Colonial Nigeria
Nigeria, 1914–1960. Draft, not yet reviewed
Colonial Nigeria formed part of the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1 October 1960, when Nigeria achieved independence. From 1886 to 1899, much of the area was ruled by the Royal Niger Company, authorised by charter, and governed by George Taubman Goldie. At the urging of Governor Frederick Lugard, the two territories were amalgamated as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Progressive constitutions after World War II provided for increasing representation and electoral government by Nigerians.
Seat of power: Lagos
Rulers
Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard
Governor-General of Nigeria, 1914–1919
From 1914 to 1919, he served as Governor General of the now combined colony of Nigeria. He is remembered for his system of indirect rule in Nigeria and for his part in the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria. Scholars have criticised indirect rule for its construction of social hierarchies, imbalance of political power and forced adoption of ethnicities.
Portrait of Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard: Elliott & Fry, Public domain, file
Hugh Clifford
Governor of Nigeria, 1919–1925
He was Governor of the Gold Coast from 1912 to 1919 and Governor of Nigeria from 1919 to 1925.
Portrait of Hugh Clifford: Unknown authorUnknown author., Public domain, file
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Graeme Thomson
Governor of Nigeria, 1925–1931
He joined the Colonial Service and was appointed Governor of British Guiana in 1922, Nigeria in 1925 and Ceylon in 1931.
Donald Charles Cameron
Governor of Nigeria, 1931–1935
From 1931 to 1935 he was governor and commander-in-chief of Nigeria. He had become influenced by Lugard's ideas of indirect rule.
Bernard Henry Bourdillon
Governor of Nigeria, 1935–1940
In 1935 he was made Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria, holding the post until he retired in 1943. He was aligned with the reforming trend in colonial policy, and rapidly gained the respect and friendship of the educated elite of Nigeria.
Portrait of Bernard Henry Bourdillon: Bassano Ltd, Public domain, file
John Evelyn Shuckburgh
Governor of Nigeria, 1940–1942
He was appointed interim Governor of Nigeria on 1 July 1940 and held the position until 1942, when Sir Alan Burns replaced him. His tenure, as well as that of his successor, was characterised as unremarkable.
Alan Burns
Governor of Nigeria, 1942–1943
In 1942 he served for five months as Acting Governor of Nigeria. From 1929 to 1934 he had been Deputy Chief Secretary to the Government of Nigeria.
Portrait of Alan Burns: Lafayette Ltd, Public domain, file
Arthur Richards, 1st Baron Milverton
Governor of Nigeria, 1943–1948
From 1943 to 1948, he served as Governor of Nigeria. He became the first Colonial Office official to be raised to the peerage while still in office.
John Macpherson
Governor of Nigeria, 1948–1955
He was responsible for the introduction of the 1951 Constitution, which provided for semi-responsible government. He also accelerated the Africanisation of the Nigerian public service.
Portrait of John Macpherson: Solomon Osagie Alonge, Public domain, file
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James Wilson Robertson
Governor-General of Nigeria, 1955–1960
He served as the last colonial governor-general of Nigeria from 1955 to 1960. He represented the Queen as head of state from 1 October to 16 November 1960.
Portrait of James Wilson Robertson: Rs-nourse, CC BY 4.0, file
Culture
- Through a progressive sequence of regimes, the British imposed Crown Colony and protectorate government on parts of West Africa which came to be known as Nigeria, a form of rule which was both autocratic and bureaucratic.
- Following military conquest, the British imposed an economic system designed to profit from African labour.
- The amalgamation of different ethnic and religious groups into one federation created internal tension which persists in Nigeria to the present day.
Picture
Lagos is a large metropolitan port city in southwestern Nigeria, and the largest city in the country.
Image: FrankvEck, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.