Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Senior Secondary 2

Term: 2^nd Term

Week: 5

Class: Senior Secondary School 2

Age: 16 years

Duration: 40 minutes of 2 periods each

Date:       

Subject:      Government

Topic:-       Indirect rule

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to

1. Define indirect rule
2. Give reasons for indirect rule
3. Describe the structure and principles of indirect rule

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES: Identification, explanation, questions and answers, demonstration, videos from source

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS: Videos, loud speaker, textbook, pictures

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES

PERIOD 1-2

NOTE

COLONIAL ADMINISTRATION

INDIRECT RULE

Indirect rule is the system whereby the British ruled her colonies by using traditional rulers and chiefs to govern the people. The pre-colonial administration in Nigeria comprised of the Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba. While the Hausa/Fulani and Yoruba were highly centralized, with emirs and Obas at the head, Igbo traditional system was decentralized with the village as the largest political unit.

It was a system where the British ruled the people through the chiefs or representatives who govern them as intermediaries e.g Obas, Emirs, Obi, etc.

In 1914, Lord Frederick Lugard amalgamated Lagos and Southern Protectorate with the Northern Protectorate to form a single colony called Nigeria.

Indirect rule was adopted by the British for the following reasons

1. Inadequate British personnel
2. Inadequate fund
3. Language barrier
4. Inadequate knowledge of the area
5. Its success in other countries e.g India
6. To preserve the tradition and customs of the people
7. Favorable political atmosphere
8. Vastness of the area involved
9. Poor transport and communication system
10. Cheapness of the policy
11. Unwillingness of the British to spend money

Features Of Indirect Rule

1. Indirect rule used the existing traditional system of administration
2. It recognized the status of traditional rulers
3. Traditional laws and customs were used in the administration
4. Taxes were collected
5. It was supervised by British officials
6. Native courts were used for the administration of justice
7. It was not an expensive system of administration
8. Native police and prisons were utilized

Reasons For The Introduction Of Indirect Rule

1. Inadequate British personnel: few personnel were prepared to come to Africa which was described as a white man’s grave due to the poor climate and presence of deadly insects and tsetse flies
2. Inadequate fund: Britain’s reluctance to involve heavily in the financing of her colonies forced Lugard to adopt this system
3. Language barrier
4. Inadequate knowledge of the area
5. Its success in other countries e.g India and Uganda got Lugard to believe it would work in Nigeria
6. To preserve the tradition and customs of the people
7. Favorable political atmosphere
8. Vastness of the area involved
9. Poor transport and communication system
10. Cheapness of the policy
11. Unwillingness of the British to spend money

Advantages Of Indirect Rule

1. It preserved African native laws, customs and culture and tradition
2. It ruled the people indirectly through their traditional rulers under British supervision
3. It trained the traditional rulers in the art of modern local government administration
4. It improved tax collection system where it made the collection of taxes, rates and levies very easy.
5. It was a cheap method of administration The indirect rule system was less expensive.
6. It enhanced the maintenance of law and order by recognizing and modernizing local institutions like courts, laws, customs and political institutions
7. It developed political activities.
8. It reduced the administration cost on the part of the colonial government.
9. It trained traditional rulers in the act of government and infused in the ruler’s personal responsibility, self-reliance and probity.
10. It helped to put a stop to some evil practices like human sacrifice and killing of twins that were before now going before now going before the advent of the Europeans.

Disadvantages Of Indirect Rule

1. Indirect rule excluded educated elites from colonial administration
2. It increased the powers of traditional rulers without regards to inbuilt traditional checks and balances
3. It imposed warrant chiefs, taxation where there was none. This made indirect rule unpopular and led to riots
4. It introduced divide and rule thereby causing misunderstanding between the traditional rulers and educated elite

5. The system did not encourage the development of traditional institutions since colonial officials formulated policies. They only implemented.
6. The native rulers were puppets of the British officers. They were used for the selfish ends of the white masters.
7. Most of the traditional rulers were involved in evil practices and the system could not prosecute them.
8. There were bribery and corruption because of the poor condition of service for the native rulers.
9. Democratic rights of the people were abused.
10. The system encouraged tribalism and sectionalism.

Reasons Why the Educated Elites Opposed Indirect Rule System

1. Indirect rule was foreign and different from the traditional system obtained in Southern Nigeria.
2. The system failed to recognize and assign any role to educated elites
3. It encouraged division between the educated elites and traditional rulers using the divide and rule tactics.
4. The colonial officials were autocratic
5. The Africans included in government were nominated and not elected thereby making the system undemocratic
6. Most traditional rulers were illiterates and were easily manipulated

EVALUATION:    1. Define indirect rule

2. Give reasons for indirect rule in Nigeria
3. Describe the structures and principles of indirect rule in Nigeria

CLASSWORK: As in evaluation

CONCLUSION: The teacher commends the students positively