Imperialism in Nigeria
By: Lorae Bonamy
Initial Occupation
Human life in Nigeria is evident all the
way back to 9000 bc. Many kingdoms
and dominions existed in Nigeria
before the British came and took
control. The British came to stop the
slave trade between the Sokoto-Jihad
and the Yoruba tribes. Initially, slaves
were traded for goods such as
gunpowder and guns, the British
came in and decided to trade palm oil
instead of slaves. Later though,
people realized that slaves were still
necessary to the trading of palm oil,
and many tribal wars began
consequently.
Flag of Nigeria
The sea-green bands of the flag represent forests and
natural wealth, the white band represents peace.
Benefits to Imperial Power
By taking over Nigeria,
imperialists gained markets for
their manufactured goods.
They also gained the
exploitation of raw minerals,
materials, and food. The initial
reason for going into Nigeria
was goods. Over time, people
were converted, territory was
claimed, and culture was
changed. All of these things
the British gained by going
into Nigeria.
Treatment of Indigenous People
Indigenous people were slaves.
Nobody thought highly of them,
they were seen as less than. They
were traded for the price of
adulterated liquor and stuffed in
the bottom of cargo ships. They
were stripped of everything
including self worth and any
remaining shreds of dignity. This is
what the British felt about them.
Timeline
• 1851 The British burn Lagos and drive out slavers.
• 1885 British Protectorate is established over the Coast of the
Niger Districts.
• 1914 North and South are united to create Nigeria with Lagos
as the capitol.
• Between 1898 and 1945 there are a series of uprisings against
British rule and poor living/working conditions. One of the most
famous was the Aba Riot (Women’s War) of 1929 protest
against British taxation.
• 1963- Independence from Great Britain.
• 1967-70 The Biafran War. Biafra tried unsuccessfully to secede
from Nigeria.
Before Imperialism
During Imperialism
After Imperialism
Biafran War
The Biafran War, also known
as the Nigerian Civil war was a
political conflict caused by the
attempted seccession of the
southeastern provinces of
Nigeria as the self-proclaimed
Republic of Biafra. The
conflict was the result of
economic, ethnic, cultural and
religious tensions among the
various peoples of Nigeria.
Indigenous Perspectives
The people of Nigeria did not
want the British there at all.
The British transformed their
entire culture because of their
greed. Nigerians wanted nothing
to do with the British and
because of this they started
wars, and they migrated to
different cultures.
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was the
military dictator of Nigeria
from 17 November 1993 to 8
June 1998. His goal was to
bring civilian rule to Nigeria.
His motives were doubted
because he didn't come
about until after eleven
years of uninterrupted
military rule. He owned 3
billion dollars worth of
foreign assets.
Resistance & Independence Movements
After the British took over
Nigeria, they faced many
revolts and uproars in
resistance to their penetration.
Both the Yoruba and Igbo
tribes started wars against the
British. The muslims migrated
away from the infidels, and
the Ekumeku used non official
wars to attack the British.
Benefits
Along with Imperialism came
many new things in Nigeria,
they may seem good but they
disrupted the culture that was
in place so it cannot be
determined whether or not
these things are
beneficial. Nigeria now had
Western Education,
Christianity, the English
Language, new forms of money,
new transportation methods
and communication.
Cultural Imperialism
Sixty percent of the people in
Nigeria are now Christian as
opposed to their
previously Islamic beliefs.Tribe
s were also separated by the
Europeans and this made
borders. The national language
changed to English due to
British European reform.
Consequences on Imperial Power
Britain had a lot of money when
they took over Nigeria, they
took over to gain more money.
They in fact got what they
wanted and the consequences
were mainly
Consequences on Occupied Region
The British influenced Nigeria so
much that the impact will
seemingly be seen forever.
Nigeria still uses a military style
of government, learned from the
British, and English is a major
component in their language of
Pidgin. It is widely believed that
all turmoil in Nigeria today can be
contributed to the British.
Compensation
Britain pays for many
things in Nigeria today
such as jails and schools.
Bibliography
References
British Imperialism and its Influence. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1364260/british_imperialism_and_its_influence_pg2.html?cat=3
7
[British Imperialist Man] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.internationalist.org/maumaurebels.jpg
Early Nigerian Cultures. (n.d.). Nigeria. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Encyclopedia Britannica
database.
Bibliography
Kingdoms and empires of precolonial Nigeria. (n.d.). Nigeria. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Encyclopedia
Britannica database.
Nigeria. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2011, from US Department of State website:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htm
[Nigeria During Imperialism] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.zunal.com/myaccount/uploads/nigeria.gif
[Nigeria Post-Imperialism] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://sb.westfordk12.us/pages/6mweb/6mss/travelpages/3/3Tommy5/images/NIGERAmap.gif
Bibliography
Kingdoms and empires of precolonial Nigeria. (n.d.). Nigeria. Retrieved February 9, 2011, from Encyclopedia
Britannica database.
Nigeria. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2011, from US Department of State website:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htm
[Nigeria During Imperialism] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.zunal.com/myaccount/uploads/nigeria.gif
[Nigeria Post-Imperialism] [Photograph]. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://sb.westfordk12.us/pages/6mweb/6mss/travelpages/3/3Tommy5/images/NIGERAmap.gif