Nigeria’s Story: A Nation was Born Nearly 100 Years Ago (CONTINUATION)

we were beaten but never broken, subdued but never conquered. Today we are many yet we are one people, one nation forever united by a shared struggle. A common heritage and a bright future.

The Treaty of Berlin of 1884 had divided approximately 10,000 Africa states into 52 countries shared among British powers.

Britain expanded its interest through powerful trade conglomerate, The Royal Niger Company Flag formally united
Africa Company (UAC) headed by Sir George Taubman Goldie, a man so instrumental that at a time British consider naming the country after his name in his honor. The British were desperate to control trade root because in the 19 century the volume and economy value of agriculture export by independent of Nigeria states were much greater than that of Britain. Using military might and trade grievant on every term, the Royal Niger Company cease control of the delta region and took over key western states like Ijebu and Abeokuta and spread north.

Lord Frederick Luggard transformed the RNC commercial influence into British political control, continuing the British policy of indirect rule. Luggard disposed uncooperative rulers and installed new emirs and rulers in every place. Some went on to do great things.

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Sarkin Katsina Muhammad Dikko installed by the British in 1901 set up new administrative structures, promoting commerce and education founding Katsina later Bariwa College and the first school for girls. He was also the first northern emir to fly in a plane.

In 1900 Calabar became the new capital of the new protectorate of southern Nigeria while Zugeru became the capital of the new protectorate of northern Nigeria.

In 1906, the legal colonel and the protectorate of southern Nigeria were merged with Lagos as the capital. Between 1900 and 1914, the protectorate made impressive economy gains all of which now went to the British Empire.
The cocoa and groundnut trade were booming. Tin and Coal were discovered in Jos and Enugu respectively. The Lagos Kano railway lines were built and a construction of a port in Ikwerre Portharcourt expanded the export trade.

These new opportunities were exploited by astute Nigerians like wealthy groundnut trader Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, multi millionaire transport and shipping magnet Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu who later became a founding member and first president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange and Candido Da Rocha who made a fortune selling water whose former mansion in Lagos still stands certainly named water house

A growing crop of Nigeria professionals also emerged from trailblazers like the first Nigerian doctor Nathaniel King who qualified in 1875 and the first lawyer Christopher Sapara Williams called to bar in 1879 to Judge Adebayo Agbebi who qualified as the first Nigerian in 1911 and miss Oreoluwa Green the first African female pharmacist.

Some became political leaders like England educated Prince Bassey Duke who led a delegation oCalabaralabar people to London in 1913 to make presentations on land tenure reform. This professional class became the forefront. A new nationalist movement led by Herbert Macaulay grandson of the first African bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther who raised political awareness through his newspaper the Lagos daily news

On January 1, 1914, Britain amalgamated the two protectorate standing 330thousnad square miles into one Nigeria, the creation of Nigeria was no random assistant of political win.

Governor General Luggard stated in his amalgamation speech - This majesty government after long and matured consideration arrived at the conclusion that
“it would be to the great advantage of the countries known as southern and northern Nigeria that they should be amalgamated into one government, conforming to one policy and mutually cooperating for the moral and material advancement of Nigeria as a whole.”

Amalgamation changed the way we has Nigerians saw ourselves. It inspired those who believe in the possibility of a different future and who in turn inspired the men and women who drove that train of self-determination to its final stop at independence, and along this journey, we became truly Nigerians. Not just a name but in our hearts. In the course of our history, we have seen the hearts of greatness and the death of cruelty. We have seen the birth of new civilization and the death of ancient empires.

Our testimony is this “we were beaten but never broken, subdued but never conquered. Today we are many yet we one people, one nation forever united by a shared struggle. A common heritage and a bright future.

WE ARE NIGERIANS