British Colonialism In Nigeria

Colonialism and Independence: Nigeria as a Case Study

During the colonial period in Nigeria (from about 1850 to 1960), the British, like any other colonial power, asserted their dominance through a variety of media. The colonial experience of Nigeria and Britain, and Nigeria's early post-colonial history can be described, roughly chronologically, in three phases or periods: the formation of a ‘captured' colony, the education and inculcation of ‘proper,' British ways (i.e., the ‘taming' of the colony), and the immediate aftermath of colonialism (i.e., the ‘independence' of the colony). This essay attempts to scrutinize these periods in the light of the theories of Karl Marx, Ernest Gellner, and Jack Snyder. My claim is that

As part of this kind of rule, the British placed certain Yoruba individuals as the leaders of other Yorubas. This was a change to the existing cultural and hierarchical structure because, under this system, many villagers were governed by members from other villages with whom they had been traditionally or historically at odds. As a result, when the British ‘direct officers' tried to make cultural changes in the Yoruba community, the public often resisted the words of these pseudo-leaders, which, in turn, caused them to be replaced by British officers. The repetition f this process eventually caused immense frustration within the Yoruba people because their views were not properly represented, their complaints often fell on deaf ears, and they were under the direct rule of their ancestral enemies. Consequently, several Yorubas opposed this system of rule and reacted violently towards their ‘indirect' and colonial

Apart from suffering the daily oil spillages caused by British oil driller, the communities also frequently suffered imposed taxations on products and services. For instance, in 1929, when the British conveniently set up a warrant chief system to impose a … tax on the people of Aba, there was immense rioting, especially by the women. The women were unhappy about the over-taxation of their husbands and sons, which, they felt, was pauperizing them and causing economic hardship for the entire community. In reaction, they rose up in a mass protest against the oppressive rule of the colonial government. As part of their protest, some 25,000 Igbo women covered about 6,000 square miles in their march, burning and looting British trading posts and services in their path. They eventually forced the resignation of these warrant chiefs and made the British lower the taxes.

Regardless of the results of the riots, these illustrations reflect the Marxist theory of struggle between the oppressed and the oppressor (Marx and Engels 473). A common theme in all these instances of revolt was the resistance of the oppressed (the Nigerians) to their oppressors (the British), who controlled and dictated their cultural, religious, and