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1. Origins of Indirect Rule Indirect rule emerged in Nigeria around 1900 when the British government established the Niger Committee, a council that investigated the state of future Nigerian territories. The Committee proposed that chiefs and their respective native institutions should be used in the administration of Nigeria. Such a proposal was prompted by several different groups within Britain who believed that indirect rule would be a more effective colonial system than the Crown Colony administration. These groups, including Lieutenant-Governor in Arrow of God, condemned a native administration composed of white men, claiming that instead of replacing native institutions, the British must “purge the native system of its abuses to…show more content…
In fact, the Crown Colony policy used in Southern Nigeria was much more profitable alternative, as openness to British trade and major industrial companies, such as mining, in addition to the collection of custom duties, enabled sufficiency in the South and raised revenue for the British. 2. Lack of European Staff required the use of Chiefs Yes and No. Indeed, prior to 1900, funding for European officials for the colonial administration by the British Treasury was kept at a minimum. In addition, due to unfavorable climate conditions of Nigeria, “European recruits were hard to find” (Nwabughuogu, 66). The lack of Europeans to run the colony’s administration, would explain why colonial officials turned to the natives for cheap recruits. However, it still does not account for why the Northern Nigerian officials chose to rule through a system of chiefs instead of simply recruiting educated Africans, as the Southern Crown Colony had demonstrated with success. Furthermore, by 1920, European recruitment in Nigeria had picked up with the improvement of health conditions. Disease control, including scientific progress in the prevention of Malaria- the disease Winterbottom feared contracting, resulted in the increase of European settlers within Southern Nigeria. 3. High possibility of native rebellion Yes and no. It is true that Europeans settlers of the
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