Gst 201 course guide
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| 3.2.3 Some Consequences of the Amalgamation It can be argued that even if the initial intention of the amalgamation process was to make of Nigeria apolitical unit, it did practically fail. According to Hatch (1970) the amalgamation of Nigeria was carried outwith many unanswered questions such as What would be the effect of uniting the Fulani emirates – with their comparatively static, traditionalist outlook – with the thrusting, competitive, individualistic society of the south, now acquiring GST201 NIGERIAN PEOPLES AND CULTURE knowledge from a growing number of mission schools, which were making available an expanding clerical class How would societies that only a few years earlier had been rival and often hostile states live together under one administration Should they form a single nation If so, how could a single allegiance be created In any case, what was the central objective of British policy Was it to build an empire permanently subordinate to Britain, to act as a trustee for some shadowy African future, or to encourage a natural spirit leading to ultimate self- government (p) Today, it is obvious that the tragedy of Nigeria’s history and its people is not so much to be found in the diversity of these groups that were brought together under amalgamation. Rather, the real tragedy is that British colonial policy in Nigeria after amalgamation tended to be divisive and isolationist in terms of keeping the peoples of the two main protectorates separate. For instance, while the 1914 amalgamation gave the northern and southern provinces a common political head in the person of Lugard, no uniform style of administration developed in either group of provinces. Despite the amalgamation of 1914, Nigeria still operated as a federation of two groups of provinces between 1914 and 1939. Later on April 1, 1939, the British government split the former Southern provinces into Eastern and Western provinces. This tripartite division of Nigeria remained well into the independence period, until 1963 when the Mid Western region was created, and the Northern Region was split for the first time in 1967. Download 0.68 Mb. Share with your friends:
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