The NCNC emerged in the early 1940s to fill the void created by the collapse of the NNDP and NYM. It was formed through one of the meetings organized by the Nigerian Union of Students, an offshoot of the West African Students Union (WASU). The party was formally inaugurated on 6th August, 1944.
The Northern People’s Congress (NPC) was the first major political party in Northern Nigeria. It began as Jamiyar Mutanen Arewa (JMA) in 1948. The party was formally launched in October 1951.
The Action Group (AG) was founded in 1950 but was formally launched in April 1951. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Secretary-Generel of ‘Egbe Omo Oduduwa’ was the leader of the party, which emerged from the Yoruba cultural association.
The United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) was formed in the early 1950s to promote the cause of the non-Muslim minority in Northern Nigeria. It developed largely as a protest movement against the dominance of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) in the area.
Nationalism in the African context may be defined as the struggles by Africans to free themselves from foreign rule, and to determine, after independence has been won, their own future. In the period before the Second World War, nationalism was aimed at resolving certain grievances of the elites.
The first conference of the National Congress of British West Africa was held at Accra in Ghana in 1920 under the leadership of Casely Hayford, a Ghanaian lawyer. Dr. Akinwande Savage, a Nigerian, worked closely with Hayford in organizing the conference.
There was a late development of nationalism in French-speaking West African countries.
At a time when the educated elites in British West Africa were challenging colonial rule, and demanding self-government, the elite in French colonial territories were busy struggling for accommodation within the system. Many Africans were elected as members of the French Parliament in Paris.
Indirect rule is the system of government in which a colonial power makes use of the traditional institutions of the local people in the administration of a territory.
Before the advent of colonialism, the traditional rulers or chiefs in many parts of Africa exercised unlimited powers. The chiefs performed legislative, executive and judicial functions.
There were certain differences between British and French colonial policies in West Africa.
In the first place, the French regarded all her colonial territories in West Africa as one political unit, which was part of the Republic of France.
1958 French Constitution - The Fifth French Republican Constitution of 1958 made provision for a French Community. The community comprised France and all French colonial territories.
Policy of Assimilation - This system worked out well due to the cooperation of the traditional chiefs. The traditional chiefs claimed that since their cultures and traditions were not tampered with, they had no problem dealing with the British officials, but this was to some extent.
Loi cadre was formulated in 1956. The law encompassed all the political and constitutional changes or reforms introduced by the French Government in 1956 to grant some autonomy to its overseas colonial territories.
Effects of Colonial Rule - Colonialism is an imposition of a more developed culture over a less developed one, backed up by expansionist and economic adventurism. European capitalist countries established political, economic, military...
