It all began with what many
would describe as the first oil
war, which was fought in the 19th
century in the area that would
later become Nigeria.
Nigeria was then known as the
slave coast but by the 1870s, this
changed as Britain were no more
willing to acquire slaves and
rather opted for palm oil.
This product attained high
demand by the British through
the 19th century, as it was
needed as an industrial lubricant
for machinery.
The increased need for the
tropical plant by the British, which
is native to the Niger Delta, was
also to maintain the feat that the
British had achieved: being the
world’s first industrialised nation.
Initially, most of the trade in the
palm oil was not coordinated as
natives were able to sell the
product to the highest bidder.
Native chiefs became wealthy
because of palm oil.
Europeans, on the other hand,
were competing over who would
acquire preferential access to the
palm oil trade.Sir George Dashwood Taubman
Goldie (1846–1925)
, an aristocrat of the Isle of Man,
would be an important figure in
Nigeria’s palm oil business.
In 1879, Goldie formed the United
African Company while he took
control of the Lower Niger River.
“By 1884, his company had 30
trading posts along the Lower
Niger. This monopoly gave the
British a strong hand against the
French and Germans in the 1884
Berlin Conference. The British got
the area that the UAC operated
in, included in their sphere of
influence after the Berlin
Conference,” according to
accounts by
africasacountry.com.
The Berlin Conference of 1884–85
was a meeting between European
nations to create rules on how to
peacefully divide Africa among
them for colonization.
The conference, basically, gave
the British access to the Lower
Niger and did not leave much for
the Germans and French.
After the British got the terms
they wanted from other
Europeans, they directed their
attention to the African chiefs.
By 1886, Goldie had started
moving inwards into River Niger
and Benue, which was against
the verbal agreement he had
made with the chiefs.
The initial agreement was that
the United African Company
would not go past the coastal
areas.
In that same year, the company’s
name changed to “The National
Africa Company” and was granted
a royal charter, giving it the right
to administer the Niger Delta and
all lands around the banks of the
Benue and Niger Rivers.
The company was subsequently
renamed to “Royal Niger
Company”, which survives, as
Unilever, till date.
The Royal Niger Company went
ahead with its unfair trade with
the local chiefs.
Historical accounts state that the
British tricked the native chiefs
into signing agreements that
gave them the exclusive rights to
export palm oil after originally
agreeing that there will be free
trade in the region.
The chiefs believed this and
signed deceitful contracts that
were written in English.
King Jaja — Ajambele
The British enforced those
contracts and hence when
Jaja, a
chief from Opobo wanted to
export palm oil on his own, he
was accused of obstructing
commerce and was forced into
exile.
He was, however, in 1891, allowed
to return home but he died on his
way back after being allegedly
poisoned with a cup of tea.
Jaja’s incident got many of the
native rulers to start taking a
second look at the deals they
were getting from the Royal
Niger Company.
Frederick William Koko Mingi VIII
of Nembe kingdom, popularly
known as King Koko was one of
such rulers.
Having been faced with
encroachment from the Royal
Niger Company, he also had
qualms with the monopoly
enjoyed by the company and
tried to seek out favourable
trading terms, with particularly
the Germans.
Koko Mingi VIII — Pinterest
The Royal Nigeria Company, was
by 1894, denying natives direct
access to their former markets
and essentially dictated whom
they could trade with.
Following this and further
restrictions, King Koko, in that
same year, denounced
Christianity and formed an
alliance with the kingdoms of
Bonny and Okpoma to take down
the company.
The Bonny refused the alliance
but this did not stop the move.
According to historical accounts,
on January 29, 1895, King Koko
led an attack on the Royal Niger
Company’s headquarters, which
was in Akassa in current day
Bayelsa state.
King Koko succeeded in capturing
60 white men as hostages, as
well as, several goods and
ammunition, though he lost 40 of
his men.
King Koko agreed to release his
white hostages in exchange for
being allowed to choose his
trading partners but the British
refused to negotiate with Koko,
who subsequently killed 40 of the
hostages.
As retaliation, Britain’s Royal
Navy attacked the area of
Brass
(Nembe) and burned it to the
ground on February 20, 1895,
killing many people in the town.
The British, by April 1895, had
resumed their normal operations
while King Koko was on the run.
The people of Brass were fined
£500 (today’s $35) by the British
while the looted weapons and
the surviving prisoners were
returned.King Koko was also reportedly
offered terms of settlement by
the British, but he rejected it and
disappeared.
He was declared an outlaw by the
British. He, however, committed
suicide in exile in 1898.
The Brass war, however,
negatively affected public opinion
in Britain against the Royal Niger
Company, hence the company’s
charter was revoked in 1899.
Following this, the Royal Niger
Company sold its holdings to the
British government for £865,000
(1.1 million dollars).
That was the amount Britain paid
to acquire the area that would
later be known as Nigeria.https://face2faceafrica.com/article/how-nigeria-was-sold-to-the-british-for-1-1-million-dollars-in-1899?fbclid=IwAR3bbgW6ybRAz7BTUbIMf4KGU3Vbq5977KraHUu0MmhbgOUWR7HOEPw-joo

who sold it

For the fools who claim one Nigeria.

Nigeria is rooted in genocide, rape, fraud and other atrocities. It can never go forward.

If the British came to a technologically developed Africa like the Chinese and Japanese, they wouldn't have plundered as they did. It is our foolish ancestors who signed Nigeria away to foreigners in a language they don't understand.

The sad part Africans still aren't making any effort to develop in the modern world. We look down on our own and put what the white man has to offer ahead.

plessis:
For the fools who claim one Nigeria.

Nigeria is rooted in genocide, rape, fraud and other atrocities. It can never go forward.

Shut up abeg, secession won't solve the problem too and stop being emotional. Start using your brain.

SocialJustice:
Shut up abeg, secession won't solve the problem too and stop being emotional. Start using your brain.

Have we tried secesseding to assert that i won't stop the problem

SocialJustice:
Shut up abeg, secession won't solve the problem too and stop being emotional. Start using your brain.

Are you sick in the head?

You mean we shouldn't pull out of an unfruitful union which we were forced to join?

Fash20:


Have we tried secesseding to assert that i won't stop the problem

If you know Nigeria's problem, you will know breaking the country won't stop it. The problem will also exist in the new countries.

plessis:
For the fools who claim one Nigeria.

Nigeria is rooted in genocide, rape, fraud and other atrocities. It can never go forward.

So is Japan, Germany, and modern Russia.
Now I see why half education is dangerous.

Illiterate OP.
Well, comprehension is not that easy for some people.

plessis:


Are you sick in the head?

You mean we shouldn't pull out of an unfruitful union which we were forced to join?

You have your ancestors to blame for that. They were the ones who signed away their lands and sold their people to foreigners for nothing.

SocialJustice:
If you know Nigeria's problem, you will know breaking the country won't stop it. The problem will also exist in the new countries.

the question is what is Nigeria.

Are Nigerians 'a people' ? I'm sure your answer is No.

then why is secession not an option.

The problem of Nigeria is rooted in its creation... she wasn't created for the benefit of the people.