Imperialism In Nigeria Research Paper

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Nigerian Independence Shaped by its Domination
Aleah Blair
1003262202
POL218Y5
KAVOUKIAN
Wednesday, March 12th, 2018 New Imperialism disrupted the organic growth of the African continent by forcefully claiming the territory of indigenous people, exploiting their land and natural resources, and imposing slavery among other exploitative institutions - for the sole purpose of economic prosperity of the colonizer. The conception of Nigeria is purely British, before the Scramble for Africa in 1881 the continent was made up of dispersed nation states that had existed for centuries undisturbed by external actors. Imperialist powers created arbitrary borders within the continent that did not account for the cultural and ethnic make-up of these indigenous nation states (Ifejika and Nwankwo …show more content…

The British united the protectorates due to French disrespect of colonial boundaries as well as the discontent from local chiefs over the exploitation by colonial powers (Badru 2010). Therefore, Nigeria became a cluster of nation states who do not share history or cultural heritage, being forced to unite as a nation for the convenience of British administrative rule (Badru 2010). The British maintained indirect rule over Nigeria from 1900 to 1960, indirect rule was enforced by civil servants who had little political experience whose main goal was to increase trade profits based on the exploitation of the land's people and natural resources (Henderson 2000). The British exploited these ethnic diversities as a means to sustain power for economic rule through division. Dividing these people based on ethnicities, whose ethnic heritage determined resource allocation, affected the relations between indigenous communities (Umejesi 2015). However, state relations and nation building came secondary to economic profit for the British

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