Nigeria: Historical Foundations, Society & Colonial Influence

A set of Q&A flashcards reviewing Nigeria’s amalgamation, demographics, secular and plural nature, colonial influence, indirect rule, and the concept of forced versus social contract.

Who amalgamated the Northern and Southern Protectorates into a single country in 1914?

Sir Frederick Lord Lugard.

What name did Flora Shaw Lugard create for the new country and from which phrase was it derived?

"Nigeria," derived from the phrase "Niger Area."

What is Nigeria’s total land mass?

Approximately 923,768 square kilometres.

When was the first recorded census in Nigeria and what was the approximate population?

1911, with about 16,054,000 people.

State Nigeria’s population counts for 1960, 1963, 1991 and 2006.

1960 – 52 million; 1963 – 55.7 million; 1991 – 88.5 million; 2006 – 130 million.

What does it mean that Nigeria is a secular society?

Multiple religions are practised; no single faith dominates public life, and the state has adopted no official religion, guaranteeing freedom of worship in the constitution.

Why is Nigeria considered a plural society?

It contains numerous distinct ethnic groups, tribes, cultures and religions co-existing within one country.

Roughly what percentage of Nigerians are Christians, Muslims and adherents of other religions?

About 45 % Christians, 45 % Muslims and 10 % followers of other faiths.

Name four areas of Nigerian life heavily influenced by missionaries and colonial masters.

Language, education, healthcare, and buildings/architecture.

Why was indirect rule easier to apply in Northern Nigeria than in the South?

The North already had centralized kings and emirs; the South relied mainly on family heads, so colonialists had to create warrant chiefs—an arrangement that proved less efficient.

Define Social Contract Theory.

An implicit agreement in which people occupying the same territory voluntarily unite and choose leaders to form a political community.

Why is Nigeria described as a forced contract rather than a social contract?

Its peoples (Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, etc.) did not willingly unite; British colonial authorities amalgamated them for administrative convenience.

Into which three units did the colonial masters divide Nigeria around 1900?

Lagos Colony/Protectorate, Southern Protectorate and Northern Protectorate.

In what year were Lagos Colony and the Southern Protectorate merged?

1906.