Northern Nigeria (
Hausa: ''Arewacin Najeriya'') was a
British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914 and covered the northern part of what is now
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
The protectorate spanned and included the emirates of the
Sokoto Caliphate and parts of the former
Bornu Empire Bornu may refer to:
* Bornu Empire, a historical state of West Africa
* Borno State
Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while it ...
, conquered in 1902. The first High Commissioner of the protectorate was
Frederick Lugard
Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...
, who suppressed slavery and tribal raiding and created a system of administration built around native authorities.
The Protectorate was ended on 1 January 1914, when its area was unified with the
Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the
Lagos Colony, becoming the Northern Province of the
Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain an ...
.
Foundation
The
Berlin Conference of 1884 and 1885 provided the area that would become the Northern Nigeria Protectorate to the British. The
Royal Niger Company was formed in 1886 with
George Taubman Goldie as the vice governor. The Company moved in-land and negotiated trade agreements and political agreements, sometimes coercive, with several local chieftains. In 1897,
Frederick Lugard
Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...
was the appointed head of the
West African Frontier Force which was tasked with stopping
Fulani resistance and possible French incursions in the northwest area.
On 1 January 1900, the Royal Niger Company's charter was revoked and the British government took control, in a ceremony where Lugard read the proclamation.
The Royal Niger Company was paid £865,000 and was given the rights to half of all mining revenue in a large part of the areas for 99 years in exchange for ceding the territory to the British government. Lugard was appointed the High Commissioner of the newly created Northern Nigeria Protectorate.
Lokoja was the capital from 1900, but
Zungeru
Zungeru is a town in Niger State, Nigeria. It was the capital of the British protectorate of Northern Nigeria from 1902 until 1916. It is the site of the Niger State Polytechnic and is located on the Kaduna River.
History
Colonial history
Acc ...
became the headquarters for the protectorate in 1902 because it was the most northerly city accessible by river transport.
Military campaign
Military operations began in 1902 and continued for about five years of sporadic fighting. The remnants of the
Bornu Empire Bornu may refer to:
* Bornu Empire, a historical state of West Africa
* Borno State
Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while it ...
were conquered in 1902 and the
Sokoto Caliphate and was defeated in the
Battle of Kano. Fighting continued in 1904 in
Bassa.In 1906, a
Mahdi
The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad w ...
st rebellion broke out outside the city of
Sokoto in the village of Satiru. Elements of the
Royal West African Frontier Force were dispatched to suppress the rebellion; upon hearing news of what had transpired,
Muhammadu Attahiru II
Muhammadu Attahiru II ( ar, محمد الطاهر الثاني) was the thirteenth Sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate from 1903 to 1915. Attahiru II was the great grandson of Usman dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate and son of Ali Babba b ...
dispatched a mixed force of 300 Sokoto cavalry and infantry led by Mallam Isa to join them. The combined force successfully suppressed the rebellion, which marked the last major instance of armed resistance to British rule in the region.
After 1907 there were fewer revolts and use of military force by the British and the focus of the High Commissioner turned toward taxation and administration.
Administration
The British Administration began with
Frederick Lugard
Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard (22 January 1858 – 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator. He was Governor of Hong ...
as the first High Commissioner. In 1907, Lugard left Nigeria for Hong Kong and
Percy Girouard became the new High Commissioner. Girouard had a long history of rail construction in Canada and Africa and was tasked with substantial railroad construction in the Protectorate. In 1909,
Henry Hesketh Bell
Sir Henry Hesketh Joudou Bell (17 December 1864 – 1 August 1952) was a British colonial administrator and author.
Biography
Henry Hesketh Joudou Bell was born on 17 December 1864 at Chambéry in the Savoie department of south-east France. He ...
, the governor of the
Uganda Protectorate was appointed high commissioner.
In 1912, it was estimated that the area of Northern Nigeria was approximately and had a population of about 10 million people.
Charles Lindsay Temple
Charles Lindsay Temple (20 November 1871 – 9 January 1929) was Lieutenant-Governor of Northern Nigeria from January 1914 until ill health caused him to relinquish the post in 1917.
Temple was the only child from the second marriage of Sir Rich ...
became the acting Head Commissioner in 1911 and 1912 and began overseeing, with close collaboration with Lugard, the creation of the
Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain an ...
One defining characteristic of administration in Northern Nigeria Protectorate was the inclusion of chiefs and emirs as "native authorities" fitting into British administration.
Taxation proved very difficult in the protectorate for the first years of British rule. Lugard's attempts to institute poll taxes were foiled by the Emirates, the need to introduce coin controversy and attempts to tax trade were opposed by powerful merchants.
This created a substantial deficit in the budget of the Protectorate and public works projects had to be paid by grants from the British Empire. As a result, the British often had significant shortages of British personnel before 1907. These pragmatic concerns resulted in incorporation of the traditional authorities within the British structure.
These same financial and administrative challenges resulted in discussions led by Lugard for the unification of the
Lagos Colony, the
Southern Nigeria Protectorate, and Northern Nigeria. The disparities between the protectorates was to be corrected by creating a central administration in Lagos, with custom revenues from the south paying for the projects in the north.
The unified
Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. British influence in the region began with the prohibition of slave trade to British subjects in 1807. Britain an ...
began in 1914 and had two lieutenant governors with one responsible for the area of the southern province and another responsible for the northern province. The administration in the north remained largely separate and included and deepened the use of native authorities. These divisions have been found to persist in many respects to this day.
See also
*
British West Africa
* ''
Northern Nigeria Gazette''
*
Scramble for Africa
*
Sir Richmond Palmer
References
External links
The British Empire – Northern Nigeria
{{Authority control
Colonial Nigeria
History of Northern Nigeria
British West Africa
Former British colonies and protectorates in Africa
History of Lagos
History of Nigeria
Former Nigerian administrative divisions
1900s in Nigeria
1910s in Nigeria
States and territories established in 1900
States and territories disestablished in 1914
1914 disestablishments in Nigeria
1900 establishments in the British Empire
1914 disestablishments in the British Empire
British colonisation in Africa
Nigeria, Northern
*