Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo was born at Ikenne, Ogun State on 6th March, 1909. He had his early education at Ikenne and Abeokuta before proceeding to Wesley College, Ibadan.
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.
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.
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...
Imperialism maybe defined as the economic control and exploitation of foreign lands arising from the necessity to reverse the impediments to the accumulation of capital ...
Policy of Assimilation - France took over its territories in West African between late 19th century and early 20th century and the territories were: Dahomey (Benin Republic), Ivory Coast (Cote D’Ivoire), Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Niger and Mauritania.
The indirect rule policy had both positive and negative effects on the political system.
In the short run, the indirect rule increased the power and authority of traditional rulers.
Colonialism | Pros and Cons of British and French Colonial Administrations In West Africa
As emphasised in our previous article, three different colonial powers had territories in West Africa are British, French and Portuguese, but their objectives were similar.
The primary aim of colonialism was the exploitation of the natural resources...
