These included the decline of the Mughal Empire. [31], In 1891, the consulate established the Niger Coast Protectorate Force or "Oil Rivers Irregulars".[32]. Between them, the French and the British had purchased a majority of the slaves sold from the ports of Edo. The Southern Protectorate financed itself from the outset, with revenue increasing from 361,815 to 1,933,235 over the same period. [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 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. 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. ", Tamuno, T. N. (1970). He was convinced that the Muslim religion had fallen into utter degeneration as a result of moral depravity of the Hausa Emirs. The Resident also oversaw a Provincial Court at the region's capital. [82], Oil exploration began in 1906 under John Simon Bergheim's Nigeria Bitumen Corporation, to which the Colonial Office granted exclusive rights. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1991. "John Beecroft, 17901854: Her Brittanic Majesty's Consul to the Bights of Benin and Biafra 18491854". The Governor-General represented the British monarch as head of state and was appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Nigerian prime minister in consultation with the regional premiers. Causes Of European Colonization In Africa | ipl.org Timeline of the British Empire - Historic UK European slave trading from West Africa began before 1650, with people taken at a rate of about 3,000 per year. 1. The classic example in English history was the victory of the Parliament over the king. Much of the human trafficking which occurred there was nominally illegal, and records from this time and place are not comprehensive. The Sokoto jihad and the Yoruba wars stimulated the slave trade at a time when the British were actively trying to stop it. In contrast to Lugard, Clifford argued that colonial government had the responsibility to introduce as quickly as practical the benefits of Western experience. The boundaries of the two protectorates and the territories of the Royal Niger Company were difficult to define, but the tension was eased in 1894 when both entities were merged into the Niger Coast Protectorate. "The agents performed similar but more expansive roles as their Company counterparts. He also led the Nigerian National Democratic Party, which dominated elections in Lagos from its founding in 1922 until the ascendancy of the National Youth Movement in 1938. 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. He aroused political awareness through his newspaper, the Lagos Daily News. Other commercial crops, such as cocoa and rubber, were encouraged, and tin was mined on the Jos Plateau. The cleavage between the Yoruba and the Igbo was accentuated by their competition for control of the political machinery. This rate rose to 20,000 per year in the last quarter of the century. Although realistic in its assessment of the situation in Nigeria, the Richards Constitution undoubtedly intensified regionalism as an alternative to political unification. Clifford emphasized economic development, encouraging enterprises by immigrant southerners in the north while restricting European participation to capital intensive activity. 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. After the defection of Kano, the only significant disagreement within the NPC was related to moderates. In time, they built depots onshore and eventually moved up the Niger River to establish stations in the interior. French in West Africa - University of Pennsylvania 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. He definitely laid the basis for British claims. A consul was maintained at Fernando Po to oversee the lucrative palm oil trade in the region called the Oil Rivers. 2. 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. ", Simon Heap, "'We think prohibition is a farce': drinking in the alcohol-prohibited zone of colonial northern Nigeria. The High Commissioner will be guided by all the usual laws of succession and the wishes of the people and chief but will set them aside if he desires for good cause to do so. The officers of the RWAFF were British. 1833 - The abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire. This became the Lagos Constabulary, and subsequently the Nigerian Police Force. [57], From 1895 to 1900, a railway was constructed running from Lagos to Ibadan; it opened in March 1901. (This was also reflective of growing pan-Africanism among American activists of the time.) The Governor was, in effect, the coordinator for virtually autonomous entities that had overlapping economic interests but little in common politically or socially. Motivation for European conquest of the New World The conquest was personal to William. In-text citation: Local rulers continued to administer their territories, but consular authorities assumed jurisdiction for the equity courts established earlier by the foreign mercantile communities. Beecroft was the British representative to Fernando Po, where the African Slave Trade Patrol of the Royal Navy was stationed. They noticed something odd about the local fishermen and asked to come ashore. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria Political activists in the southern areas spoke of self-government in terms of educational opportunities and economic development. For example, many people in Ibadan opposed Awolowo on personal grounds because of his identification with the Ijebu Yoruba. In the name of liberating the Igbos from the Aro Confederacy, the British launched the Anglo-Aro War of 19011902. Among his leading lieutenants were Samuel Akintola of Ogbomoso and the Oni of Ife, the most important of the Yoruba monarchs. Final Conquest Verse By Verse Study of The Book Revelation DVD Robert British and French traders did a large share of this business until 1807 when they were replaced by the Portuguese and the Spaniards. The superior weapons, tactics and political unity of the British are commonly given as reasons for their decisive . (Specifically it would enable direct subsidy of the less profitable Northern jurisdiction.) Most Europeans tended to overlook their own differences and were surprised and shocked that Nigerians wanted to develop new denominations independent of European control. 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. [38][39], In 1892 the British Armed Forces set out to fight the Ijebu Kingdom, which had resisted missionaries and foreign traders. To start with, European nations were motivated by economic factors arising from the industrial revolution which started in Britain and extended to other European countries such as Belgium, France and Germany (Hochschild, 158).They wanted cheaper mineral resources for their home industries claiming that resources were abundant in Africa for 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. Village Heads were paid 10 shillings for conscripts, and fined 50 if they failed to supply. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria The federal government retained specified powers, including responsibility for banking, currency, external affairs, defence, shipping and navigation and communications, but real political power was centred in the regions. Under Lugard from 1900 to 1906, the Protectorate consolidated political control over the area through military conquest and initiated the use of British currency in substitute for barter. Its activist membership was drawn from local government and emirate officials who had access to means of communication and to repressive traditional authority that could keep the opposition in line. The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. Despite his somewhat successful efforts to enlist non-Yoruba support, the regionalist sentiment that had stimulated the party initially continued. 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. Although this trade grew to significant proportionspalm oil exports alone were worth 1 billion a year by 1840it was concentrated near the coast, where palm trees grew in abundance. The search for oil, begun in 1908 and abandoned a few years later, was revived in 1937 by Shell and British Petroleum. From January 1914 onwards, the newly united colony and protectorate was presided over by a proconsul, who was entitled the Governor-General of Nigeria. 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. Britain withdrew from the slave trade when it was the major transporter of slaves to the Americas. 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. 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. The economy suffered from the decline in the slave trade, although considerable smuggling of slaves to the Americas continued for years afterward. British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. In the south the British had to fight many wars, in particular the wars against the Ijebu (a Yoruba group) in 1892, the Aro of eastern Igboland, and, until 1914, the Aniocha of western Igboland. 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. The essential basis of this system was a money economyspecifically the British pound sterlingwhich could be demanded through taxation, paid to cooperative natives, and levied as a fine. In elections that year, the NYM ended the domination of the NNDP in the Legislative Council and worked to establish a national network of affiliates. 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. His objective was to conquer the entire region and to obtain recognition of the British protectorate by its indigenous rulers, especially the Fulani emirs of the Sokoto Caliphate. In 1886, Taubman secured a royal charter and his company became the Royal Niger Company. 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 bequeathed to his successor a prosperous colony when his term as Governor-General expired. However, the British East India Company was able to lay the foundation of an empire in the Indian sub-continent because, from a British perspective, of a fortuitous series of circumstances. The policy of indirect rule used in Northern Nigeria became a model for British colonies elsewhere in Africa. These were the Agent-General, the Senior Judicial Officer, and the Commandant of the Constabulary. Free shipping for many products! 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. Men 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]. 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 NPC was called on to form a government, but the NCNC received six of the ten ministerial posts. 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). How did use of enslaved African people for labour develop? 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 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. 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. 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. This page was last edited on 30 January 2023, at 05:21. Vice consuls were assigned to ports that already had concluded treaties of cooperation with the Foreign Office. The Colonial Civil Service used intermediaries, as the Royal Niger Company had, in an expanded role which included diplomacy, propaganda and espionage. 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. Hence, precolonial level of development is positively asso-ciated with level of Spanish colonialism, but negatively associated with level of British colonialism. 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. In the 1870s, therefore, George Taubman Goldie began amalgamating companies into the United African Company, soon renamed the National African Company. 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. [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. What Britain Did to Nigeria A Short History of Conquest and Rule Max Siollun. Thus Spain and Portugal set up colonies in Central and South America after it was discovered by Columbus. Europeans, with an eye to colonization and conquest, restricted the sale of the new weaponry to Africa maintaining military superiority. Progressive constitutions after World War II provided for increasing representation and electoral government by Nigerians. By demonstrating the heavy reliance on West African soldiers for the 'European' conduct of the Great War campaign in the region, it shows how West Africans helped determine the outcome of war in the region. 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. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. The Anglicans and other religious groups had a conscious "native church" policy to develop indigenous ecclesiastical institutions to become independent of Europeans. The British finalized the border between Nigeria and French West Africa with the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. The choice of political elite at the time of independence can also explain these differences. Most internal problems were concealed, and open opposition to the domination of the Muslim aristocracy was not tolerated. [76], The British treasury initially supported the landlocked Northern Nigeria Protectorate with grants, totalling 250,000 or more each year. One of the most effective tactics, the British used to take over most of India. By 1903 the conquest of the emirates was complete. June 30, 2022 . Consequently, in 1849, John Beecroft was accredited as consul for the bights of Benin and Biafra, a jurisdiction stretching from Dahomey to Cameroon. Colonialism in Nigeria: positive and negative impacts of Nigerian 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. Africans also were represented on the Lagos Legislative Council, a largely appointed assembly. Local leaders, cognizant of the situation in the West Indies, India, and elsewhere, recognised the risks of British expansion. The war was between the Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist nation that had declared independence from Nigeria. Facebook Instagram Email. What Were the Effects of the British Taking Over Africa? - The Classroom The goal of activists initially was not self-determination, but increased participation on a regional level in the governmental process. In April 1927, the British colonial government in Nigeria took measures to enforce the Native Revenue (Amendment) Ordinance. It made anti-slavery treaties with West African powers, which it enforced militarily with the blockade of Africa. 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. Awolowo had little difficulty in appealing to broad segments of the Yoruba population, but he worked to avoid the Action Group from being stigmatized as a "tribal" group. Balewa was called on to head an NPC-NCNC coalition government, and Awolowo became the official leader of the opposition. The rapid expansion in exports, especially after 1830, occurred precisely at the time slave exports collapsed. Every Sultan and Emir and the principal officers of state will be appointed by the high Commissioner throughout all this country. The Lander brothers were seized by slave traders in the interior and sold down the river to a waiting European ship. 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. The British also created "divide and rule" policies, pitting Hindu and Muslim Indians against one another. Native Administration was responsible for police, hospitals, public works and local courts. September 1996. The slave trade was heaviest in the period 17001850, with an average of 76,000 people taken from Africa each year between 1783 and 1792. It represented a substantial element of reformism in the North. Falola, Toyin, Ann Genova, and Matthew M. Heaton. In 1920, portions of former German Cameroon were mandated to Britain by the League of Nations and were administered as part of Nigeria. [11] In 1891, the African Banking Corporation founded the Bank of British West Africa in Lagos.[33]. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeriacan low magnesium kill you. As before, Aro merchants dominated trade in the hinterland, including palm products to the coast and the sale of slaves within Igboland. Initial British attempts to open trade with the interior by way of the Niger could not overcome climate and diseases such as malaria. As a further step toward independence, the Governor's Executive Council was merged with the Council of Ministers in 1957 to form the all-Nigerian Federal Executive Council. His political platform called for economic and educational development, Africanization of the civil service, and self-government for Lagos. 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? 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. Not wishing to appear out of control or weak, they approved the expedition (two days after it began) on 19 January 1903.,[47] In general, the Colonial Office allowed Lugard's expeditions to continue because they were framed as retaliatory and, as Olivier commented in 1906, "If the millions of people [in Nigeria] who do not want us there once get the notion that our people can be killed with impunity they will not be slow to attempt it."[48]. The yoruba-Igbo rivalry became increasingly important in Nigerian politics. The British were not yet willing to assume the expense of maintaining an administration in Nigeria. In general, the regional constitutions followed the federal model, both structurally and functionally. In 1946 a new constitution was approved by the British Parliament at Westminster and promulgated in Nigeria. 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. Solicitar ms informacin: 310-2409701 | administracion@consultoresayc.co. These courts contained majorities British members and represented a new level of presumptive British sovereignty in the Bight of Biafra. In 1794, the African Association in Great Britain commissioned Mungo Park, an intrepid Scottish physician and naturalist, to search for the headwaters of the Niger and follow the river downstream. West Africa | International Encyclopedia of the First World War (WW1) The emirs retained their caliphate titles but were responsible to British district officers, who had final authority. 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. While each generated considerable political controversy, they moved the country toward greater internal autonomy, with an increasing role for the political parties. Most of these came from military backgrounds. Agents also collected intelligence for the colonial officials; they gathered information on public opinion and the military resources of the local polities; they also spied on rival colonial forces in foreign territories. These policies met with ongoing resistance. Direct taxation on men was introduced in 1928 without major incidents. 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. [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. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Europeans had raced to colonize the country Africa. From Lugard's point of view, clear-cut military victories were necessary because the surrenders of the defeated peoples weakened resistance elsewhere. In the immediate post-World War II period, Nigeria benefited from a favourable trade balance. The NPC captured 142 seats in the new legislature. In November 1908, Bergheim reported striking oil; in September 1909, he reported extracting 2,000 barrels per day. The war also made the British reappraise Nigeria's political future. Herbert Richmond Palmer developed details of this model from 1906 to 1911 as the Governor of Northern Nigeria after Lugard.[66]. 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.