would reduce administrative expenses and facilitate deployment of resources and money between the areas. But the war had more concrete consequences. British staffs in each region continued to operate according to procedures developed before unification. The British annexed Lagos in 1861 in order to protect Akitoyes son and successor, foil Kosokos bid to return, and secure a base for further activities. In the face of threats to the divided Yoruba states from Dahomey and the Sokoto Caliphate, as represented by the emirate of Ilorin, the British Governorassisted by the CMSsucceeded in imposing peace settlements on the interior. 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. A revelatory account of British imperialism's shameful impact on Africa's most populous state. 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 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 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. The British turned to Persia for oil.[83]. He insisted on maintaining the territorial integrity of the Northern Region. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. Colonialism is both a practice and a word that means so much to Nigeria. A spokeswoman for Austria's Weltmuseum Wien acknowledges 13 of its 173 Benin Bronzes "have been linked definitively to the British invasion" though eight were acquired in the 16th century . 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. In 1920, portions of former German Cameroon were mandated to Britain by the League of Nations and were administered as part of Nigeria. In popular parlance, discussions of colonialism in Africa usually focus on the European conquests that resulted in the scramble for Africa after the Berlin Conference in the 19th century. 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. The policy of indirect rule used in Northern Nigeria became a model for British colonies elsewhere in Africa. Britain also annexed Freetown in Sierra Leone, declaring it a Crown Colony in 1808.[20]. Deadly battles broke out sporadically through 1906. African nationalism is a political movement for the unification of Africa (Pan-Africanism) and for national self-determination. 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. The Ekumeku, who were well organized and whose leaders were joined in secrecy oaths, effectively utilized guerrilla tactics to attack the British. Taxes became a source of discontent in the south, however, and contributed to disturbances protesting British policy. By 1903 the conquest of the emirates was complete. The Headquarters of Gombe emirate was Gombe-Abba[15] until when the then Emir of Gombe, Umaru Kwairanga (18981922), was forced to move from Gombe-Abba, a town founded by his grandfather and the founder of Gombe Emirate, Modibbo Bubayero, to Nafada town in 1913, and then to the current Gombe in 1919, that was after Gombe Emirate was conquered by British colonialists in 1903. The protectorate was organised to control and develop trade coming down the Niger. There were three main factors that contributed to the European colonization Africa which were, political, social, and economic. Read suggested they be merged, and more use made of Nigeria's natural resources. Lugard bequeathed to his successor a prosperous colony when his term as Governor-General expired. The departure of Azikiwe and other Igbo members of the NYM left the organisation in Yoruba hands. The colonial period proper in Nigeria lasted from 1900 to 1960, after which Nigeria gained its independence. The racial discriminatory tendencies of the Europeans to Nigerians. The 1922 constitution provided Nigerians with the chance to elect a handful of representatives to the Legislative Council. The British captured Kano in 1903. [73] An estimated 500,000 Nigerians would lose their lives due to the pandemic, severely decreasing production capabilities on Nigerian farms and plantations. An extensive immigrant population of southerners, especially Igbo, already were living in the north; they dominated clerical positions and were active in many trades. 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]. At the urging of Governor Frederick Lugard, the two territories were amalgamated as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, while maintaining considerable regional autonomy among the three major regions (Northern protectorate, Southern protectorate and the Colony of Lagos). necessitated by several factors. [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. They wanted self-government, charging that only colonial rule prevented the unshackling of progressive forces in Nigeria and other states. [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. The first missions were opened by the Church of England's Church Missionary Society (CMS). The neglect of traditional institutions. The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. In 1957, the Western and the Eastern regions became formally self-governing under the parliamentary system. 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. His government guided the country for the next three years, operating with almost complete autonomy in internal affairs. 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 British penetration of Nigeria met with various forms of resistance throughout the country. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Europeans had raced to colonize the country Africa. [10], Following military conquest, the British imposed an economic system designed to profit from African labor. The company's major imports to the area included gin and low-quality firearms. From 1815 to 1840, palm oil exports increased by a factor of 25, from 800 to 20,000 tons per year. Newspapers, some of which were published before World War I, provided coverage of nationalist views. The staff of this office came primarily from the British upper-middle classi.e., university-educated men, primarily not nobility, with fathers in well-respected professions. That's human geography 101. the British Government completed their assignment of conquest and came up with what they called the Amalgamation of Nigeria . Beecroft was the British representative to Fernando Po, where the African Slave Trade Patrol of the Royal Navy was stationed. [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. These organisations were primarily urban phenomena that arose after numerous rural migrants moved to the cities. [19] This scenario provided an opportunity for naval expeditions and reconnaissance throughout the region. The decrease in trade indirectly led to the collapse of states like the Edo Empire. 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. British colonialism created Nigeria, joining diverse peoples and regions in an artificial political entity along the Niger River. 979 Words. 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. The Anglicans and other religious groups had a conscious "native church" policy to develop indigenous ecclesiastical institutions to become independent of Europeans. Doctrine of Lapse. 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. Regional administrations also varied widely in the quality of local personnel and in the scope of the operations they were willing to undertake. The Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down the river to a waiting European ship. [52], The territory of the Royal Niger Company became the Northern Nigeria Protectorate, and the Company itself became a private corporation which continued to do business in Nigeria. Lugard's campaign systematically subdued local resistance, using armed force when diplomatic measures failed. Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo; the CMS worked among the Yoruba. Lagos was annexed as a Crown Colony in 1861 via the Lagos Treaty of Cession.[30]. Some were deposed, some were defeated in battle, and others collaborated. 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. NEPU formed a parliamentary alliance with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). These schools would teach "the basic principles that would and should regulate character and conduct". 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. 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. Mordi, Emmanuel Nwafor. The pace of constitutional change accelerated after the promulgation of the Richards Constitution. The political parties jockeyed for positions of power in anticipation of the independence of Nigeria. The company received 865,000 compensation for the loss of its Charter. In the 1850s, quinine had been found to combat malaria, and aided by the medicine, a Liverpool merchant, Macgregor Laird, opened the river. The Niger Delta and Calabar, which once had been known for the export of slaves, became notable for the export of palm oil. Political activists in the southern areas spoke of self-government in terms of educational opportunities and economic development. The movement soon assumed both religious and national characteristics. He aroused political awareness through his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. British Colonizing in Nigeria. The Colonial Civil Service used intermediaries, as the Royal Niger Company had, in an expanded role which included diplomacy, propaganda and espionage. Missionary forces demanded prohibition of liquor, which proved highly unpopular. God, Gold, and Glory. Colonial Lagos was a busy, cosmopolitan port. The NCNC backed creation of a midwest state and proposed federal control of education and health services. 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 The kingdom of Benin began in the 900s when the Edo people settled in the rainforests of West Africa. Ever since, the north-south divide has dominated the politics of independent Nigeria. The NPC captured 142 seats in the new legislature. In the north Frederick Lugard, the first high commissioner of Northern Nigeria, was instrumental in subjugating the Fulani emirs. Du Bois. 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. The said National African Company (Limited) bind themselves to protect the said King and Chiefs from the attacks of any neighbouring tribes (Ibid.). The operations of this force are still not fully known due to a policy of strict secrecy mandated by the British Government. It continued to enjoy special privileges and maintained a de facto monopoly over commerce. The government was responsible to a Parliament composed of the popularly elected 312-member House of Representatives and the 44-member Senate, chosen by the regional legislatures. Despite his somewhat successful efforts to enlist non-Yoruba support, the regionalist sentiment that had stimulated the party initially continued. 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. 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. But in the 1700s, the Bight of Benin (also known as the Slave Coast) became the next most important hub. The NPC continued to represent the interests of the traditional order in the pre-independence deliberations. However, in October 1929 in Oloko a census related to taxation was conducted, and the women in the area suspected that this was a prelude to the extension of direct taxation, which had been imposed on the men the previous year. [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). Portuguese Roman Catholic priests who accompanied traders and officials to the West African coast introduced Christianity to the Edo Empire in the fifteenth century. As its head, the master trader taxed other traders who were members of his "house"; he maintained a war vessel, a large dugout canoe that could hold several tons of cargo and dozens of crew, for the defense of the harbor. Vice consuls were assigned to ports that already had concluded treaties of cooperation with the Foreign Office. 1821 - Sierra Leone, Gambia and the Gold Coast form British West Africa. Indeed it was these developments in the history of Kano that transformed the political outlook of the people. At first, the trade centered around West Central Africa, now the Congo. 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 early history of Lagos Colony was one of repeated attempts to end the Yoruba wars. 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. 3. 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. 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. Kingdoms and empires of precolonial Nigeria, Controversies surrounding the 2007 presidential election, Nigeria under Umaru Musa YarAdua and Goodluck Jonathan, The 2015 elections and electorate concerns, Recession, fight against corruption, and insecurity, Which Country Is Larger By Population?

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