The Independence Movement – JSS3 Nigerian History Lesson Note (Third Term)

The independence movement was the effort by Nigerians, through organisations, newspapers, trade unions and constitutional talks, to end British rule and win self-government, which came on October 1, 1960.

• Political leaders: men such as Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and Aminu Kano.
• Labour unions: workers who struck against low wages and colonial economic policy.
• Students and the educated elite: young people who learnt European political ideas and used them to demand change.
• Market women: women who protested against taxation and unfair treatment.
• Traditional rulers: chiefs such as Chief Oluwa of Lagos, who defended land rights.
• Ordinary citizens: people who wanted freedom from foreign control.

Behavioural objectives

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

1. explain what the independence movement was;
2. name the early nationalist organisations, newspapers and leaders;
3. describe the aims of the Nigerian Youth Movement, the NCNC, the Action Group, the NPC and NEPU;
4. outline the Richards, Macpherson and Lyttelton Constitutions;
5. describe how Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960, and state some legacies of the movement.

What were the early nationalist organisations (1900s to 1930s)?

The early nationalist organisations were groups formed mainly in Lagos, where Western education had produced a small elite familiar with European political ideas.

• People’s Union (1908): founded in Lagos by Dr. Orisadipe Obasa and others.
• Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society (1912): formed to protect the land rights of Lagos natives.
• Nigerian Union of Teachers (1931): a professional body that became politically aware.

People’s Union (1908)

• Aim: more Nigerian participation in the Legislative Council.
• Campaign: against racial discrimination in the colonial service.
• Membership: it mainly represented the educated elite.

Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society (1912)

• Members: educated Africans and traditional elites.
• Protest: against colonial land policies and taxation.
• Importance: it focused on local issues but set a precedent for organised opposition.

Nigerian Union of Teachers (1931)

• Aim: better working conditions for Nigerian teachers.
• Belief: education is a tool for national development.
• Influence: many early political leaders came from teaching backgrounds.

What were the early nationalist newspapers?

Newspapers spread nationalist ideas and criticised colonial policies, and three were especially important: the Lagos Weekly Record, the Lagos Daily News and the West African Pilot.

Lagos Weekly Record (1891-1930)

• Editors: John Payne Jackson, and later his son Thomas.
• Content: criticised colonial policies and racial discrimination.
• Ideas: promoted pan-African unity among African peoples.
• Readers: the educated elite in Lagos.

Lagos Daily News (1925)

• Founder: Herbert Macaulay.
• Content: exposed colonial abuses and promoted nationalist ideas.
• Role: it was the voice of the Nigerian National Democratic Party.

West African Pilot (1937)

• Founder: Nnamdi Azikiwe, after his studies in the United States.
• Style: a more radical approach to criticising colonialism.
• Methods: modern journalism that reached a wide audience.
• Influence: it became the most influential nationalist newspaper in Nigeria.

Who were the key early nationalist figures?

The key early nationalist figures were Herbert Macaulay, Casely Hayford and Chief Oluwa of Lagos.

Herbert Macaulay (1864-1946)

• Training: a civil engineer and surveyor.
• Family: grandson of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther.
• Party: founded the Nigerian National Democratic Party in 1923.
• Methods: journalism, lawsuits and public speeches against colonial authority.
• Exposure: investigated and exposed colonial corruption and mismanagement.
• Campaign: helped organise opposition to the colonial water rate scheme in Lagos.
• Title: known as the “Father of Nigerian Nationalism”.

Casely Hayford (1866-1930)

• Origin: a Ghanaian whose ideas influenced early Nigerian nationalists.
• Ideas: pan-West African cooperation against colonialism.
• Organisation: helped found the National Congress of British West Africa in 1920.
• Belief: African cultural values should be kept alongside modernisation.

Chief Oluwa of Lagos

• Role: a traditional ruler who travelled to London in 1921 to protest against land policies.
• Partner: worked with Herbert Macaulay to defend traditional land rights.
• Meaning: he showed the alliance between traditional rulers and the Western-educated elite.

How did nationalist organisations grow in the 1930s and 1940s?

Nationalist organisations grew quickly in the 1930s and 1940s because of the Great Depression, World War II and anti-colonial movements elsewhere.

What was the Nigerian Youth Movement (1934)?

The Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) was the first truly national political organisation, because it went beyond tribal and regional boundaries.

• Founders: Ernest Ikoli, H.O. Davies, Samuel Akinsanya and J.C. Vaughan.
• Later members: Nnamdi Azikiwe and Obafemi Awolowo.
• Membership: young, educated Nigerians from different parts of the country.
• Demands: more Nigerians in the civil service and more seats in the Legislative Council.
• Development: called for educational and economic progress for Nigerians.
• Newspaper: the Daily Service spread its ideas.
• Success: won the Lagos seats in the Legislative Council elections of 1938.
• Split: in 1941 over a leadership dispute involving Azikiwe and Ikoli, which showed early ethnic tensions.
• Legacy: it set a pattern for later nationalist organisations.

What was the NCNC (1944)?

The National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) was a nationalist body founded in 1944 by Herbert Macaulay and Nnamdi Azikiwe.

• Beginning: a federation of trade unions, ethnic improvement associations and social clubs, not yet a party.
• Leadership: Azikiwe became the dominant leader after Macaulay died in 1946.
• Demand: immediate self-government for Nigeria.
• Opposition: rejected the Richards Constitution of 1946 for limited Nigerian participation.
• Tour: organised a major political tour of Nigeria to gain support.
• Delegation: sent a delegation to London in 1947 to protest colonial policies.
• Media: used the West African Pilot to spread its message.
• Change: it became a political party, increasingly linked with eastern Nigeria and Igbo interests.
• Rename: became the National Convention of Nigerian Citizens in 1959.

What was the role of trade unions and women’s associations?

Trade unions and women’s associations linked political demands to everyday economic concerns.

Nigerian Trade Union Congress (1943)

• Role: brought together various workers’ organisations.
• Leader: Michael Imoudu, known as “Labour Leader Number One”.
• Action: strikes against colonial economic policies and low wages.
• General strike of 1945: showed the power of organised labour.

Railway Workers Union

• Strength: one of the most powerful and politically aware unions.
• Spread: railway workers lived across Nigeria and helped spread nationalist ideas.
• Strikes: major strikes challenged colonial economic control.

Women’s market associations

• Protests: market women organised against taxation and unfair treatment.
• Aba Women’s Riots (1929): showed the power of women’s resistance to colonial rule.
• Support: women’s groups backed the nationalist movement from the 1930s to the 1950s.

What were the main political parties of the post-war period (1945-1954)?

The main post-war parties were the Action Group, the NPC and NEPU, which joined the NCNC in demanding self-government.

Action Group (AG, 1951)

• Founders: Obafemi Awolowo and other members of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa cultural group.
• Base: western Nigeria, among the Yoruba.
• Structure: well organised, with a clear party structure and discipline.
• Policy: federalism with strong regional governments.
• Welfare: free primary education and healthcare.
• Civil service: rapid Nigerianisation.
• Ideology: democratic socialism and welfare policies.
• Success: won the 1951 elections in the Western Region, and Awolowo led the regional government.
• Later role: became the official opposition at federal level after 1959.

Northern People’s Congress (NPC, 1949)

• Origin: grew from a cultural organisation, Jamiyar Mutanen Arewa.
• Leaders: Ahmadu Bello (the Sardauna of Sokoto) and Tafawa Balewa.
• Support: mainly the northern emirate system.
• Approach: conservative, with a gradual path to independence.
• Values: defended northern traditions and Islamic values.
• Concern: protecting the North from southern dominance.
• Success: won control of the Northern Region and later led the federal government.
• Result: Tafawa Balewa became the first Prime Minister of independent Nigeria.

Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU, 1950)

• Founder: Aminu Kano and other northern progressives.
• Support: the talakawa (common people) of northern Nigeria.
• Challenge: opposed the conservative emirate system backed by the NPC.
• Reforms: democratisation of the emirate system, and women’s rights and education.
• Alliance: worked with the NCNC at national level.
• Treatment: faced heavy repression in the Northern Region.

How do the main parties compare?

How did constitutions lead Nigeria to independence (1946-1960)?

Three major constitutions, the Richards (1946), Macpherson (1951) and Lyttelton (1954), gradually increased Nigerian participation in government.

What was the Richards Constitution (1946)?

• Regions: introduced regional assemblies for the North, East and West.
• Centre: kept one Legislative Council for the whole country.
• Representation: more Nigerians, but their say was still limited.
• Effect: reinforced the separate development of the three regions.
• NCNC response: criticised it, toured the country and sent a delegation to London.
• Result: the colonial government revised it earlier than planned.

What was the Macpherson Constitution (1951)?

• Representation: more Nigerians in government.
• Structure: a more federal system with stronger regional governments.
• Elections: introduced electoral systems for choosing representatives.
• Central government: a Council of Ministers with Nigerian members.
• 1951 elections: AG won in the West, NPC in the North and NCNC in the East.
• Problems: the 1953 crisis over the motion for self-government in 1956, and the Kano riots of 1953.
• Result: these events showed regional tensions and led to calls for a new conference.

What was the Lyttelton Constitution (1954)?

• System: a true federal system with autonomous regional governments.
• Powers: the federal government had exclusive powers in certain areas.
• Lagos: separated as a federal territory.
• Regions: controlled their own civil services and judiciary.
• Ministers: a Council of Ministers with a Nigerian majority.

How do the three constitutions compare?

What were the steps to self-government?

1. Federal elections in 1954 under the Lyttelton Constitution.
2. The Eastern and Western Regions gained internal self-government in 1957.
3. The Northern Region gained internal self-government in 1959.
4. Federal elections in 1959 prepared for full independence.
5. The civil service and other institutions were Nigerianised throughout.

What were the final steps to independence (1957-1960)?

The final steps were the London conferences, the 1959 federal election and preparations for the handover.

Constitutional conferences

• London conferences: held in 1957 and 1958 to settle the independence constitution.
• Delegates: Nigerians from all major parties took part.
• Issues: minority rights, revenue allocation and the structure of government.
• Date: October 1, 1960, was set as independence day.

Federal election of 1959

• Importance: the last major election before independence.
• NPC: won the most seats but not a majority.
• Government: the NPC formed a coalition with the NCNC.
• Prime Minister: Tafawa Balewa continued in office.
• Opposition: the AG became the official opposition.

Final preparations

• Diplomacy: creation of a Nigerian diplomatic service.
• Defence: a Nigerian military command.
• Administration: government departments passed to Nigerian control.
• Celebrations: plans for the independence ceremonies.

What happened on Independence Day and afterwards?

Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960, with celebrations across the country.

Official ceremonies

• Flags: the British Union Jack was lowered and the Nigerian flag raised.
• Handover: the last British Governor-General passed power to Nigerian leaders.
• Royal guest: Princess Alexandra represented Queen Elizabeth II.
• Speeches: Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and other leaders spoke.

First independent government

• Government: a coalition of the NPC and NCNC.
• Prime Minister: Tafawa Balewa.
• Nnamdi Azikiwe: first Senate President, later Governor-General.
• Leader of Opposition: Obafemi Awolowo.
• Cabinet: ministers from the major parties and regions.

Initial challenges

• Status: Nigeria stayed in the Commonwealth with the British monarch as head of state.
• Republic: full republic status came in 1963.
• Tensions: ethnic and regional tensions continued.
• Rivalries: political rivalries from the nationalist period remained.
• Diversity: managing diversity in the new nation was difficult.

What were the key themes of the independence movement?

The key themes were regional and ethnic differences, minority fears, differing ideas about independence, and the wider African and world setting.

Regional and ethnic dynamics

• Power bases: major parties became strongly tied to regions.
• Ethnic politics: competition increasingly took on ethnic dimensions.
• Pace: regions moved toward self-government at different times.
• Federalism: the federal structure aimed to accommodate regional differences.

Minority concerns

• Fear: smaller ethnic groups feared being left out.
• Willink Commission (1957-1958): investigated minority concerns.
• Protection: the independence constitution included minority rights.
• Demand: some groups called for new states.

Ideological differences

• Pace of independence: the NPC favoured a gradual approach, while the NCNC and AG made more immediate demands.
• AG economics: democratic socialism.
• NCNC economics: a mixed economy.
• NPC economics: more conservative approaches.
• Debate: parties differed on foreign investment and British influence.

International context

• Decolonisation: Nigeria’s independence was part of wider African decolonisation.
• Ghana: its independence in 1957 hastened the Nigerian timeline.
• Cold War and United Nations: they shaped attitudes to decolonisation and gave anti-colonial voices a platform.
• Pan-Africanism: Nigerian nationalists linked with movements elsewhere and saw a role for Nigeria in freeing the rest of Africa.

What legacies did the independence movement leave?

The movement left legacies in political culture, federal structure and national identity, along with unresolved tensions.

Political culture

• Competition: a pattern of regional and ethnic political rivalry.
• Negotiation: a tradition of constitutional talks.
• Leaders: a Nigerian political leadership class.
• Media: a lasting role for newspapers in political debate.

Federal structure

• System: the independence constitution set up a federation.
• Regions: regional governments held significant powers.
• Balance: the framework tried to balance unity and diversity.
• Future: it set a pattern for later state creation.

National identity

• Beginning: the process of building a Nigerian identity started.
• Symbols: national symbols and stories were created.
• Celebration: October 1 became a day of national celebration.
• Africa: the idea of Nigeria as an African leader grew.

Unresolved tensions

• Rivalries: regional and ethnic rivalries continued.
• Structure: debate over the right form of government remained.
• Economy: development strategies were contested.
• 1966: military intervention partly resulted from unresolved conflicts.

Evaluation

1. What is meant by the independence movement in Nigeria?
2. Name three early nationalist newspapers and state who founded or edited each one.
3. Why is the Nigerian Youth Movement described as the first truly national political organisation?
4. State the region, leader and year of formation of the Action Group, the NPC and NEPU.
5. List the main features of the Lyttelton Constitution of 1954.

Assignment

Write a short account of the life and work of Herbert Macaulay, using headings for his training, his party, his newspaper and his campaigns.