FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR RISE AND GROWTH OF NATIONALITY IN NIGERIA.
FACTORS RESPONDSIBLE FOR THE RISE AND GROWTH OF NATIONALISM IN NIGERIA
INTRODUCTION
No one, not even the most far-sighted, ever thought that British rule would last for only sixty years. In the early years of colonial rule, the idea of an independent Nigeria within so short a time would have sounded ridiculous. “The Whiteman has come to stay as long as men lived,” boasted an official in 1919. Nevertheless, nationalism started early, instigated by the need to respond to conquest and new policies. The radical phase came during and after the Second World War, subsequently leading to independence. Although the ultimate goal of nationalism was to secure the country’s independence, it had other interrelated dimensions: the “new Nigeria” would be governed by Westernized elite, working, through the agency of political parties and Western political ideas, to create a united and developed country. If the British took over power from traditional elite, nationalism and modernization forced them to hand it over to an educated elite.
Colonial policies generated discontent among the people – especially the elite who originally demanded reforms, and later on, independence. Among the issues that displeased the people were racism and the damage to traditional values during European rule. Nigerians in the civil service complained of racial discrimination in appointments and promotions. The aspiring ones among them were envious of the status and privileges enjoyed by white officials. Among those who complained about excessive changes, nationalism was expressed in cultural ways – that is, in deliberate efforts to promote Nigerian food, names, forms of dress, languages, and even The economic depression of the late 1920s and 1930s brought economic hardship, unemployment, and retrenchment. Bad times enabled nationalists to criticize and condemn the British and to use these demands to stimulate national consciousness. For instance, Michael Imoudu, a distinguished trade union leader, led
INTRODUCTION
No one, not even the most far-sighted, ever thought that British rule would last for only sixty years. In the early years of colonial rule, the idea of an independent Nigeria within so short a time would have sounded ridiculous. “The Whiteman has come to stay as long as men lived,” boasted an official in 1919. Nevertheless, nationalism started early, instigated by the need to respond to conquest and new policies. The radical phase came during and after the Second World War, subsequently leading to independence. Although the ultimate goal of nationalism was to secure the country’s independence, it had other interrelated dimensions: the “new Nigeria” would be governed by Westernized elite, working, through the agency of political parties and Western political ideas, to create a united and developed country. If the British took over power from traditional elite, nationalism and modernization forced them to hand it over to an educated elite.
Colonial policies generated discontent among the people – especially the elite who originally demanded reforms, and later on, independence. Among the issues that displeased the people were racism and the damage to traditional values during European rule. Nigerians in the civil service complained of racial discrimination in appointments and promotions. The aspiring ones among them were envious of the status and privileges enjoyed by white officials. Among those who complained about excessive changes, nationalism was expressed in cultural ways – that is, in deliberate efforts to promote Nigerian food, names, forms of dress, languages, and even The economic depression of the late 1920s and 1930s brought economic hardship, unemployment, and retrenchment. Bad times enabled nationalists to criticize and condemn the British and to use these demands to stimulate national consciousness. For instance, Michael Imoudu, a distinguished trade union leader, led
References: [3] NNDP Manifesto, Lagos, 1923. [10] A.E. Afiobo, The Warrant Chiefs: Indirect Rule in South-Eastern Nigeria, 1879-1 929. New York 1972, xii [11] Mustapha K