Account for the introduction of the Indirect Rule System in Nigeria, and its failure in some parts of the country.

Answer Details

Reasons for the introduction of Indirect Rule. Indirect Rule was the system by which the British governed their colonies through existing traditional rulers and institutions. It was popularised in Northern Nigeria by Lord Lugard. It was introduced for the following reasons.

1. Shortage of British personnel: There were too few British officials to administer so vast a territory directly, so existing rulers were used as intermediaries.
2. Financial economy: The colony was expected to pay for itself; ruling through traditional rulers who were already maintained by the people was far cheaper than a large European bureaucracy.
3. The language barrier: British officials did not understand the many local languages, so native authorities were needed to bridge communication with the people.
4. Existence of well-organised political systems in the North: The Hausa/Fulani emirates already had a centralised administration with emirs, an established tax system and Islamic courts, which the British found convenient to work through.
5. To preserve peace and reduce resistance: Ruling through familiar and respected authorities was less likely to provoke revolt than direct European control.

Reasons for its failure in some parts of the country. The system worked reasonably well in the North but failed, especially in the Eastern Region, for the following reasons.

1. Absence of centralised authority in Igboland: Igbo society was segmentary and republican, governed by councils of elders, age-grades and family heads, with no kings or chiefs of the emirate type through whom the British could rule.
2. Imposition of warrant chiefs: Since there were no natural rulers, the British appointed "warrant chiefs" who had no traditional legitimacy; they abused their powers and were resented by the people.
3. Popular resentment and resistance: Interference with the position of women and taxation fears provoked opposition, most notably the Aba Women's Riot (Women's War) of 1929.
4. Corruption and unpopularity of the warrant chiefs: Their bribery and oppression discredited the whole system in the East.
5. Effect of Western education in the South: The educated elite in the South rejected rule through illiterate and unaccountable chiefs and demanded genuine representation.