₦airaland Forum

What if the British never colonised Nigeria


So a lot of separists in Nigeria especially ipob are fond of always telling us that Nigeria can't work because it is the British creation bla bla bla so what if the British never colonised Nigeria? Surprisingly the people who benefitted the most from British colonialism (igbo) are the ones that are always making this claim but let us remember  historically, economically and politically the Igbos are far less developed than other Nigerians and less civilised (in material sense) to other major ethnic groups in the area. They don't even evolve a system of governing themselves there political structure is very primitive no kings/ruler/chief/emperor, they are still in the stage of village democracy like the early iron age community with no state building. There lifestyle is very simple they are farmers that practices shifting cultivation in the lower Niger rainforest they dressed in loin cloths or go virtually naked and they don't have contact with the outside world expcept the ones who are taken as slaves such as olaudah equiano, they don't have a single state to call there own until the British came who transformed them in to humans capable of participating in the modern world even there dressed is given by the British unlike other major nationally of Nigeria where they have strong indegenous culture unpenetrably by the British (especially in the northern Nigeria) so let us rest biafra never exists in pre 1967. Below are the lists of state that make up one Nigeria ;
1. Sokoto caliphate.
2. Borno empire.
3. Various yoruba kingdoms recognising the supreme authority of the Alaafin of Oyo
4. Benin empire.
5. Riverine kingdoms e.g the ijaws
These are the centralised true state that make one Nigeria, and the other stateless peoples who are under the spere of influence of the afromentioned are ;
1. The scattered pagan communities in central Nigeria.
2.the stateless people of South earstern Nigeria, so where is biafra?
Biafra only exists from 1967 to 1970 and it was a creation of ojukwu and Co. So stop blaming the British and other Nigerians for not giving you independence did you ever life as one political entity before?

What does it matter?
Their demand is legitimate.

Ife people for don finish modakeke long time ago.

Bini for be Ile Ife outpost.

Aro people for don expand inside today's cross River well well.

There won't have been anything like unified Yoruba or igbo tribes...na everybody on their own.

Fulani people for don hear am from other various middle belt tribes.

senseless post from the myopic view of an uninformed fellow, anyway it's your opinion, your business .

eddychukwu:
What does it matter?
Their demand is legitimate.

no there demand is illegitimate

Cindypresh:
Ife people for don finish modakeke long time ago.

Bini for be Ile Ife outpost.

Aro people for don expand inside today's cross River well well.

There won't have been anything like unified Yoruba or igbo tribes...na everybody on their own.

Fulani people for don hear am from other various middle belt tribes.

Always thinking NEGATIVELY.

There would have been no NIGERIA in the first place.
NIGERIA is a deceptive fraud of Lord Lugard not for developmental purpose, but for the British to loot.

Kemi badenooch for be leader of opposition in France

Softmirror:
Always thinking NEGATIVELY.

Truth hurts

The Arochukwu was a state . The capital had up to fifty thousand people before independence.

Had the British never colonised the area now known as Nigeria, not doubt that the missionaries and European adventurists who were already coming to West Africa would have brought knowledge and technology the same way the brought religion. The various ethnic groups that make up Nigeria today would have congregated themselves into various countries

There would have been 4 or 5 countries in the area now known as Nigeria. May be even more

The french would have stepped in and taken over.

nairalanda1:
The french would have stepped in and taken over.

Still another colony

gidgiddy:
Still another colony

Yes, the map of Africa would have looked different.

At the end, it's all about the resources. The Germans missed out on a lot of good african land because Bismarck decided they should focus on Europe, not Africa. BY the time they woke up, it was too too late.

So, at the end, if not the British, the French. There were no African polities like the Thais and the Japanese who had leaders that were ready to modernize at short notice. (Maybe King Gezo, but even then). Maybe even the Portugeese or the Spanish. Or Germans.

nairalanda1:
Yes, the map of Africa would have looked different.

At the end, it's all about the resources. The Germans missed out on a lot of good african land because Bismarck decided they should focus on Europe, not Africa. BY the time they woke up, it was too too late.

So, at the end, if not the British, the French. There were no African polities like the Thais and the Japanese who had leaders that were ready to modernize at short notice. (Maybe King Gezo, but even then). Maybe even the Portugeese or the Spanish. Or Germans.

If not for the Yoruba civil war which led to the Yoruba elite calling in the British to intervene, the Yoruba would have emerged like Japan. There were leaders like Aare Latosisa of Ibadan and etc. They would seek for help from all over to bring the country to be at par with others. The British were in Lagos already but were not interested in seizing control of Yoruba land by force and if they had tried to do it, a united Yoruba could stop them not to talk of the fact that the. Yoruba can get help from US, Russia, Brazil and etc. A united Yoruba land could have united the majority of Nigeria too under a different name. Sokoto and Borno without access to the sea would be eclipsed by the Ibadan

lawani:
If not for the Yoruba civil war which led to the Yoruba elite calling in the British to intervene, the Yoruba would have emerged like Japan. There were leaders like Aare Latosisa of Ibadan and etc. They would seek for help from all over to bring the country to be at par with others. The British were in Lagos already but were not interested in seizing control of Yoruba land by force and if they had tried to do it, a united Yoruba could stop them not to talk of the fact that the. Yoruba can get help from US, Russia, Brazil and etc. A united Yoruba land could have united the majority of Nigeria too under a different name. Sokoto and Borno without access to the sea would be eclipsed by the Ibadan

1. The problem was, as you said, Yoruba land was divided. For a united Yoruba land...Aare Latosisa would have had to fight a unification war (like they did in Japan in the 17th century) and then find ways to start modernising. Fast.

2. Japan had had some exposure to European ideas before the Americans came in 1850's....so they had a base to start on. Yoruba land did not have that advantage much.

3. Japan was also not very resource rich. And the Europeans were more interested in the bigger price of China.

4. Brazil was not a strong enough country to influence international affairs. Russia was not interested in Africa then, USA....racist polity. Only interest they had in Africa was Liberia. Yorubaland had no external helpers then.

5. For Yoruba land to have been modernized like Japan...you needed a

a) Good enough writing system...it does not have to be indigenous (Japan borrowed their writing system from China self).
b) Sort out your unification problems hundreds of years before hand.
c)Have some exposure to european ideas
d) Have a strong motivated leader...like the Meiji emperor of Japan.
e).Be ready to accept foreign advisiors who would help with the development.

All in all, Yorubaland did not have those advantages.

The most intelligent thread in Nairaland.

I am enjoying and learning from every post.

Then there will be no Nigeria

Yorubas will not exist because british will nit be there to unify them they would still be at civil war till today

Fulani will seize more land to expand sokoto caliphate.

Yoruba will not have history because no foriegners to keep their records since they have no writing system most of their history is here say

Aro confederacy will expand to Congo

I no fit talk all mouth go pain me.

nairalanda1:
1. The problem was, as you said, Yoruba land was divided. For a united Yoruba land...Aare Latosisa would have had to fight a unification war (like they did in Japan in the 17th century) and then find ways to start modernising. Fast.

2. Japan had had some exposure to European ideas before the Americans came in 1850's....so they had a base to start on. Yoruba land did not have that advantage much.

3. Japan was also not very resource rich. And the Europeans were more interested in the bigger price of China.

4. Brazil was not a strong enough country to influence international affairs. Russia was not interested in Africa then, USA....racist polity. Only interest they had in Africa was Liberia. Yorubaland had no external helpers then.

5. For Yoruba land to have been modernized like Japan...you needed a

a) Good enough writing system...it does not have to be indigenous (Japan borrowed their writing system from China self).
b) Sort out your unification problems hundreds of years before hand.
c)Have some exposure to european ideas
d) Have a strong motivated leader...like the Meiji emperor of Japan.
e).Be ready to accept foreign advisiors who would help with the development.

All in all, Yorubaland did not have those advantages.

The Japanese still fought a civil war in the nineteenth century. Then we could say the Yoruba were as integrated with the west as was Japan. Written script was not a problem, there was Ajami already for centuries and the Latin script was already copied. Everything is copy and paste then you improve upon it

Lol, it’s pathetic to see some dumbass referring (kings/ruler/chief/emperor) as being civilized/developed. The aforementioned are as a result of subjugation, conquest and spoils of war. Ibadan was a refugee camp and the person/people who made them refugees are seen as kings/ruler/chief/emperor.

In Igboland, leadership starts from the family, each kindred has their elders and the eldest is seen as their leader and the leader takes advice from the Umunna, same thing for the women who makes up the Umuada.

Igbos are republicans by nature hence staying with the yorubas who are subjugated by the kings/ruler/chief/emperor and hausas who were conquered by the caliphate was a mismatch.

Honestly, if the British never colonized nor created a country called nigeria, the Igbos would have been better off.

Skooltynz:
Then there will be no Nigeria

Yorubas will not exist because british will nit be there to unify them they would still be at civil war till today

Fulani will seize more land to expand sokoto caliphate.

Yoruba will not have history because no foriegners to keep their records since they have no writing system most of their history is here say

Aro confederacy will expand to Congo

I no fit talk all mouth go pain me.

The Yoruba region had already experienced great civilization before the colonial master arrived...? Many people in the Yoruba region sent some of their children abroad to study before civilization....When the British arrived in Lagos in 1888, they met Kosoko, the king. Some of the sons of the traditional ruler in Lagos state had already established transactions and trade agreements with the Western world. You suppose to wonder that all these trade deals sign with the then Oba of Lagos States , how does it able to discuss these with the British colonists with the same height of intelligent

Jagaban2012:
The Yoruba region had already experienced great civilization before the colonial master arrived...? Many people in the Yoruba region sent some of their children abroad to study before civilization....When the British arrived in Lagos in 1888, they met Kosoko, the king. Some of the sons of the traditional ruler in Lagos state had already established transactions and trade agreements with the Western world. You suppose to wonder that all these trade deals sign with the then Oba of Lagos States , how does it able to discuss these with the British colonists with the same height of intelligent

Point of correction there were not yorubas then