Colonial Administration in Nigeria – Basic 4 History Lesson Note (First Term)

Colonial administration is the way a colonising country ran and controlled its colony. In Nigeria, Britain was the colonising country.

Behavioural objectives

1. Define colony, coloniser, colonised and colonial administration.
2. Arrange the levels of British colonial administration in Nigeria from top to bottom.
3. State the stages by which Britain took control of Nigeria.
4. Give the year of amalgamation and name the first Governor-General.
5. List two positive and two negative effects of colonial rule on Nigeria.

What are the key terms in colonial administration?

There are four key terms: colony, coloniser, colonised and colonial administration.

• Colony: a place controlled by another country far away.
• Coloniser: the country that takes control of another place. Britain was the coloniser of Nigeria.
• Colonised: the people and place controlled by another country. Nigerians were colonised.
• Colonial administration: how the coloniser runs and controls the colony.

What was the structure of colonial administration in Nigeria?

The British system had five levels, from the Governor-General at the top to the Native Authorities at the bottom.

1. Governor-General (top leader)

• Power: the most powerful person in Nigeria.
• Role: represented the British King or Queen.
• Decisions: made all important decisions.

2. Lieutenant Governors

• Role: helped the Governor-General.
• Area: controlled Northern and Southern Nigeria.

3. Residents

• Who they were: British officers in each province.
• Role: supervised local areas.

4. District Officers

• Role: managed smaller districts.
• Contact: worked directly with local people.

5. Native Authorities

• Who they were: local traditional rulers such as Emirs, Obas and Obis.
• Role: helped the British rule their own people.
• Duty: collected taxes for the British.

What is indirect rule?

Indirect rule is the system by which the British ruled Nigerians through their traditional rulers.

• Who used it: Lord Lugard made it the main system of British rule in Nigeria.
• How it worked: traditional rulers gave orders to their people, under the watch of British officers.
• Reason: Britain had few officers, so it used local rulers to save cost.

How did Britain colonise Nigeria?

Britain colonised Nigeria in four stages: trade, taking control, military conquest and amalgamation.

Stage 1: Trade period (1800s)

• British traders came to buy palm oil and other goods.
• They built trading posts along the coast.

Stage 2: Taking control (1860s to 1900)

• The British took over Lagos in 1861.
• The Royal Niger Company controlled trade along the Niger and in the North.
• The British made treaties with local rulers.

Stage 3: Military conquest (1900 to 1914)

• The British used their army to defeat communities that resisted.
• They created the Northern and Southern Nigeria protectorates.
• Traditional rulers were forced to obey British laws.

Stage 4: Amalgamation (1914)

• Amalgamation means joining the Northern and Southern protectorates into one country.
• Lord Lugard became the first Governor-General.
• Nigeria became one territory under British rule.

Timeline of key dates

What were the positive impacts of colonial rule?

The positive impacts were gains in education, transportation, healthcare and unity.

Education

• Schools and later colleges were built.
• Many Nigerians learned to read and write.
• Western education was introduced.

Transportation

• Railways and roads were built.
• Different parts of Nigeria were connected.
• Travel and trade became easier.

Healthcare

• Hospitals and clinics were built.
• Modern medicine was brought in.
• Some diseases were reduced.

Unity

• Different ethnic groups were brought under one government.
• One Nigeria was created from many kingdoms.

What were the negative impacts of colonial rule?

The negative impacts were loss of freedom, exploitation, cultural loss and unfair treatment.

Loss of freedom

• Nigerians lost their independence.
• They could not govern themselves.
• They had to obey foreign rulers.

Exploitation

• The British took Nigeria’s resources, such as palm oil, groundnuts and cocoa.
• Profits were sent back to Britain.
• Most Nigerians remained poor.

Cultural loss

• Traditional ways were discouraged.
• Local languages were not valued in schools.
• African culture was wrongly seen as backward.

Unfair treatment

• Racism: Nigerians were treated as inferior.
• Jobs: the best jobs went to British people.
• Unequal development: some areas were neglected.

Evaluation

1. Define colony and colonial administration.
2. Arrange from top to bottom: District Officers, Governor-General, Native Authorities, Residents.
3. Fill in the blanks: Nigeria was colonised by _______. The first Governor-General was _______. Northern and Southern Nigeria were joined in _______.
4. Name two positive and two negative impacts of colonial rule.
5. Why did the British colonise Nigeria? (a) To help Nigerians (b) To take resources and make money (c) To teach religion (d) To build houses

Answers

1. A colony is a place controlled by another country. Colonial administration is how the coloniser runs and controls the colony.
2. Governor-General, Residents, District Officers, Native Authorities.
3. Britain, Lord Lugard, 1914.
4. Positive: education, roads and railways, modern medicine, unity. Negative: loss of freedom, exploitation, cultural loss, unfair treatment (any two of each).
5. (b) To take resources and make money.

Assignment

Draw the chain of British colonial administration in Nigeria from top to bottom. Write one duty beside each of the five levels.