FREE ESSAY ON COLONIALISM IN NIGERIA

COLONIALISM IN NIGERIA

Colonialism in Nigeria
The earliest known documentation of Nigeria is that it was the sight of a group of
organized states called Hausa. The earliest Nigerians were the Nok people. These Noks
were skilled artisans, but they didn't last long. The Noks had disappeared by the second
millennium. The Southwest region of Lake Chad, Africa was ruled by the Kanem-Bornu during
the 8th century. By the 1300's, the empire of Kanem-Bornu was a flourishing center of
Islamic culture, rivaling Mali in the west. As this African kingdom began to stagnate,
the western states fell under the rule of Songhai and the empire fell in result. During
the 15th century, Nigeria was a very prosperous country with great cultivation and
trading. By the late 16th century, the Kanem-Bornu broke up and the Hausa states regained
their independence. In the 19th century, the Fulani then took dominance in the lands of
Hausa and the southern part of the country was divided at this time. In the west, Yoruba
had their own states; the Edo ruled in Benin in the south-central parts; and the Ibo had
control in the east, in and north of the Niger delta. 
People such as Mungo Park, Richard Lemon Lander, and John Lander first explored the
interior in 1830-31. Realizing the potential of the area, the Portuguese, the British,
and others established slave-trading stations in the Niger delta. The British sent
consuls to Calabar and Lagos, where traders were established, and they took full
possession of Lagos. The British then established protectorates after the conclusion of
several treaties with the native chiefs and in 1893, the name Niger Coast Protectorate
was established. Then, in 1900, after expansion in the southwest, which brought about the
addition of the kingdom of Benin, the name was changed to the Protectorate of Southern
Nigeria. In the same year, the British proclaimed the protectorate of Northern Nigeria as
well. 
British didn't have full control over either of the two protectorates at the time of
their establishments. However, France, Britain, and Germany had so-called spheres of
influence and it was understood that Britain had control of Nigeria. British troops were
engaged in conflicts with the people of Nigeria who were still involved in slave trade
after it was prohibited by the British in 1807. In 1914, North and South Nigeria merged
into the colony and protectorate of Nigeria with Sir Fredrick Lugard as the governor.
However, for administrative purposes, the country was divided into the Colony of Lagos,
Northern province, and Southern province. Lugard allowed the native chiefs and councils
to rule over Nigeria while under the watch of the British government. 
During the time of World War II, the people of Nigeria demanded self-government and wrote
multiple constitutions, none of which stuck. By succeeding constitutional changes,
Nigeria was able to become a federation in 1954 and each region was given the option of
claiming self-government. Self-government was first granted to the Eastern and Western
regions in 1957 and then to the northern region in 1959. Nigeria was accepted as an
independent state on October 1, 1960 by the UN and on October 7th by the Commonwealth of
Nations. On February 11-12, 1961, the northern section voted to become part of Nigeria. 
At this time, Nigeria was divided into three separate states: the northern region,
dominated by Hausa speakers; the Western Region, of the Yoruba; and the predominately
Igbo Eastern Region. National conflicts were soon caused because of the national
politics. There were constant treats of seceding from the federation by the politicians
of each region. 
Thirteen years of military rule ended in 1979. A new constitution was written completely
free of any British involvement. They modeled their government off of the United States
balance-of-powers system. Nigeria is a federation of 19 states and Federal Capital
Territory. The people of Nigeria are ruled by a president who is elected for a period of
4 years at a time. Also, a governor who is elected for four years at a time and who holds
the executive power in the state rules each state. The current political parties are the
Social Democratic Party and the National Republican Convention. 
In 1966, the dream of flourishing democracy was diminished when a series of massacres
occurred, inter-country arguments came about, and a military coup started the first of a
series of military governments. As a response to this take over, the Ibo seceded from the
federation and declared the independent republic of Biafra. This secession began a civil
war that lasted for almost 3 years. Nigeria won the war and the military government
controlled both regions. 
The economy of Nigeria increased an incredible amount during the 1970's with the recovery
of oil production. The country for the first time was pretty well off. As of currently,
it appears that the government and economy are stable. The government as of now is a
federal republic under control by the military. The currency ($ U.S. Equivalent) is 10.49
naira is equal to $1 and the inflation rate is 50%. Natural resources such as oil,
minerals, natural gas, coal, and timber allow the country to earn $42.0 billion on
exports. The GDP of Nigeria is US$143.5 billion and they have an annual growth of 3%.
Overall, the country has come a long way since colonialism and has undergone many
changes, and prosper.
The full name of the country as of this point in time is the Federal republic of Nigeria.
There is a large variety of people (e.g.- Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, Ibo) and many different
languages spoken (e.g.- English, Hausa, Yoruba). The capital city is Abuja with a present
population of 378,671. The overall population of the country is 108.5 million people. The
religions, as well as the languages and people, are diverse. Some of the major religions
are Muslim (50%) and Christian, mostly Roman Catholic (40%). Nigeria's currents major
trading partners are the USA, EU, and Japan. The country's government is a Republic led
by the president Olusegun Obasanjo.