In The Beginning was Nigeria!

The territory known today as Nigeria began her match to statehood in 1861. 
In that year, the king of Lagos, Dosunmu was made to sign away the political independence of his territory by Britain. With threats of bombardment and other acts of intimidation, the imperial Britain succeeded in making the plaint king to succumb to its desire to control the politics and economy of Lagos. By this act, Lagos with its territory that measured "one hundred and ten miles long by four to twenty miles wide" became a crown colony of Britain.

Before this period, British consuls had established offices first along the coasts and later in other parts of what today is known as Nigeria. These consuls co-ordinated the activities along the banks of Niger and Benue rivers. In 1879, Sir George Goldie, a prominent British Merchant in the Niger-Benue Area and Mr. Hewitt, a consul requested the government of Britain to declare the lower and delta areas of the Niger a British colony. In response to this, the British government granted Sir Goldie's trading company a charter of administration over the territories along the Niger and Benue rivers for a period of ten years.

To consolidate the territorial gains of Goldie, Britain sent Sir Fredrick Lugard to assist in the establishment of British trade monopoly there. Sir Lugard was a soldier and former colonial administrator in Nyasaland (now Malawi) and Uganda. At this time of his deployment, France was posing a threat to British interests in the territories of what later became Nigeria and was pushing towards them through Dahomey (now Benin Republic). As a well experienced soldier, Lugard was equal to the task of halting the French advance. He was soon locked in a combat against the Frenchman, Faidherbe and succeeding in halting France's eastward expansion from Dahomey. In June 1898, this territorial quarrel between Britain and France ended with the signing of Anglo-French agreement.

These events led to the establishment of the following British territories in what later became known as Nigeria.

• The Lagos colony
• The Oil Rivers protectorate and
• The Northern protectorate

The Oil Rivers protectorate was extended in 1893 and proclaimed as the Southern protectorate and Sir Ralph Moor was made its governor. The Royal Niger Company was granted a charter of administration over the Northern protectorate until 1900 when the British government took it over and placed it under the supervisory control of Sir Fredick Lugard.

In May 1906, the colony of Lagos was merged with the Southern protectorate and Sir Walter Egerton was made its governor. At this time, Sir Lugard was also made the governor of Northern protectorate. Two administrative entities were thus created by imperial Britain. They had no official names. They only suited the political and economic interests of British government and merchant. Some years later it dawned on them that it would be more befitting for them to merge the two entities as one. In January 1914, the Northern and Southern protectorates were amalgamated and became one British colony. Lord Fredrick Lugard (as he was now called) was made its first governor general. Lieutenant governors were appointed for Northern and Southern protectorates while in Lagos was given an administrator. A name was now needed for this large colony and Lady Lugard provided the name Nigeria which means Niger Area.
[To be continued...]
Nigeria @ 53



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