Imperial Treaties and the Origins of British Colonial Rule in Southern Nigeria, 1860-1890

Abstract

How did treaties, entered into with the aid of Britain, the effective penetration of the Nigeria’s geo-political space? British control and spread into the hinterland from Lagos and from the lower reaches of the Niger was achieved through the effective employment of the instrument of treaties. The eventual British colonial acquisitions in Nigeria were preceded by a treaty-making phase during which the powers signed agreements with the local authorities to formalise their interests. These were the same documents (i.e treaties) that were conceived to establish political claims thereafter and defined Nigeria’s geo-political boundaries. The paper argues that colonialism presented the effective manipulation of British designed treaties for the furtherance of British trade and commerce.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1946