The Amalgamation of Nothern and Southern Nigeria

Описание: The Amalgamation of Nothern and Southern Nigeria

Year: 1914

Who: The British colonial administration, under Lord Frederick Lugard (then Governor-General of Nigeria)

Event: The British amalgamated the Northern Nigeria Protectorate and the Southern Nigeria Protectorate into a single colony called Nigeria.

Why It Happened

Administrative efficiency: The British wanted to reduce costs and simplify governance. Northern Nigeria was less economically profitable than the South, so merging them made administrative sense.

Economic reasons: The South had more developed trade and resources. By combining them, the British hoped the South’s revenue could help subsidize the North.

Political control: A unified colony made it easier for the British to control and manage local populations and prevent regional uprisings.

Implications

The merger ignored ethnic, cultural, and religious differences, which later contributed to tensions between the North (predominantly Muslim and Hausa-Fulani) and the South (more Christian and ethnically diverse, e.g., Yoruba and Igbo).

It laid the groundwork for modern Nigeria, which became independent in 1960.

In short, the amalgamation was a colonial administrative move rather than a unification based on Nigerian interests—it was driven by British convenience.
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