Northern and Southern Protectorates – JSS3 Nigerian History Lesson Note (Second Term)

The Northern and Southern Protectorates were two British administrative regions in Nigeria, joined in 1914 to form the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. describe how the Southern and Northern Protectorates were formed;
2. explain how each protectorate was administered;
3. state the main economic activities in each protectorate;
4. list the differences between the two protectorates;
5. explain the amalgamation of 1914 and the legacy of the protectorates.

What is a protectorate?

A protectorate is a territory that a stronger country claims to protect while controlling its government and trade.

• British claim: Britain said it offered “protection” to local rulers and peoples.
• Real effect: Britain took control of the land, trade and government.
• Starting point: Britain took Lagos in 1861 and then expanded into other Nigerian territories.
• Result: by the early 20th century there were two large regions, the Northern and Southern Protectorates.

What is the timeline of the protectorates?

What was the Southern Protectorate?

The Southern Protectorate was the British-controlled region of southern Nigeria, formed in stages from 1885 to 1906.

How was the Southern Protectorate formed?

It was formed in three stages.

1. Oil Rivers Protectorate (1885): Britain declared a protectorate over the Niger Delta, where the palm oil trade was strong. It was Britain’s first formal claim beyond Lagos.
2. Niger Coast Protectorate (1893): the Oil Rivers Protectorate was enlarged and renamed, covering more coastal areas.
3. Merger with Lagos (1906): the Colony of Lagos joined the Niger Coast Protectorate to form the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria.

• Peoples: the Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio and many others.
• Political systems: most societies had no centralised kingdom, except the Yoruba kingdoms and Benin.
• Effect: this made British administration more difficult.

How was the Southern Protectorate administered?

The South was ruled by a High Commissioner, with provinces, Native Courts and attempts at Indirect Rule.

• High Commissioner: appointed by the British government, with wide powers, and reported to the Colonial Office in London.
• Provincial administration: the region was divided into provinces, each under a British Provincial Commissioner, then into divisions and districts.
• Native Courts: local disputes were settled by local custom, under British supervision.
• Indirect Rule attempts: the British tried to rule through local chiefs, but it worked less well because many societies were decentralised.
• Missionary activity: Christian missions built schools and churches that strongly influenced culture and education.

What were the economic activities in the Southern Protectorate?

The main economic activities in the South were the export of palm produce and forest crops.

• Palm oil trade: palm oil and palm kernels were major exports, used in Europe for soap, candles and machine lubricants.
• Agricultural exports: cocoa and rubber also became important export crops.
• Royal Niger Company: before direct government control, the company held trading monopolies in parts of the region.
• Infrastructure: roads, railways and ports were built to carry raw materials out and British goods in.
• Currency changes: local currencies were gradually replaced by British money.

What was the Northern Protectorate?

The Northern Protectorate was the British-controlled region of northern Nigeria, declared in 1900.

How was the Northern Protectorate formed?

It was formed in three steps.

1. Royal Niger Company treaties: the company, a British trading firm, signed treaties with northern rulers in the late 19th century and claimed rights over their lands.
2. Formal Protectorate (1900): the British government took over the company’s territories and declared the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.
3. Conquest of the Sokoto Caliphate (1903): British forces led by Frederick Lugard defeated the caliphate, which had controlled much of the North.

• Peoples: the Hausa-Fulani emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate, the Bornu Empire, and Middle Belt peoples such as the Tiv, Idoma and Nupe.

How was the Northern Protectorate administered?

The North was ruled through Indirect Rule, using existing emirs and chiefs under British officers.

• High Commissioner: Sir Frederick Lugard was the first High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria.
• Indirect Rule: Lugard governed through traditional rulers. It worked well in the hierarchical emirate system.
• Native Authority system: rulers collected taxes, kept law and order and ran Native Courts.
• Islamic institutions: Islamic law and education were largely kept in Muslim areas, under British supervision.
• Limited missionary activity: missions were restricted in Muslim areas to avoid religious conflict.

What were the economic activities in the Northern Protectorate?

The main economic activities in the North were the export of savanna crops and the collection of taxes.

• Groundnut production: groundnuts became a major export, shown by the “groundnut pyramids” of Kano.
• Cotton cultivation: cotton was grown for British textile factories.
• Taxation: poll taxes had to be paid in cash, so many people grew cash crops or worked for wages.
• Trans-Saharan trade: trade routes were gradually turned southward towards the coast.
• Railway development: railways linked the North to southern ports, such as the Lagos-Kano line, which reached Kano in 1911.

What were the differences between the protectorates?

The Northern Protectorate was ruled mainly through emirs under Indirect Rule. The Southern Protectorate had more direct British involvement and strong missionary influence.

What was the amalgamation of 1914?

The amalgamation of 1914 was the joining of the Northern and Southern Protectorates into one country, the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.

• Date: 1 January 1914.
• Frederick Lugard’s role: the former High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria became the first Governor-General of unified Nigeria.
• Economic motive: the richer South could help pay for the administration of the North.
• Continuing differences: the North and South were still administered differently in many ways.

What was the legacy of the protectorates?

The legacy of the protectorates is the lasting effect of colonial division and amalgamation on Nigeria.

• Regional identities: the North-South division created regional identities that still influence politics.
• Religion and policy: missions spread widely in the South, while Islamic institutions were kept in the North.
• Educational disparities: unequal access to Western education began in this period and affected later development.
• Political structure: Nigeria’s federal system partly grew from the regional differences of this period.
• Artificial boundaries: Nigeria’s borders cut across ethnic lines and ignored older African political systems.

Evaluation

1. Name the three stages in the formation of the Southern Protectorate.
2. Who led the British forces that conquered the Sokoto Caliphate in 1903?
3. Explain why Indirect Rule worked better in the North than in the South.
4. State two differences between the Northern and Southern Protectorates.
5. What happened on 1 January 1914, and who became the first Governor-General?

Assignment

Write short notes on the economic activities in the Northern Protectorate, then explain two lasting effects of the protectorate period on Nigeria.