COLONIAL HISTORY

Colonial rule started in Nigeria with the treaty for the colony of Lagos in 1861, followed by a series of ‘pacification’ of different territories. The campaign lasted well into the early part of the 20th century, followed by the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914. And a legislative council, initially with limited African representation was created in 1922. Traditional native rulers, however, administered various territories under the supervision of the colonial authorities. In 1947, a federal system of government was established under a new Nigerian constitution introduced by the United Kingdom. This system was based on three regions: Eastern, Western and Northern. The idea was to reconcile the regional and religious tensions as well as accommodating the interest of diverse ethnic groups: mainly the Igbo (in the east), the Yoruba (in the west) and the Hausa and Fulani (in the north).

Prior to independence, nationalists continued their demand for the extension of franchise and the holding of direct elections. This led to the abrogation of the 1947 constitution and the introduction of a ministerial government in 1951. The federation became self-governing in 1954.

Conflicting demands for autonomy and central government by the various political groupings compelled the British in 1954 to establish a measure of compromise to accommodate conflicting demands. In this arrangement, there was to be a federal government, in conjunction with considerable regional autonomy. Specific powers were to be allocated to the federal government including defence, the police force, the terms of national trade, custom duties, finance and banking. Responsibility for other services in the area of health, agriculture, education and economic development was to be with the Regions. The Federation of Nigeria achieved independence on 1 October 1960.

Each State of the Nigerian Federation has a unicameral legislature called State House of Assembly.

The long history of colonial intervention lasted more than 100 years. Military rule, which followed independence in 1960, was finally terminated in 1999 with the return to democracy.