Nigerian Nationalism: 1929-1960

• The period of 1929-1960 saw a rise in nationalist movements and anti-colonial sentiment in Nigeria.
• The call for an indigenous Nigerian government was a common theme.
• There were conflicting ideas on how to achieve independence, with radicals wanting immediate action and moderates preferring a gradual approach.
• Many Nigerian leaders focused on regional or ethnic perspectives, resulting in a fragile union at independence, mainly united by a constitution.

Developing a Pan-Nigerian Identity

• Before the 1930s, few within Nigeria identified as "Nigerian."
• Indigenous people recognized the British colonial government as racist, offering only "dead-end" jobs to the majority of workers.
• A clear division existed between educated Nigerians and foreign white rulers.
• European-educated Africans before 1930 remembered pre-colonial times, while those who studied in Europe after 1930 found common ground with other Africans.
• The West African Student Union (WASU) was formed and branches were established throughout Nigeria and British West Africa in the early 1930s

Nationalist Groups

• Nationalist groups existed in the 1920s, with Herbert Macaulay and organized protests spreading the idea that British rule should end and indigenous rule should be a priority.
• This led to the Clifford Constitution in 1923, which allowed for elected representation in a newly formed legislative body.
• By the early 1930s, a new generation of students completed their Western education, differing from their predecessors by having grown up under colonial rule and often being from the interior.
• These students were the first in their families to gain a Western education, speak and write English, and travel outside Africa.
• In the 1930s, more Nigerians studied at African American colleges in the United States compared to previous students who mainly studied in the United Kingdom.

Nigerian Youth Movement

• Kinship groups, labor unions, women's groups, and the youth movement made considerable impacts in Nigeria.
• It became the first pan-Nigerian nationalist movement, unlike others tied to ethnic groups.
• The NYM aimed to unite across ethnic boundaries to create a common voice against colonialism.

Depression, War, and Political Activism

• Nigeria continued to grow and develop in the 1930s amid a long, devastating global depression that lasted until World War II.
• The export sector, which had grown during the colonial economy, suffered a market collapse, with exports dropping almost 50% from 1929 to 1938.
• The colonial government's inability to respond positively heightened anti-colonial sentiment.
• European firms continued to profit through unfair business practices.
• The British colonial government further controlled Nigerian resources and stopped all imports except from within the British Empire.
• A control board fixed Nigerian export prices below international market prices, benefiting European firms but reducing Nigerian wages, forcing some into poverty.
• As a British colony, Nigerian men were conscripted to serve as soldiers, with 92,000 of the 164,850 soldiers from West Africa coming from Nigeria.

Wartime Activities

• The push toward self-government was prompted by exploitive measures
• Nigerians struggled to find a living wage and the returning soldiers struggled to find gainful employment
• The development initiatives during the war, gave Nigerians a taste for the kind of help could evolve during the post-war era, leading more Nigerians to join nationalists in fighting for development programs.
• Nigerians saw a positive model of how the government could become a vehicle for growth and development, aiming to ensure development served Nigerian interests, not just European ones.
• Economic challenges and suppression led Nigerian workers to strike against the colonial government
• Seventeen unions representing over 30,000 workers struck for thirty-seven days shutting down the railway, postal services, and telegraph services
• Nnamdi Azikiwe was a journalist supporter and spokesperson for Nigerians.
• Nnamdi Azikiwe became a strong nationalist advocate.
• Nnamdi Azikiwe founded the NCNC in 1944, which became a pan-Nigerian mouthpiece.
• Supported the Great Strike bringing recognition and legitimacy to the new organization.
• He claimed that the colonial government tried to assassinate him in 1945, giving rise to a militant section of the NCNC, flirting with Communist and Socialist ideologies.

Development, Planning, Constitutional Reform, and Regionalism

• Development in colonial Nigeria occurred because Nigerians were demanding change and the colonial government feared nationalists would become more extreme
• The new leader of Britain's labor party, Clement Attlee being more sympathetic to nationalist concerns.
• India was preparing for independence and British officials were more willing to consider that Nigeria should be on the same path
• Some Nigerians who had been soldiers during WWII realized more fair treatment of blacks

Ten Year Plan

• In 1945 a ten year plan outlined improvements in communication, (£11.3 million), agricultural research (£4.2), and education (£7.7 million).
• In 1948 the University of Ibadan opened, it was an extension of the University of London.
• Nigerians could actually receive a degree from the University of London at the University of Ibadan, which became independent in 1962.
• There was a sum of £10.4 for medical and health services.
• There was also £8 million to improve water supplies.
• As a result, much of the money went unused
• Little was done to promote research and investment in local crafts, but most was invested in setting up boards in the agricultural economy to set up boards to create permanent marketing boards for individual export crops.

Nigerian Economy

• The Nigerian economy began to recover after the Second World War.
• In 1946 exports stood at £23.7 million and by 1955 it had risen to £129.8 million.
• From 1946 to 1960 the civil service saw an increasing number of Nigerians at the senior levels
• It grew from twenty-three in 1939, to 182 in 1947, 786 in 1953 and over 2,600 in 1960.

Richards Constitution

• Revamped the Legislative Council to include Nigerian members.
• The Northern Region was included in the central legislature, increasing Nigerian unity
• It also increased regionalism by creating regional houses of assembly in the West, East and North
• Took the first step towards a federated Nigerian state with a central legislative system and separate bodies at the regional level.

Analysis of the Richards Constitution

• Nationalists had problems with it because they were not consulted but simply had it foisted upon them.
• No new clear plans were made for elections
• Lagos and Calabar were still the only places that elected officials, all others were appointed by the colonial government or native administrations so Nigerians representing foreign interests could/would still be appointed.

Lyttleton Constitution

• The Lyttleton Constitution established Nigeria as a federation of three regions: North, East, and West with Lagos as a federal territory administered by the federal government.
• The central government was made up of a unicameral legislature of 184 members: the North had 92, the East 42, the West 42, six from British Cameroons, and two from the Federal Territory of Lagos.
• The Federal Authority consisted of: a British governor general, Federal Ministers appointed by majority leaders; three from each region, one from British Cameroons
• All federal laws took priority over reginal.
• Regional political parties, continued to dominate.
• In 1957 Alhaji Tafewa Belewa was named the first prime minister of Nigeria.

Culture and Society in Post-War Nigeria

• Urbanization was one of the most dramatic social changes that occurred after WWII.
• In 1931 Lagos was home to about 126,000 people, in 1951 there were 274,000 and by 1963 there were 675,000 people.
• Employment opportunities drew people to the cities, there was also the different culture, and the chance to enjoy a modern Nigeria and the lifestyle that cities offer its populous.
• Urban amenities was attractive: running water, electricity, and European schools.
• Music, such as high life and juju emerged in Nigerian cities and became very popular in the 1930s.
• The urban culture that evolved in the city was also a divisive factor between the city and rural areas.

Decolonization and Independence

• Nigeria's first independent government was elected in 1959.
• The NPC was the majority party, but they had a coalition with the NCNC.
• Tafawa Belewa was still the prime minister and Nnamdi Azikiwe took the largely ceremonial title of governor general
• Independence "...stands well built upon firm foundations.”
• The federal machinery was very fragile, the gap between the rural and the urban was widening.

Explore the rise of Nigerian nationalism and anti-colonial sentiment between 1929 and 1960. Examine conflicting approaches to independence and the emergence of a pan-Nigerian identity. Discover the impact of the West African Student Union (WASU).