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

Therefore, other factors exist to explain the institutional design. Most of the fighting was done by Hausa soldiers, recruited to fight against other groups. The Colony was ultimately governed by the British Colonial Office in London. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1719. It assumed that comparable alterations would be made elsewhere, an attitude that won the party minority voting support in the other regions. Ethnic cleavages intensified in the 1950s. 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. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeriacan low magnesium kill you. The supply of precious metals was finite, and monarchs hoped to find large deposits of gold and silver in the Americas. Doctrine of Lapse. The policy of indirect rule used in Northern Nigeria became a model for British colonies elsewhere in Africa. In German East Africa, Britain took over Tangayika while Ruanda-Urundi possessions were given to Belgium. Borno capitulated without a fight, but in 1903 Lugard's RWAFF mounted assaults on Kano and Sokoto. June 30, 2022 . 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. European Colonialism in Africa. Their common denominators tended to be based on newly assertive ethnic consciousness, particularly that of the Yoruba and Igbo. Spain was driven by three main motivations. The National Youth Movement used nationalist rhetoric to agitate for improvements in education. The company's major imports to the area included gin and low-quality firearms. [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. He definitely laid the basis for British claims. [19] This scenario provided an opportunity for naval expeditions and reconnaissance throughout the region. Although realistic in its assessment of the situation in Nigeria, the Richards Constitution undoubtedly intensified regionalism as an alternative to political unification. Afeadie, "The Hidden Hand of Overrule" (1996), p. 1921. They were helped by two major factors; the discovery of quinine as a preventive drug against malaria and the armory the British possess which was superior compared to those of the Nigerians. The Norman conquest in 1066 was the last successful conquest of England. For example, many people in Ibadan opposed Awolowo on personal grounds because of his identification with the Ijebu Yoruba. The Colonial Civil Service used intermediaries, as the Royal Niger Company had, in an expanded role which included diplomacy, propaganda and espionage. [73] An estimated 500,000 Nigerians would lose their lives due to the pandemic, severely decreasing production capabilities on Nigerian farms and plantations. [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). It continued to enjoy special privileges and maintained a de facto monopoly over commerce. [11], The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. The British turned to Persia for oil.[83]. In this way Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowtherborn in the Yoruba-inhabited area of Oshogbo and the first African ordained by the CMSwas able to establish mission stations at Onitsha, Lokoja, and Eggan and later at Brass and Bonny. European slave trading from West Africa began before 1650, with people taken at a rate of about 3,000 per year. David Ellis, "African and European relations in the last century of the transatlantic slave trade"; in Ptr-Grenouilleau. Du Bois. Most of these came from military backgrounds. The so-called Macpherson Constitution, after the incumbent Governor-General John Stuart Macpherson, went into effect the following year. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeriaannalise mahanes height. Recovery came quickly and improvements in port facilities and the transportation infrastructure during World War I furthered economic development. 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. 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. 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. Nigerian units also contributed to two divisions serving with British forces in Palestine, Morocco, Sicily and Burma, where they won many honours. The rapid expansion in exports, especially after 1830, occurred precisely at the time slave exports collapsed. 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. The British led a series of military campaigns to enlarge its sphere of influence and expand its commercial opportunities. The Colonial Office could veto or revise his policies. They were the most politically conscious segment of the population and created the vanguard of the nationalist movement. There was virtually no pressure for greater unity among the regions until after the end of World War II. Similar status was acquired by the Northern Region two years later. Some of the treaties contained prohibitions on diplomacy conducted without British permission, or other promises to abide by British rule. 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. A lack of interest in extending the NPC beyond the Northern Region corresponded to this strictly regional orientation. By 1903 the conquest of the emirates was complete. Exploration was intensified in 1946, but the first commercial discovery did not occur until 1956, at Olobiri in the Niger Delta. Facebook Instagram Email. The Ekumeku, who were well organized and whose leaders were joined in secrecy oaths, effectively utilized guerrilla tactics to attack the British. The movement brought to public notice a long list of future leaders, including H.O. The said National African Company (Limited) bind themselves to protect the said King and Chiefs from the attacks of any neighbouring tribes (Ibid.). The pulpits of the independent congregations became avenues for the free expression of critics of colonial rule. Quiz. "John Beecroft, 17901854: Her Brittanic Majesty's Consul to the Bights of Benin and Biafra 18491854". 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. This article examines the deployment of West African soldiers for military service in West Africa, including the manner of mobilization and recruitment. Subsequent revisions contained in the Lyttleton Constitution, enacted in 1954, firmly established the federal principle and paved the way for independence. [73] The colonial government would enact new legislation in reaction to the pandemic including, travel passes for individuals in the colony, increased usage of sanitary practices, and door to door checks on indigenous Nigerian households. The principal figure in the political activity that ensued was Herbert Macauley, often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. The primary motives of European explorers were economic. (Specifically it would enable direct subsidy of the less profitable Northern jurisdiction.) [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 British responded to such evidence of rivalry by defending their right to free navigation on the river at the Berlin West Africa Conference of 188485. Open Document. At the same time it is feasible by degrees to bring them gradually into approximation with our ideas of justice and humanity. In 1900, the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate passed from company hands to the Crown. In the Northern Cameroons, however, the largely Muslim electorate chose to merge with Nigeria's Northern Region. [50] In the same year, the British created the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF or WAFF), under the leadership of Colonel Frederick Lugard. 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 Royal Navy bombarded Lagos in November 1851, ousted the pro-slavery Oba Kosoko and established a treaty with the newly installed Oba Akintoye, who was expectedly more amenable to British interests. 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. Three constitutions were enacted from 1946 to 1954. 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. 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. In consideration of the foregoing, the said National African Company (Limited) bind themselves not to interfere with any of the native laws or customs of the country, consistently with the maintenance of order and good government [and] agree to pay native owners of land a reasonable amount for any portion they may require. Unification meant only the loose affiliation of three distinct regional administrations into which Nigeria was subdividedNorthern, Western and Eastern regions. 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. A revelatory account of British imperialism's shameful impact on Africa's most populous state. From January 1914 onwards, the newly united colony and protectorate was presided over by a proconsul, who was entitled the Governor-General of Nigeria. [32] This included a river fleet which it used for retaliatory attacks on uncooperative villages. 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. 979 Words. But the war had more concrete consequences. Azikiwe had less interest in purely Nigerian goals than did Davies, a student of Harold Laski at the London School of Economics, whose political orientation was considered left-wing. "Specifically, the Company sought to secure the cooperation of the traditional rulers in ensuring peaceful conditions for trade. Combining the three jurisdictions would reduce administrative expenses and facilitate deployment of resources and money between the areas. In the north, appeals to Islamic legitimacy upheld the rule of the emirs, so that nationalist sentiments were related to Islamic ideals. factors that led to the british conquest of nigeria. The Resident also oversaw a Provincial Court at the region's capital. 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 . the British Government completed their assignment of conquest and came up with what they called the Amalgamation of Nigeria . Catholic missionaries were particularly active among the Igbo; the CMS worked among the Yoruba. The most dramatic event having a long-term effect on Nigeria's economic development was the discovery and exploitation of petroleum deposits. Britain also encouraged the formation of the Muslim League of India in 1907. [17] Much of this oil was sold elsewhere in the British Empire. 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. [74] The disease first found its home among the many trading ports along the West African coast. [8] British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. [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. They noticed something odd about the local fishermen and asked to come ashore. They received attention from major parties before elections, at which time either a dominant party from another region or the opposition party in their region sought their alliance. 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. The war was between the Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist nation that had declared independence from Nigeria. [51], Guidelines for running the Nigerian colony were established in 1898 by the Niger Committee, chaired by the Earl of Selborne, in 1898. Because of the hazards of climate and tropical diseases for Europeans and the absence of any centralized authorities on the mainland responsive to their interests, European merchants moored their ships outside harbours or in the delta, and used the ships as trading stations and warehouses. http://www.kibin.com/essay-examples/the-factors-that-led-to-the-colonization-of-africa-by-the-europeans-PLa41Sz5 Be sure to capitalize proper nouns (e.g. [11], By the 1880s, the National African Company became the dominant commercial power, increasing from 19 to 39 stations between 1882 and 1893. [9] Administration and military control of the territory was conducted primarily by white Britons, both in London and in Nigeria. [36], The company, as was common among European businesses in Africa, paid its native workers in barter. The departure of Azikiwe and other Igbo members of the NYM left the organisation in Yoruba hands. Oil income was still marginal, but the prospects for continued economic expansion appeared bright and accentuated political rivalries on the eve of independence. The Industrial Revolution was a period of scientific and technological development in the 18th century that transformed largely rural, agrarian societiesespecially in Europe and North America . A consul was maintained at Fernando Po to oversee the lucrative palm oil trade in the region called the Oil Rivers. In 1851 deposed king Akintoye of Lagos sought British help in restoring him to the throne. The traders suffered from the risks of their position and believed they were at the mercy of the coastal rulers, whom they considered unpredictable. In 1905, the colonial government divided Bengal into Hindu and Muslim sections; this division was revoked after strong protests. British expansion was conducted primarily by commercialists and resulted in more solid economic potential than the French endeavor (Crowder, 1990). 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. Clifford also believed that indirect rule encouraged centripetal tendencies. England would forever be changed politically, economically, and socially as a result. 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. The mud-walled city of Kano was captured in February, and, after a vigorous skirmish at Kotorkwashi, the sultan's capital, Sokoto, fell the next month. Sometimes forced labour was used directly for public works projects. The charter allowed the company to collect customs and make treaties with local leaders.[12]. Even before gaining its charter, the Company signed treaties with local leaders which granted it broad sovereign powers. A.J. The conference drafted the terms of a new constitution. The introduction of the federal principle, with deliberative authority devolved on the regions, signalled recognition of the country's diversity. 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. At first, the trade centered around West Central Africa, now the Congo. It was colonized by the British in 1884 and the colony is established at the Berlin conference which divides Africa by European powers. 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. The history of Nigeria can be traced to the earliest inhabitants whose remains date from at least 13,000 BC through early civilizations such as the Nok culture which began around 1500 BC.Numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the region that is known today as Nigeria, such as the Kingdom of Nri, the Benin Empire, and the Oyo Empire. David Richardson, "Background to annexation: Anglo-African credit relations in the Bight of Biafra, 17001891"; in Ptr-Grenouilleau. Hausa was recognised as an official language in the north, and knowledge of it was expected of colonial officers serving there. The country was divided politically, lacking European rivals, and no sense of national unity. Initially, most palm oil (and later kernels) came from Igboland, where palm trees formed a canopy over the densely inhabited areas of the Ngwa, Nri Kingdom, Awka and other Igbo peoples. A Hurst Publication. We bind ourselves not to have any intercourse with any strangers or foreigners except through the said national African Company (Limited), and we give the said National African Company (Limited) full power to exclude all other strangers and foreigners from their territory at their discretion. Economic links among the regions increased, but indirect rule tended to discourage political interchange. In Europe, Britain sent troops to help its ally, Prussia, which was surrounded by its enemies. Protestant sects had flourished in Christianity since the Protestant Reformation; the emergence of independent Christian churches in Nigeria (as of black denominations in the United States) was another phase of this history. In addition, two other protectorates were declared, one over the Oil Rivers and the other over the hinterland of Lagos, to establish a claim that these areas were also British spheres of interest.. An example was that at Onitsha, where they could bargain directly with local suppliers and purchase products likely to turn a profit. Several churches were built to serve the Edo community and a small number of African converts. 24. 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.