Journal of History and Diplomatic Studies

Specialty in Colonial Governance: the Place of Political Agents in Northern Nigeria

2015-07-23T10:48:52+00:00

Political agents were special among African employees who were directly employed in the British colonial administration of northern Nigeria, as distinct from traditional ruling officials. Political agents were unique, as they commanded knowledge of local languages and cultures as well as some knowledge of English and thereby bridged the communicative gap between the foreign rulers and the indigenous people. In their intermediary role agents performed special duties including the management of government diplomacy with the traditional rulers, production of intelligence for policy decisions, and administrative tasks including waiting on political officers and mediating their deliberations with visiting indigenous elites and the people. Agents were effective in their roles, and thus became the “eyes and ears” of the colonial authorities. Accordingly, some agents were deployed on special roles as government representatives in the subordinate indigenous administration where they served in the capacity of district head, community native treasurer, and alkali, thereby assisting the consolidation of the subordinate administration in colonial overrule. Agents were special in their position and diverse roles in the British colonial administration of Northern Nigeria.

A Critique of the Establishment of the Marketing Boards in Nigeria in the 1940s

2015-07-23T10:48:53+00:00

The British colonial government established the Marketing Boards in Nigeria at the end of the Second World War in 1940s. The Cocoa Marketing Board was set up in 1947, while the Groundnut, Cotton and Palm Produce Marketing Boards were established in 1949. The boards were established primarily to stabilize Nigerian producers` prices in order to eliminate the seasonal price fluctuations of the export produce. Other reasons were to provide funds for regional governments and economic development of the production areas and scientific research in agriculture; improvement of the quality of the crops through the grading system; and putting to an end a series of producer protests. This paper attempts a critique of the British colonial government`s aims of setting up the Marketing Boards to ascertain whether the price stabilization and fiscal policies of the boards were judiciously implemented or not. It argues that the Marketing Boards only succeeded to some extent in stabilizing seasonal producers` prices, but achieved little in stabilizing producers’ income. The profits accrued to Nigerian peasant producers were used by the colonial administration to cushion the internal contradictions in the economy that was devastated during the Second World War. This paper also contends that the British colonial government enunciated the policies to subtly protect her imperial and economic interests at the expense of the Nigerian peasants as the accumulated funds were used for other purposes by the British and their Nigerian compradors rather than the purposes they were meant for. Our analysis, therefore, adopts the materialist interpretation of colonialism which perceives colonialism as largely exploitative and oppressive and maintains that the paltry infrastructural development and social amenities provided by the British were largely accidental fallouts of colonialism. This paper submits that the Marketing Boards were British monopoly statutory institutions created to safeguard her imperial interests and ensure the domination of Nigerian economy. The paper uses qualitative method and the data which comprises both primary and secondary sources.

Emerging Trends in Fostering and Child Adoption Practices among the Igbo

2015-07-23T10:48:55+00:00

The paper examines emerging trends in child fostering and adoption practices among the Igbo in time perspective. It discusses traditional practices that served as alternatives to child adoption in the pre-colonial period, child adoption practice which is one of the legacies of British colonial administration and the various dimensions of illegal child adoption practices among the Igbo. The first section of the paper is an introduction comprising related literature on child adoption process in Nigeria. The second section provides a conceptual framework linking this with the place of children in Igbo society and why the lack of it is a major factor fuelling illegal adoption. The third section focuses on trends in child adoption practices from the colonial period to present times. The paper concludes by proffering solutions to curb and eliminate the menace of illegal child adoption among the Igbo. These include a nationwide implementation of Child Rights Act 2003, effective monitoring of child adoption services by appropriate agencies, the promotion of legal child adoption and medical treatment options for infertility by medical practitioners and in particular church leaderswhose views hold sway in Igbo land.

Key Words: Igbo, Child Adoption, Fostering, Baby factories, Legal adoption, Illegal adoption

The Gulf of Guinea Coast and the Global Quest for Energy

2015-07-23T10:48:56+00:00

The Gulf of Guinea countries are endowed with petroleum resources. The discovery of more oil wells, industrial expansion in China and India, the quest for increased and different sources of oil supply by the United States and European countries, the unstable political scene and terrorism in the Middle East, the pliant nature of the Gulf of Guinea countries, and the non-existence of transit choke-points in the region, have made the quest for the region’s oil resource inevitable. This paper interrogates issues emanating from oil exploration in this part of the world. It assesses the United States’ security efforts, China’s strategy, India and Brazil’s interest and the competition among these economic powers in the region. This paper also considers the benefits that may accrue to these nations with the presence of these multinationals, relations among the Gulf of Guinea states and the actual interest of these economic powers in the region. Oil has made the region susceptible to criminal activities and this has adverse security implications on the region generally.The required information necessary for this study was collected through primary and secondary sources. This paper suggests that the Gulf of Guinea states should strengthen the already existing cooperation among the Gulf of Guinea Commission members and other related agencies in the region as this would enhance more cooperation among the states and avoid major oil related conflicts in the region. It is important to create a regional oil policy that can promote peace, security, stability and attract more investment to the region.

The Role of the Court in Chieftaincy Dispute Resolution in Yoruba Land, 1933 – 1957

2015-07-23T10:48:57+00:00

One of the major challenges faced by the colonial administration in Nigeria was chieftaincy disputes, which created social disorder in some parts of the country. Prior to 1933, chieftaincy litigation in courts constituted an embarrassment to the colonial government; hence the promulgation of an ordinance to regulate chieftaincy matters. It was in an effort to solve this problem that an Ordinance, Chieftaincy Disputes (Preclusion of Courts) Ordinance was promulgated. It was to exclude chieftaincy cases from the courts and consequently prevent the activities of lawyers in chieftaincy disputes. This paper, therefore, examines the role of the courts in chieftaincy dispute resolution. To what extent was the Preclusion Ordinance able to exclude chieftaincy cases from the courts? Was the colonial administration able to keep lawyers away from helping to file chieftaincy litigation at the court? What significant contribution was the court able to make in resolving chieftaincy contestation? These and related questions are what this paper addresses. This study relied on oral sources collected from chiefs, elders and some other custodians of culture and tradition of the people. Relevant information was garnered from archival materials. Secondary sources related to the subject were also consulted. This study is approached from socio-historical perspective and data were historically analysed.

Forward to the Past: Strikes and Striking as Dialogue by other means in Nigeria’s Democratic Process

2015-07-23T10:48:58+00:00

In Nigeria, from the colonial period to the present, the employment of strikes and protests by nationalists, Nigerian workers and civil society groups has been established as one of the potent means of conveying viewpoints, positions as well as the demand for equality, fairness, social justice and reforms. It has been used as dialogue by other means. This paper explores the adoption of industrial actions and general strikes in Nigeria, during the nationalist struggle, post independence politics and political agitations in Nigeria’s democratic process. The paper attempts to establish the nexus between this pattern and strategy utilized by the nationalists, civil society and the Nigerian workers and the culture of militancy, restiveness and aggression of labour unionism in contemporary Nigeria, especially since the return to democratic rule. It concludes that this trend was accentuated by several years of dictatorship and misrule, which has built into the consciousness of organized labour the culture of agitation and restiveness as a democratic option. This study adopted the historical method in terms of data collection, analysis and presentation. Both primary and secondary data were used for the study. These include archival materials, newspaper reports, journal articles and books.

The Other Side of Life in Slums

2015-07-23T10:48:59+00:00

In spite of obvious social and infrastructural inadequacies in terms of lack of sufficient housing facilities, good roads, schools etc., there is ample evidence to suggest that a significant number of slum dwellers, may never contemplate life outside the slums. This perhaps not only explains the rising number of slums but also their ever increasing population especially in Lagos, where at the moment, there may be over fifty slums. What this also shows is that in spite of its inadequacies, life inside the slums has its own attractions, hence the paper argues that rather than seeking to eradicate slums completely, relevant authorities may perhaps, achieve more by regulating activities within these slums especially by ensuring that they improve on the living conditions of slum dwellers.

Development of Colonial Medical and Health Services in Ibadan, 1957 – 1960

2015-07-23T10:49:00+00:00

There is no doubt that medicine is important in the history of any society. In fact, no society can prosper and make reasonable progress in the absence of healthy population. Sound and relatively adequate medical facilities constitute one of the requirements for a healthy society. This paper surveys the development of colonial medical and health services in Ibadan between 1957 and 1960. It identifies the factors and personalities connected with the consolidation of hospital services in Ibadan. In addition, it highlights the reactions of the population of Ibadan to the development of medical services. Besides, it establishes that the provision of medical and preventive health amenities was limited to the city of Ibadan. This limitation of colonial medical intervention coupled with age old medical ideas in Ibadan consequently occasioned the continuity of indigenous medical culture and adaptation of Western medicine in Ibadan. The paper utilized a simple historical methodology involving the use of largely primary archival records, oral interviews and secondary sources.

Eboh and Traditional Medicine in Pre-Colonial Apana Social Systems

2015-07-23T10:49:02+00:00

The paper extols the significance of traditional medicine in the social systems of pre-colonial Apana. Traditional medicine and its practitioners maintained their popularity in the socio-cultural development of Apana. The Apana word, eboh, which exists in the plural form, refers to the practitioners of traditional medicine. Using historical methodology, the paper draws attention to the fact that traditional medicine was inseparably knit with the practice of each social system. It argues that traditional medicine was a preservative, curative and rectifying element of the culture and development of the social systems of Apana. It concludes by demonstrating the linkage between social systems, eboh, and traditional medicine. It further shows the uniqueness and peculiarity of traditional medicine in the socio-cultural development of Apana prior to colonialism.

Civil Society and the Conduct of Free, Fair and Credible Election: Lessons from the Ghanaian Experience

2015-07-23T10:49:03+00:00

Election is a major institutional pillar of liberal democracy. The conduct of regular elections is considered the single most important indicator of the presence or absence of the democratic context of the rule-based free, fair and credible election. However, for elections to represent the wish of the electorates, it must be credible and the process leading to it must be free and fair. Thus, the electoral process must not be left to the government and government established agencies alone. Rather, it requires the vigilance, involvement and monitoring of Non Governmental agencies like civil society to prevent the government of the day from wielding the power of incumbency to skew the electoral process in its favour. This essay therefore examined the activities of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in ensuring credible, free and fair elections in Ghana. The findings revealed that CSOs have played some crucial roles to ensure that electoral processes and elections are free, fair and credible in Ghana which has often been described as the pride of African democracy. The aim of the paper is to encourage civil society organizations in African countries to wake up to their responsibility, work together with their governments to make electoral processes and elections credible, free and fair so as to rid the continent of its notorious record of post election violence.

The Politics of Urban Policies in Lagos, 1914 - 1960

2015-07-23T10:49:05+00:00

The formulation and implementation of policies in colonial Lagos were shrouded in politics. Indeed, there is commonality between policy and politics. For instance, people quarrel over which rules are to be enforced; what services are to be provided; how much money is to be spent; and what is the common good after all? Viewed from this perspective then, urban politics deals with the policies of urban government. Some studies on urbanisation in colonial Lagos, in the period under study have discussed urban policies among others, within the context of the advantages or benefits that Lagos derived from them. These studies argue that Lagos was not planned before the advent of the colonial government. None of these studies has drawn attention to the politics of the colonial government’s policies in Lagos. Thus, the present study aims at bridging the gap in the existing studies by focusing attention on the politics of colonial urban policies of town planning, segregation, sanitation, and land. The paper argues that the formulation and implementation of urban policies in Lagos in the period under study, were affected by the idea, behaviour, strategies, and resources available to the colonial government.

Archaeological Finds from Isale, an Abandoned Settlement in Southeast Abeokuta, Ogun State: Towards a Historical Reconstruction

2015-07-23T10:49:05+00:00

This paper examines the archaeological finds collected from Isale an abandoned site in southeast Abeokuta, Nigeria. From the reconnaissance carried out, a number of artifacts were recovered. These include cowrie shells, metal objects, animal remains, and smoking pipes among others. These artifacts helped us in reconstructing different aspects of the life ways of the inhabitants of the settlement during its occupation.