COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION

The whole of West African countries (with the exception of Liberia) came under the colonial
rule of Britain, France, Germany and Portugal. These nations shared out West Africa as a result
of partitioning of Africa which took place during the Berlin Conference of 1884/85. The period
of 1885-1950s served was a period of colonial rule in West Africa.

Classification of British Territories

Based on their hierarchy or status, the British territories in West Africa, specifically Nigeria,
during the early period of colonialism were broadly classified into three. These were:
 The Crown Colony;
 Protectorate; and
 Trust Territory.

The Crown Colony: A crown colony under the British administrative system was an area
conquered and seen as a British possession specifically owned by the crown (the Queen). Under
the crown system of government, the people who lived in the crown colony were regarded as
British citizens or subjects. The only area in Nigeria declared a crown colony was Lagos. The
crown colony type of government had three administrative or institutional features or structures.
These features included:
i. The Governor or Governor-General;
ii. The Executive Council; and
iii. The Legislative Council.

The Protectorate: This was a territory under the protective influence of the British government.
Usually, such areas came under the control of the British in order to maintain peace and stop
slave trading. Thus, in time and with the consent or submission of the people, the British
government acquired the power of governing them without actually acquiring ownership of
them. The two protectorates in Nigeria were the Northern and the Southern protectorates. In
1914, Lord Lugard amalgamated the Northern and Southern protectorates of Nigeria.

Trust territory: A trust is something which is held by a person/group or an organisation on

behalf of another person, group or organisation. Trust territories were those areas formerly
colonised by Germany and Italy but which were taken from them by the permanent members of
the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) after the World War II. These territories which
included Cameroun, Namibia, Tanzania and Togo were given in trust to Britain and France to
administer. The administration of these trust territories were under the supervision of the
Trusteeship Council of the UN. The Western part of Cameroun was the only British trust
territory in West Africa.

Features of the British Colonial Administration

The British administration in West Africa was organised in a hierarchical manner. The major
features of the British colonial administration are central administration and native
administration (the indirect rule system) at the protectorate, provincial and divisional levels.
A. Central administration: The central administration was headed by the Governor or
Governor-General. He was appointed by the Secretary of State for the colonies who had the
power to remove or redeploy him. The Governor/Governor-General was responsible for
administration of the whole country and was accountable to the imperial government in London
through the Secretary of State for the colonies. The Governor/Governor-General was the
President of both the Legislative and Executive Councils. The Governor/Governor-General
performed the following functions:
 He presided over both the legislative and executive councils.
 He had powers to make grants on land.
 He had power to appoint, discipline and dismiss public officials including judges.
 He appointed and deposed chiefs.
 He had the power to review the judgements by the judiciary.
 He exercised the prerogative of mercy.
 He was assisted by an executive council which advised him in the conduct of his
administration.
 He approved or rejected the laws made by the legislative council.

The executive council was responsible for the formulation of British colonial government policy
and for carrying out the laws of the colony. The council was an advisory body to the
Governor/Governor-General. The Governor/Governor-General had powers to reject the decisions
or advice of the council. Until 1945, the executive council was essentially made up of British
officials (these were the heads of important government departments). Under the Macpherson
Constitution of 1951, the executive council became known as Council of Ministers.

The legislative council was made up of the Governor/Governor-General, official and unofficial
members. The role of the legislative council was to advise the Governor/Governor-General in
framing legislation for the colony, but the Governor/Governor-General was not bound to accept
its advice. The elective principle introduced by the Clifford Constitution (1922) reorganised the
council to provide for four (4) elected African members; and the legislative council became more
representative with the Richard Constitution.

B. Native Administration: The British colonial administration instituted a system of native

administration in the protectorates, provinces and districts through the indirect rule system. This
was a system of administration which used the traditional political institutions of the people to
govern the people in accordance with their culture, norms and practices which did not conflict
with colonial laws, and under the guidance of colonial officials.

INDIRECT RULE SYSTEM

Indirect rule may be defined as a British system of ruling her colonies with the use of local chiefs
or other appointed intermediaries and traditional laws and customs with British mainly
supervising the administration and where necessary, enforced colonial regulations. Indirect rule
was first introduced in Nigeria by Lord Lugard in 1900 when he was appointed the High
Commissioner of Northern Protectorate.
 Main Features of Indirect Rule

1. Indirect rule used the existing traditional system of administration.

2. It recognised the status of traditional rulers.
3. Traditional rulers served as the pivot of indirect rule.
4. The customs and traditions of the people played a significant role in the administration.
5. The indirect rule system was supervised by British officials (such as Resident Officers
and District Officers) and where need be, enforced colonial regulation.
6. British officials did not exert their influence directly to the people but through the local
chiefs.
7. The culture and cultural values of the people were respected by the British officials.
8. Indirect rule was not an expensive system of administration. The cost of administration
was not high because those involved were paid peanuts.
9. Taxes were collected.
10. The native authority system was used. This included native courts for administration of
justice.
11. Native police and prisons were utilised in the system.
12. Indirect rule system did not disrupt the existing traditional system of administration and
political order.
13. Officers or chiefs were appointed where there were no traditional chiefs or rulers.
Reasons for the Adoption of Indirect Rule
a. Lack of British personnel: The system had few Europeans to control effectively areas
under their control.
b. Insufficient fund: There was no sufficient fund from the British government to engage
British officials for direct administration.
c. Less expensive: The system was very cheap to operate.
d. Lack of knowledge of the local areas: The British officials lacked adequate knowledge
of the local areas in the country.
e. Language barrier: Indirect rule succeeded in removing the language barrier that would
have posed a problem to the British colonial administration if direct rule was adopted.
f. Poor transport and communication systems: Lack of roads, airports, postal systems,
etc, prevented Britain from adopting direct rule, instead they opted for indirect rule.
g. Its success in other countries: Lord Lugard felt that the success of this policy in India,
Uganda, etc was enough proof that the system would succeed in any of the British
colonies.
h. To preserve traditions and customs: Britain saw that there was no need destroying the
institutions in place, and that, introducing different system altogether might not produce
any desired results.
i. The role and position of traditional rulers: Britain identified the uniqueness, the role
and position occupied by traditional rulers before the introduction of indirect rule. The
people saw these rulers as of divine and should be respected, especially in the case of the
Emirs. Therefore, not using them might mean chaos and instability in the system.
j. Britain’s unwillingness to be involved financially: Britain’s non-readiness to involve
heavily in any financial responsibility in any of her colonies contributed to the
introduction of the system of indirect rule in Nigeria.
Merits of Indirect Rule
 i. The system respected the people’s tradition and culture especially in the Northern part of
the country.
ii. Indirect rule was very economical because the traditional rulers were paid not much in
term of salary.
iii. The system was a fertile ground for the training of traditional rulers and chiefs in local
administration.
iv. It was more accommodating than the French direct administration because it allowed
formation and activities of political parties.
v. Indirect rule developed traditional institutions such as native courts which made them
more effective and durable.
vi. It helped in introducing a new method of collecting taxes.
vii. It enhanced stable political system especially in the North where the traditional rulers had
the over-whelming support of the people.
viii. Through tax collection, the colonies were able to develop rapidly because the money
collected were used in building schools, hospitals and construction of roads.
ix. The introduction of the system helped to put a stop to some evil practices like human
sacrifice and killing of twins that were hitherto going on.
x. British administrators were protected from the native revolt which the imposition of a
direct rule could have caused.
Demerits of Indirect Rule

1. The system excluded educated Nigerians from taking part in the colonial administration
in preference to the illiterate Nigerians.
2. The system brought about division between the traditional rulers (who were looked upon
as British puppets) and the alienated educated elites thereby, strengthening the policy of
divide and rule.
3. Development was retarded. Indirect rule was an instrument of maintaining status quo,
than of development.
4. By its design, the system did not train future leaders.
5. It failed to aid rapid constitutional development.
6. Africans were greatly exploited under the system.
7. The system delayed early independence in Nigeria because the uneducated traditional
rulers were not ready to relinquish the vast powers the system vested on them for self-
rule or independence.
8. The appointment of warrant chiefs was illegitimate because it did not get the support of
the people.

FRENCH COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION IN WEST AFRICA

French colonial territories in West Africa included Burkina Fas (Upper Volta), Cote D’ Ivoire
(Ivory Coast), Dahomey (Benin Republic), Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. France
organized the territories into a union of five (5) colonies in a loose federation with headquarters
in Dakar (Senegal) under the leadership of a Governor-General. In 1919, Togo was given to
France as a trust territory under the supervision of the League of Nations. Togo was administered
by France differently from her other colonies in West Africa.
France, in an arrogant belief in the superiority of French civilisation and inferiority of African
civilisation, adopted an initial system of administration known as the “policy of assimilation.”
When the policy of assimilation failed, it was later replaced with the “policy of association.”

Features of French Colonial Administration in West Africa

i. Centralised administration: The administration was highly centralized. All policy

statements or laws originated from the headquarters in Dakar, Senegal. The territories had
no power of their own.
ii. The policy of assimilation: The policy of assimilation was the official colonial policy of
the French administration in West Africa. Assimilation was the system of total imposition
of French ideas, outlook and way of life by the French colonial government on their
African subjects. This system of administration was meant to substitute the culture,
language, religion, law, mode of dressing, etc of the people of West Africa with that of
the French people. The goal of the system was to change West Africans into Frenchmen.
iii. Direct rule: France ruled the colonies directly.
iv. Dual citizenship: West Africans were divided and categorised into citizens and subjects.
v. Restricted/limited education: Few schools were built by the French authority and as a
result very few people were educated.
vi. Absence of political parties and associations: Formation of political parties and
associations were not encouraged.
vii. No regard for traditional institutions: Traditional rulers were not accorded due
recognition.
viii. Disregard for cultural heritage: France did not respect the culture of the people in her
colonies.
ix. Absence of local assemblies: There were no local assemblies for Africans in their
various colonies.
x. Indegenat policy and forced labour: This was an obnoxious policy of the French in
which people were instantly tried and imprisoned for the least offence committed. They
were made to do any kind of labour without compensation. Under this policy, it was the
right of the French officials to arbitrarily arrest and imprison any African for about two
years without trials.
xi. The policy of association: The policy of association replaced the policy of assimilation.
The policy of association advocated for the recognition and preservation of the traditions,
political institutions, religion, customs and culture of the people of the colonies. Under
this policy, dual citizenship, forced labour and indegenat were abolished.

Differences between the British System of Indirect Rule and the French Policy of
Assimilation

Indirect Rule Policy of Assimilation

1 Indirect rule of colonial administration. Direct rule of colonial administration.

2 Made use of African traditional chiefs. Did not make use of African traditional chiefs.

3 Traditional laws and customs were used in Traditional laws and customs were not used in
 the administration. the administration.

4 British officials did not exert their French officials exerted their influence directly
influence directly to the people but through to the people not through the local chiefs.
the local chiefs.

5 The system was meant to assist in the The system was not meant to assist in the
development of the traditional political development of the traditional political
institutions for effective administration. institutions for effective administration.

6 The system did not disrupt the existing The system disrupted the existing traditional
traditional system of administration and system of administration and political order.
political order.

7 It was not an expensive system of It was an expensive system of administration.

administration.

8 It was not meant to turn Africans to It was meant to turn Africans to Frenchmen.
Britons/Englishmen.

IMPACT OF COLONIAL RULE IN WEST AFRICA

Advantages of Colonial Rule in West Africa

A. West Africans acquired Western education. They also learnt English and French languages.
B. There was introduction of modern ideas of government including principles of modern
democracy, rule of law, etc.
C. There was creation of larger political units. Colonialism brought together as one big state
formerly independent and sovereign emirates, kingdoms, communities and ethnic groups.
Nigeria is an example.
D. The civil services of the colonies were developed and made uniform with those of the colonial
masters.
E. There was establishment of close ties and trade relations between West African countries and
former colonial masters – Britain and France.
F. Introduction of money currency and establishment of banks replaced trade by barter and the
cumbersome currency of iron bars and cowries.
G. Common Central Bank in the French colonies in West Africa (with the exception of Guinea)
issuing common currency facilitated inter-state trade among the countries.
H. There was development of modern transport and communication systems such as railways,
seaports, airways, roads, bridges, etc in the West African states.
I. There was development of political parties. These political parties championed the struggle for
independence.
J. There was introduction of common languages of English and French in the British and French
West African countries respectively.
K. The people of West Africa were introduced to the Christian religion.
Disadvantages of Colonial Rule in West Africa
1. Colonialism brought about economic dependence and exploitation.
2. African culture was inferiorised, i.e., it was relegated to the background.
3. There was introduction of slave trade.
4. There was deportation, humiliation and elimination of African leaders.
5. Colonialism was a negation of freedom and it could not possibly bring modern political
liberation to Africans.
6. Colonialism shattered the African communalism and collectivism. It introduced capitalism,
individualism, domination and exploitation of the poor by the rich.
7. There was uncritical adoption of Western values and political systems without recourse to the
culture of the people.
8. Colonialism created artificial boundaries in Africa thereby creating the problem of national
integration for many African states such as Nigeria.
9. Colonialism introduced divide and rule policy in the territories of West Africa thereby created
the problem of unity among West Africans.