Missiles from ‘Kirsten Hall’: Herbert Macaulay versus Hugh Clifford, 1922 – 1931

Abstract

Anumber of existing studies have examined the career, life and times of Herbert Macaulay in various dimensions. Yet, a lacuna still exists in our knowledge of the nature of the relationship that existed between this foremost nationalist and the colonial government headed by Sir Hugh Clifford (1919-1931). This essay highlights the dynamics of the hostility that characterized the relationship between these two, emphasizing the mutual and deeply personal dimensions of this relationship. The essay uses Herbert Macaulay’s many virulent campaigns against Sir Hugh Clifford to explain the dynamics of two irreconcilable forces that occupied the colonial space of Lagos in the 1920s. Judging from the epilogue of this encounter, the essay concludes that Herbert Macaulay triumphed and as such was able to launch himself, effectively, as the father of Nigerian nationalism

Key words: Nationalism, colonialism, political elite, chieftaincy, land,
hostility.