THINK D'OLA THINK SUCCESS

UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE
ABEOKUTA

DEPARTMENT OF
COMMUNICATION & GENERAL
STUDIES
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COURSE CODE : GNS 102

COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO NIGERIAN

HISTORY

LECTURER: DR(MRS) COMFORT ADENIKE

ONIFADE
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TABLE OF CONTENT
• What is History? 6
• Sources of Nigerian History. 10
• The Scientific and Technological Development
of Early Nigerian Societies. 23
• The Importance of the Centers of Ancient
Civilization for the History of Nigeria. 33
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• Factors Responsible for the emergence of Oyo

Empire. 36
*The Trans- Saharan Trade & effects on Nigeria
44
• The Atlantic Slave Trade & effects on Nigeria
47
• The Scramble for and Partition of Africa –
Reasons for the British interest in Nigeria. 50
• The British Conquest of Nigeria 54
• Colonial Rule and its Impacts on Nigeria
• The Indirect Rule System 61
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• The Colonial Economy and its Impact on

Nigeria. 64
• The Decolonization Process in Nigeria –
Nationalism 66
• Origin of Nationalism
• Factors that contributed to the Struggle for
Independence in Nigeria. 67
• For Further Reading 71
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WHAT IS HISTORY?
• The word ‘history’ was derived from the
Greek word historia – which means
inquiry.
• History is an important branch of
knowledge (discipline) in the study of
man and society.
• The definition could be looked at from
two dimensions - namely, history as a
process and history as a study/ discipline
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DEFINITION
• History, at the first level, is a process defined by
Karl Marx as the relationship between man and
his environment and the influence of his
environment on man.
• History at this level refers to the events, episodes
– the totality of the changes and experiences or
happenings which humanity has undergone ever
since the emergence of human society.
• The subject matter of history as a process is
MAN, not as a biological unit but man in society
(social man) who is susceptible to change.
• The changing activities of man over time
constitute the transformation of societies.
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• History at the second level as an academic
discipline is the reconstruction, study and
explanation of these changes which humanity has
undergone

• It is an organised critical study of past activities of

human beings that had produced significant
effects on subsequent course of events.
• It is the study of past human activities at a
particular place over a given period of time so as
to record changes over time.
• It is the systematic study of the process, events
or motion of events through the aid of records or
sources
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• History refers to both the events of the past
and the study of these events.

• The central issue in both i.e. the occurrence of

events as well as their study is CHANGE.

• There would be no history if there was no

change
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SOURCES OF NIGERIAN HISTORY
• Sources refer to the records from which
information about the process and studies of
past events (history) were obtained.
• Without these sources, the historian would
not be able to get facts with which to write.
Historians depend on sources in order to
understand historical events.
• There are three types of sources – primary,
secondary and tertiary.
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• Primary sources contain materials or information
which is the direct experience or original thought
of the writer or the person giving the writer the
information he is recording. Examples of primary
sources include oral tradition, oral testimonies
and rumour.
• Secondary sources are materials or works
based on primary sources. Examples are written
sources like books, journals, diaries, newspapers,
e.t.c.
• Tertiary sources are auxiliary sources that
cover a wide range of relevant information from
other disciplines like linguistics, Archaeology,
Biology, Anthropology, e.t.c
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Oral Tradition
• This means orally preserved information. They
are any piece of historical information
transmitted by word of mouth or verbally and
passed from generation to generation. It
includes folklores, songs, proverbs, legends,
king lists, and oral narratives e.t.c.
• Oral testimonies - are more recent
accounts of the past transmitted by word of
mouth.
• Rumour - are oral source transmitted from
person to person. Its special function is to give
the latest information about the present
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Importance Oral Tradition
• Oral traditions and oral sources are basic in
the reconstruction of Nigerian history.
• They are the most abundant sources and they
exist in every part of the country.
• In the absence of other sources, oral
traditions are valuable as they become the
only source of information for the history of
that particular area.
• They are important, in varying degree, for
all aspects of the periods of Nigerian history -
political, economics & social.
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• They constitute the main body of Nigeria

historical data especially by the colonial
period.

• Sometimes, some of the stories or legends

may help an archaeologist to confirm a find or
discovery and thus throw some light on the
history of the area
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Shortcomings
• The problem of human memory i.e. Tendency
to forget important facts. The more distant
the occurrence of events in the past the more
difficult they are to recall.

• Oral traditions are easily open to exaggeration

and distortions.

• Political consideration may lead a narrator to

distort the fact of an event.
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Written Sources
• Written sources, like oral sources, may be
primary or secondary.
• They are derived from all official and legal
documents, diaries, letters, newspapers,
industrial and commercial records, maps e.t.c.
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Merits of written sources
• They have a relatively high preservative value
when compared with oral sources. When kept
safe, they last for a long time without being
destroyed
• Able to communicate the same type and quality
of information to readers at different
periods/times without depreciation or
distortion of the content as is usually the case
with oral tradition
• There is no problem of loss of memory in
written sources unlike oral sources.
Materials are easy to get unlike the tertiary source
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Limitations of written sources
• They are not evenly distributed in time and
space.
• They are usually not relevant to Nigerian
history before the coming of the Europeans.
Some of the written account of Nigerian
history by Europeans are sometimes biased.
• Some are written to suit political or racial
interest and this error may be taken up by
later generations as authentic truth
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• Written sources can easily be corrupted in the
process of preservation if proper care is not
taken.
• It can also be easily lost through
destruction by fire, rain or insects if not
properly preserved.
• Some people, like government officials,
sometimes deliberately destroy documents.
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Archaeology
• Can be defined as the study of dug up
materials.
• It is a method of studying the past through the
relics dug up from the ground.
• This consists of materials remains of human
beings in the past such as building, tools for
domestic use, skeletal remains, fossils, bones
of animals e.t.c.
• These are all important sources for social
history.
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Merits
• Archaeology can extend our knowledge about
Nigerian part deeper that written or oral sources.
For instance, objects made of stone can survive
over a long period of time.
• It provides powerful concrete evidence of human
achievements and activities dating back to
thousands of years.
• Buried artefacts are significant point of reference
in measuring civilization especially where oral
and written sources are not available.
• It has the ability to provide data out of which
absolute dates may be calculated through
analytical tools and techniques from other
disciplines
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Limitations
• Many materials do not survive. Only materials which
cannot perish lend themselves to study. As a result
there may be scarcity of materials to study.
• The centre of civilization may shift from one place
to another, thereby making the availability of
archaeological materials a derivation of chance.
• In other words, archaeological materials are not
found everywhere. Some places are rich in them while
others are remarkably poor.
• Archaeology cannot furnish as much detailed
information as written sources. For instance, the
chronology derived from archaeology is often
imprecise.
• Furthermore, archaeologists tend to study
communities rather than individuals.
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• THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL

DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY NIGERIAN
SOCIETIES

MAJOR LANDMARK IN EARLY NIGERIAN

HISTORY
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• Information on the major land marks in
early Nigerian history was made possible
through the work of archaeologists.
• Through archaeologists, we have been
able to know some of the places where
man lived in Nigeria in the very remote
past.
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• Some of the places where man lived in Nigeria in
the very remote past included:

• Nok, Igbo Ukwu, Ife and Benin among others

• They are usually referred to as centres of ancient

civilization.

• The history of these centres of ancient

civilization presents us with the scientific and
technological developments of early Nigerian
societies.
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• Nok Culture/Civilization
The discovery of a terra cotta (burnt clay)
head of a monkey by tin miners in Nok in
1936 prompted more discoveries in other
places such as Wamba, Katsina-Ala and
Jema.
• The area where these terra cotta figurines
were found is called the Nok culture or
civilization area.
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• It is a transitional culture between the

Stone Age and the Iron Age in Nigeria
because of the presence of a
combination of stone and iron objects
• Through the use of carbon dating, it was
discovered that the Nok culture existed
between the 5th and 2nd century B.C.
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Benin Civilization
• Benin was important for its art-work.
• The craftsmen of Benin carved in wood
and ivory and cast objects in bronze and
brass.
• Art historians claim that bronze casting
was introduced into Benin by an Ife
artist.
• They cast wooden doors and ivory masks,
one of which was the ivory mask used as
FESTAC symbol in 1977.
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Ife Civilization
• Ife is important because of its terra cotta and
bronze heads. Objects such as stools and
figures were carved on a hard stone called
quartz while animal and human figures were
carved from granite and decorated with iron
nails
• An example is Opa Oranmiyan in Ile – Ife
• The bronze and terra cotta heads were in
most cases life – size decorated with facial
marks and natural hair fixed in place. Some
of the brome heads were said to be portraits
of some of the rulers- Ooni.
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• Art historians believe that Ife art originated
from the Nok culture because of similarities in
the two especially beaded neck, wrist and
ankles.
• They also believed that it was from Ife that
Benin probably learnt bronze sculpture.
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Igbo Ukwu Civilization
• Some bronze objects and ornaments
were accidentally discovered while
digging a toilet pit at Igbo Ukwu in 1939.
• This eventually led to the excavation
of three sites in the area by an
archaeologist called Thurstan Shaw. The
three sites included a burial chamber, a
pit and under a compound wall.
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• Many objects made of bronze were discovered
in the various sites including the remains of
decayed skeleton which have been suggested
to be those of a king and five slaves who were
buried with him.

• The sites excavated at Igbo Ukwu have been

dated to the middle of the 9th century A.D.
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The Significance Of Nok, Ife, Benin

And Igbo Ukwu
For Nigerian History.
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• It is clear from the history of the centres of ancient
civilization that Nigerians, like people in other parts
of the world, passed through various stages in their
developments, from the food-gathering stage to
live a settled life to develop their cultures.

• Nigerians were able to produce tools and weapons

to enable them control and adapt themselves to
their environment.

• Many Nigerians were skilful artists.

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• They had more meaningful economic and

social relationships and did not interact only
through wars.
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Factors Responsible For The

Emergence Of Oyo Empire
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• Oyo Empire was founded by

Oranmiyan, who was also believed to
be the founder of the present Benin
monarchy.
• He was the last born of Oduduwa,
the ancestor of the Yoruba.
• The following were the factors that
contributed to the Empire’s rise to
greatness.
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Geographical location. The land was
fertile for extensive agriculture.
She had an advantage of middleman
position in the commercial activities between
the people of the forest states and those in
the Nupe, Bariba, Hausa, Kano, (Savannah
areas). Products e.g Kolanut of the forest
states – were exchanged with salt, leather
good and glass.
Oyo participated in the trans-Atlantic
trade with the Portuguese through which she
acquired a lot of wealth.
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• The distinctive system of Government with

built in constitutional sanctions and safeguard
usually referred to as “checks and balances”.

• The institution of the Oyo Mesi – an

aristocratic council of state with seven
members prevented over-ambitious people
from ruling over the empire.

• There was also the ogboni cult, with powerful

influence on the Alafin & the society.
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• Oyo Empire benefited financially from the sale
of her agricultural products and also from the
tribute paid by vassal states (conquered
territories).
• This enabled her to have enough revenue to
take care of the state affairs e.g. getting horses
and other weapons for the military
operations.

• Oyo maintained a good system of

administration. There were officers in charge
of political, religious, judicial & other affairs
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• Oyo had a strong and well equipped standing
army with which she was able to expand her
territory.
• The army which was headed by the Are-Ona-
Kakanfo, consisted of footmen or (infantry)
men armed with bows, arrows and spears and
those who fought on horses (cavalry).

• The horses were procured from the North

and gave the Oyo army an advantage over her
neighbours since none of them had a cavalry.
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• Oyo Empire was blessed with energetic rulers
who were committed to her greatness.

• For instance Oranmiyan the founder of the

empire was said to be very brave, war-like and
of “indomitable courage”.

• Sango, the fourth king, was said to be of a very

wild disposition, fiery temper and had the
habit of emitting fire and smoke out of his
mouth by which he greatly increased the
dread his subjects had for him
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• The people of Oyo empire shared a common
language and believed in a common ancestor
– Oduduwa.
• This provided a unifying force for them as it
fostered unity among them.
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THE TRANS - SAHARAN TRADE

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• This refers to the trade between North
Africa and Western Sudan across the
Sahara Desert.
• It became more important with the
introduction of camel in the 3rd century.
• It took 3 months for the caravans to cross
the perilous journey.
• The capital was provided by wealthy
North African traders – Berbers.
• Articles of trade included : kola nut,
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Importance Of Trans Saharan Trade
• Provided an important link between west and
North Africa
• Facilitated exchange of political, social,
religious, economic and cultural ideas
• Brought about wealth to rulers and traders
• Brought about the introduction of Islam and
its civilization
• Sharia system of law was introduced
• It made possible a regular supply of horses for
cavalry; for instance, Oyo Empire.
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THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

• Also known as the Triangular Trade
• Became more important in the 15th century with
the arrival of the Portuguese
• Demand for slaves could be traced to the
introduction of plantation system of agriculture in
places like Brazil, Jamaica, Haiti.
• In 1441, a Portuguese voyager, Gonzalves
presented 10 African slaves to Prince Henry the
Navigator as gifts.
• By 1460, between 700 – 800 slaves were
exported annually to Portugal from West Africa
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SOURCES OF SLAVES
• Condemned criminals

• Political prisoners

• Victims of kidnapping

• Relatives sold to redeem debts

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EFFECTS
• Depopulation. About 10 million slaves were
taken away from West Africa up to 1860

• Manpower drain. The most energetic people

who could have contributed to economic
development of Nigeria were carried away.

• New crops were introduced – cassava, rice etc

• Human suffering and degradation

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THE SCRAMBLE FOR AND PARTITION
OF AFRICA
• The sudden and rapid conquest of
the whole of Africa ( with the
exception of Liberia and Ethiopia) by
the European powers between 1880
and 1905 is usually referred to as the
scramble for and partition of Africa
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REASONS FOR BRITISH INTEREST IN
NIGERIA
• Desire to secure sources of raw materials

• Desire to secure overseas market for

their manufactured goods

• Desire to invest their surplus capital

outside Europe – hence the saying ‘
Imperialism is the highest stage of
capitalism
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• Desire for National prestige

• Desire of the Christian missionaries to spread

Christianity
• The Humanitarians wanted to stop the slave
trade and other inhuman practices

• Racialist feelings of white man’s supremacy

• The immediate reason was the problem over the

Congo area esp. between Belgium and France.
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• In order to prevent the European powers from
going into war over colonies in Africa,
Bismarck, the German Chancellor, called for a
conference of all the Powers in Berlin between
Nov. 1884 to Feb. 1885 where they formally
shared the African continent among
themselves on paper.
• Thereafter Britain, like other European
nations, started the move to have an effective
occupation over the Nigerian area through
• war of conquest and
• signing of treaties (peaceful means)
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THE BRITISH CONQUEST OF NIGERIA

LAGOS
• Lagos was the first place to be conquered in
Nigeria. The British used the succession
dispute in the royal family to their advantage
by supporting Akitoye against Kosoko in 1851.

• In 1861, Lagos was declared a colony of Britain

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Yorubaland
• Lagos was used as a bridge head to get
Yorubaland.
• During the Yoruba civil war, Egba and Ijebu
blocked the road that linked Ibadan with
Lagos to prevent her from getting access to
fire arms.
• The British were not happy about this as
wanted to trade with the people in the
interior.
• They sent a military expedition against Ijebu
and conquered it.
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Benin
• The British sent a military expedition against
Benin in 1896 to retaliate the killing of Consul
Phillip and his men who went to Benin during
a native ceremony contrary to advise.
• Benin was destroyed, many of their artifacts
were looted while Oba Ovonramwen was sent
on exile to Calabar where he died in 1914.
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Niger Delta
• The presence of the British warships
sent to patrol the coastline of West Africa
in order to seize any ship found carrying
slaves, marked the presence of the
British military might and political force
in the Niger Delta
• The British intervened in the politics of
the Delta area.
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• For instance, in Bonny, they dethroned

Alali and replaced him with William
Dappa Pepple

• They also removed Jaja of Opobo for not

allowing them to trade directly with the
people in the hinterland. He was sent on
exile to West Indies
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Northern Nigeria
• The British granted the Royal Niger Company
the Charter to rule over the Niger area.
• In order to prevent France and Germany from
occupying the area (i.e. Northern Nigeria), it
must effectively become a British
Protectorate.
• Hence, the Charter given to the RNC was
revoked on 31 Dec 1899.
• On 1st Jan 1900, Lugard formally declared the
Northern Protectorate at a ceremony in
Lokoja.
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• The proclamation was seen by the rulers and

people of Northern Nigeria as a challenge to
war and they were not going to give up their
sovereignty without a resistance.
• The rulers and people of the North decided to
resist this imposition.
• Lugard defeated all of them one after the
other with the superior weapons and also
using the advantage of lack of unity among
the emirates.
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THE INDIRECT RULE SYSTEM

• This is the system by which the British ruled
Nigeria through the traditional institutions,
like the Sultan, Emirs, Obas etc.
• Part of the reasons for the adoption of the
system were shortage of funds and personnel
– Britain lacked adequate financial resources
and qualified personnel to run overseas
colonies.
• Others included language barrier, preservation
of the traditional system and its success in
India and Uganda
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• The system was successful in the North,

partially successful in the West but a total
failure in the East.
• . It was successful in the north because there
were fief-holders who could help the new
system. There also existed a revenue system,
which provided adequate revenue to run the
indirect rule system while there was a form
judicial system based on the Sharia.
• The use of warrant chiefs and issue of taxation
led to the Aba Women’s riot of 1929.
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• In the western part, the institution of Obas and

Chiefs provided a favorable background for the
introduction of Indirect rule system and
accounted for its partial success on the area
• The system failed in the east because Lugard
failed to understand the traditional political
system there. In place of the council of elders, he
created warrant chiefs and the people were
against this. This in addition to the issue on
taxation led to the Aba Women’s Riots of 1929.
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THE COLONIAL ECONOMY
• The colonial masters encouraged the
production of cash crops

• Dictated prices of the products in their

favour.

• Encouraged mass importation of

manufactured goods
• Discouraged the growth of industries
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• Replaced indigenous traders with
Lebanese

• Banks did not give credit facilities to

Nigerian traders

• The railway system was geared towards

the maximum exploitation of the
resources
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NATIONALISM
• This is the love for one’s country to be
independent.
• Early nationalists included Jaja of Opobo,
Ovonramen etc
• Nationalists of the 20th century included -
----.
• Herbert Maculey, etc
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• FACTORS THAT ASSISTED THE NATIONALISTS

IN THEIR STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE
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• INTERNAL FACTORS
• Colonial constitutional development e.g
Clifford const. 1922, Richard, 1946,
• Establishment of political parties like NCNC,
• Growth of trade unions &labor organisation
• Political rallies
• The role of newspaper-West African Pilot 1937
• Discriminating Colonial policies – educated
elites were not allowed to participate in
administration; farmers’ products were priced
very low.
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External factors

• Effect of the Second world war

• The Atlantic Charter signed between President

Roosevelt of USA & Winston Churchill of
Britain

• The independence of India

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• The Labour party in Britain was opposed to
colonisation.
• Associations like W.A.S.U and NCBWA – National
Congress of British colonies in West Africa put
pressure on the colonial govt.

• International pressure from UNO, USA and Soviet

Union who were opposed to colonisation.

• All these factors combined made Britain to grant

independence to Nigeria on 1st Oct. 1960.
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For Further Reading
• Obaro, Ikime ed. (1999) Groundwork of
Nigerian History HBEN Publisher