MANY REASONS have been advanced by apologists of imperialism to justify British rule in Nigeria.
Said Sir Hugh Clifford, a former Governor of Nigeria: In the case of primitive peoples, unadulterated native rule is not popular or desired by the bulk of the natives. It means the oppression of the weak by the strong, the tyranny of might, the abrogation of law, the performance of various rites, and perennial inter-tribal strife – in a word, all the things which are most abhorrent to the principles of democracy.
Sir Alan Burns, author of History of Nigeria, and a former high-ranking British Colonial official in Nigeria, is equally supercilious in his attitude towards ‘native races’ as Clifford termed them, but more specific with reference to Nigeria: National acquisitiveness and commercial interests no doubt played a part, but in the case of Nigeria, it may safely be said that the British entered on the great trust with reluctance and considerable hesitation, and that philanthropy was not the least of the influence that led us to take up the burden.”
The above quotations have put the reasons in a nutshell. But they can be set out in greater detail.
The British, so say the apologists, had come to Nigeria in order to suppress slavery, slave-raids, and the slave-trade; to stamp out human sacrifices and cannibalism; to put an end to inter-tribal and internecine wars with which the land and its peoples had been incessantly plagued; and to establish good and orderly government in place of ‘the bloody tyranny of the King of Benin, the malignant influence of the Aros, and the oppression of the slave-raiding Emirs’. Slave-trading between Nigeria and foreign countries, as well as slavery to British overseas possessions, was abolished. To these ends, enormous sums of money were spent by the British, ‘with no possible selfish motive’.
The conquest of Lagos, which we have previously noted, and the subsequent forcible cession of the island to the British, were seen by the apologists as a means, no more and no less, to the destruction of one of the chief strongholds of slave-traders in Nigeria.
As a direct result of the advent of Pax Britannica to Nigeria, . there ‘was security of person and property. Certain pleasant and unprecedented consequences followed. There was freedom of movement, of occupation and of trade. The rights to life and personal liberty were guaranteed: there was freedom from slave-raids and
from any kind of molestation- all of which used to be the wicked pastimes of the native rulers. The position and tenure of offices of Chiefs were safeguarded and enhanced. In the places of the
perquisites and tributes which the Chiefs used to exact with violence if need be, and in place of their incomes from all manner of inhuman traffic, the Chiefs were paid regular and reasonable monthly stipends.
Material prosperity, such as was never known before and could never have been achieved or realised under the chaotic conditions which had existed previously, followed in the wake of British administration.
But the long-term objective of the British, continue the apologists, far transcended the immediate attainment of good . government, orderly progress, and increasing prosperity for the people. The long-term policy of the British in Nigeria was to lead the country, ‘by education, training, and example’, to complete self-government as rapidly as possible.
In other words, altruism, philanthropy, and humanitarianism were the dominant (if not the only) motives for British rule in Nigeria.
An examination of the facts set out in Chapters 1 and 2 showing the motives and manner of their coming to Nigeria, as well as the raison d’etre and style of their rule, does not beat out the claims made for the British by the apologists.
In this connection, British relations with Nigeria from the time of first contact to the end of 1951 may be divided roughly into
four periods as follows: (1) the period of the slave trade – 1553 – 1808
(2) the period of pioneering legitimate trade – 1808 – 1900
(3) the period of colonisation – 1861-1899
(4) the period of British rule – 1900 – 1951.
As we have seen in the previous chapters, the first period was one of extremely inhuman and heartless brutalisation of Nigerians by British adventurers. In exchange for slaves, which were the main merchandise and for ivory and pepper, they gave our people arms, spirits, and some other articles of very inferior quality. With the importation of unusually lethal weapons and highly intoxicating spirits, inter-tribal wars became more savage and ferocious, and much more extensive in carnage. Many of these wars were encouraged and waged, not because of inter-tribal disputes, but for the sole purpose of capturing slaves for sale. In addition, organised slave-raids continued with unparalleled ruthlessness. Throughout this period, either in the capture of slaves, in their transportation, or in their treatment both ell route to and at their destinations, there was no mitigating feature of any kind. There was only one motive behind the activities of the English (later British) nationals: the acquisition of personal wealth by any means, and the consequent enrichment of their motherland.
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