The colonial factor in the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970)

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EMMANUEL IDUN                                                                  CANDIDATE NUMBER 0709 026

EXTENDED ESSAY

TOPIC: The colonial factor in the

Nigerian civil war (1967-1970)

Research question: TO WHAT EXTENT DID THE COLONIAL LEGACY CONTRIBUTE TO CIVIL WAR IN NIGERIA BETWEEN 1967 AND 1970?


ABSTRACT

Nigeria, one of the biggest British colonies in Africa became independent in 1960, but in 1967, the eastern region seceded and declared itself the republic of Biafra. The result was a three-year bloody civil war between the federal government and the secessionists leading to Biafra’s defeat.

Reasons put forward for this conflict include religious, tribal, cultural, geographical and economic factors. A school of thought however, believes the civil war resulted from the legacy of the British colonial policy and this essay examines the question

HOW RELEVANT WAS THE POLICY OF THE BRITISH COLONIAL GOVERNMENT IN THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR BETWEEN JULY 1967- JANUARY 1970?

The investigation focuses on the developments from three main time periods: the pre-colonial era, the colonial era and the postcolonial era, and examines those structures and legacies that contributed to the conflict.

The colonial era appeared to have re-enforced the religious, tribal and historical divisions that existed in the pre-colonial era, added and gave new dimensions to the religious conflict. It also established some of the structure that gave rise to the post-independence economic divisions.

The numerous divisions created over time brought tension and resulted in the military uprising in 1966. This was followed by a tribal massacre of the easterners who lived in northern Nigeria. This influenced the decision of the east to secede from the rest of the federation. For economic and political reasons, the federal government would not permit this, resulting in war.

The state in which the British left the country no doubt contributed to the war. However, similar problems faced other African countries at independence but did not result into civil wars. It was Nigeria’s failure to produce a national leader capable of uniting the country and healing its division that ultimately brought the war.

                                                                Word count: 294

CONTENTS

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 4-5

The pre-colonial period…………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 6

The colonial period………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 7-8

The postcolonial period……………………………………………………………………………………………Page 9-12

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 13

Source Evaluation……………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 14

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Page 15


INTRODUCTION

Nigeria, one of bigger British colonies in Africa, was granted independence in 1960. However, in 1967, the eastern region of Nigeria seceded and declared itself the republic of Biafra. This led to a bloody civil war between the federal government and the secessionists between 1967 and 1970 and at the end, “Biafra” was defeated.

Many reasons had been put forward for this conflict. These include religious, tribal, cultural, geographic and economic factors. However, one of the factors that had been constantly overlooked because it did not appear contemporary was the colonial legacy: This essay therefore attempts to look at

     

 “TO WHAT EXTENT DID THE COLONIAL LEGACY CONTRIBUTE TO CIVIL      

                        WAR IN NIGERIA BETWEEN 1967 AND 1970?”

The Federation of Nigeria, as it is known today, has never really been one homogeneous country; for it’s widely differing peoples and tribes are yet to find any basis for true unity. This unfortunate yet obvious fact notwithstanding, the former colonial master had to keep the country one in order to effectively control his vital economic interests concentrated mainly in the more advanced and “politically reliable” south. Thus for administrative reasons, the Northern and southern parts of Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914. Thereafter the unifying factor became the name of their country. That alone was an insufficient basis for unity.

Under normal circumstances the amalgamation ought to have brought the various peoples together and provided a firm basis for the arduous task of establishing closer cultural, social, religious, and linguistic ties vital for true unity among the people. However, there was division, hatred, unhealthy rivalry, and pronounced disparity in development among the various peoples of the country. Thus, the result of this situation is that the possibilities of a coordinated national resistance against foreign domination were reduced, if not completely removed. At independence therefore, Nigeria became a federation and thus remained one country. The colonial master, determined to ensure a continued uninterrupted economic exploitation of the country even after independence, recognized that this could only be done by ensuring that the effective political and military powers were left in the hands of that part of the country they could trust, that is, the north.  The military power being necessary to ensure a stable government of a large country the size of Nigeria made up as it is of diverse and heterogeneous elements. They did this by leaving northern Nigeria with about half the geographical area of Nigeria. The British had to appease the north as a result of the implementation of the Westminster system. This was also to ensure that the south would not have an upper hand in this system of government since it was already acquainted with it.

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Soon after independence, the battle to consolidate this legacy of political and military dominance of a section of Nigeria over the rest of the federation began with increased intensity. It is this struggle that eventually degenerated into coup, counter coup and a bloody civil war.

Nigeria has had a turbulent history of conflict throughout the years. The divisions within the country did not start with the arrival of the British. This essay will look at the divisions that led to the war from three main periods; the pre-colonial era, the colonial era and the postcolonial era. From these ...

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