Introduction: Colonialism and Challenges of Nation-Building in Nigeria

With the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria by Lord Lugard, the largest concentration of black nation came into existence. Nigeria as a political entity is a colonial creation, which emerged out of many nationalities that had previously existed for thousands of years. Starting with the British conquest of Lagos in 1861, other parts of the country fell in quick successions. Nigeria was ruled by the colonialists from 1914 to 1960. This period witnessed the introduction of the Western-style state apparatus manned by British bureaucrats and locally trained clerical officers. The idea of ruling the various nationalities as a federation was borne out of fiscal and administrative expediencies to reduce costs. Indirect rule was also adopted in places where there have been existing centralized governance institutions in the Northern and Western. As in other British colonies such as India, while respecting the cultures of the various nationalities in Nigeria, the colonialists entrenched an administrative system that mirrored the interests and goals of the colonialists. This chapter provides the background to the link between colonialism and the challenges of nation-building in Nigeria. It also introduces the chapters in the volume.