Explore 1918- The fight for freedom

1918 was indeed a great historical year with the most notable event being the first world war. However in 1918 very few notable events took place in Nigeria.

1918 in Nigeria wasn't a peaceful year also as there was an uprising which claimed thousands of lives. The egba uprising popularly known as The Adubi war occurred in a town known as Abeokuta in Nigeria between June and July 1918. Yes it wasn't a conflict that took years to resolve but from the number of casualties it’s safe to say it was indeed bloody. The war was between the Egba people and the British colonial masters.

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Trouble started when the British colonial government started imposing colonial taxation on the Egba people and they didn't go about it the right way. The British colonial government was seen by the Egba people as an oppressive one and indeed they were, before the introduction of the direct taxation there was already existing forced labour obligations and fees. The people were being treated as slaves so when the direct taxation was declared the people fought against it.

This event was ignored by many historians because it was taken as a minor revolt but it was a revolt that claimed thousands of lives most of which were the Egba rebels because they were fighting against the British that had better weapons. If the thousand of lives lost were British I’m sure the event would have gained more recognition.

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The Egba warriors chanted war songs in the popular yoruba language. I came across one of them and it goes like this

Bi e ba n gbo gbagada gbagada (band repeats) Bi e ba n gbo gbogodo gbogodo (band repeats) E ma ya s’otun, e ma ya s’osi (band repeats) Ile olowo n’oro ngba lo (band repeats) Ogun adubi s’oju re ja (band repeats) Ogun adubi le lopo lopo (band repeats) Iwo nikan n’odagba shoja mefa (band repeats) Oro o wo mo, o pada seyin (band repeats) Opada s’eyin, o wa n fi ewe bora (band repeats) Iya re nke lo bi ewure (band repeats) Baba re nke lo bi aparo (band repeats) Iwona n be lo bi igala (band repeats) Omi ireke l’en bu sebe (band repeats) L’en bu sebe, l’etun fin r’omo (band repeats) O o o oya o, eni omo wu, oya kalo o (band repeats) Oya o o, eni omo wu, oya kalo eh (band repeats) Oya o o, eni omo wu, oya kalo eh eh eh eh (band repeats) Oya o o, eni omo wu, oya kalo eh eh ye eh (band repeats)

In English the song means

If you're hearing a lot of noise (band repeats) If you're listening to a key ball (band repeats) It's all right, you're going to (band repeats) Warriors are in front of you (band repeats) World War II (repeat band) You only have six shoja bands (band repeats) You know, you're back (band repeats) Come back, you are (bite repeats) Your mother used as a weaver (band repeats) Your father used as a rap (guitar band) Iwona is used as a repeating band. In the first place, the last end is repeated O oo oya, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, baby eh, eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh

The Egba fighters seized some of the properties belonging to the Colonial government, severed the railroad and even destroyed some storage facilities. The Oba Osile who was the ruler of the North-eastern district of the Egba land was killed and their head the A lake was forced to flee. The British soldiers that repressed the revolt were awarded with the African General Service Medal

This event led to the repeal of the Abeokutan independence in the same year and the introduction of forced labour and direct taxation was postponed till 1925

HOW I RELATE TO THIS EVENT

Though I am not from Egba land I believe I can relate to the event quite well and so can many Nigerians. Although not directly this event has affected my life and that of Nigerians in General. It was series of events like this that eventually gave way to the independence of my country Nigeria.

Nigerians were being oppressed in different part of the country just the way the Egba people were oppressed. The Egba people were fighting to gain freedom and Independence. Similar to the Egba story there is also the Benin invasion of 1897 that occurred in the ancient city of Benin where I am from and also reside in. Though these two events are not if the same nature, they are both cases of revolt against the British colonial government. So these oppressions gave way to the fight for independence that was achieved in October 1st 1960 .

Thanks to @sndbox for organizing this, it's a priviledge to share my country's history to steemians worldwide.

Reference

1. Wikipedia

2. Oldnaija