The Anglo-Egba economic relations, 1842-1914

Abstract

The Anglo-Egba relations have received considerable attention from scholars particularly historians. Outstanding among them was S.O. Biobaku¹ who concentrated on the Egba and their neighbours which included the Ijebu, Ibadan, Egbado (Yewa)/Awori, Dahomians and the British. The work focused on the Egba resettlement in Abeokuta and their struggles for survival. Moreover, his monumental work covered the period between 1830 and 1872. Ade Ajayi² concentrated on the religious and diplomatic relations between the British and Egba. E.A. Ayandele³ on his own part paid attention to the Anglo- Egba political/diplomatic relations while Agneta Pallinder-Law⁴ showed special interest in the Egba United Government which was a brain child of the British. In his own contribution B. Sofela⁵ paid much attention to the Egba-Ijeba relations and to some extent the role of the British in political consolidation of the refugee town, Abeokuta, which eventually metamorphosed into a powerful military state. None of the above scholars paid much attention to the Anglo- Egba economic relations. This paper is to fill this gap. Hence, it attempts to examine critically the economic relations between the British and the Egba between 1842 and 1914; the problems that characterized such relations during our period, and the sources of economic conflicts arising between the two parties. It highlights the social and imperialistic tendencies that influenced such relations.