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Nr. Nicholson's "The Administration of Nigeria
1900-1960. Men, Methods and Myths'', published by
the Oxford University Press surveys the creation and
development of the administrative service of the
Colonial Government in Nigeria from 1900, when
Nigeria emerged as a recognisable country until its
independence in 1960. Looking back at the early years
Mr. Nicholson describes how the policies followed then
were in his opinion the direct cause of the difficulties
which Nigeria has recently been facing, and in his
assessment of this period he iconoclastically challenges
the portrait of Lord Lugard, which has been so long
accepted. The hero is cast from his pedestal and his
own and Lady Lugard's accounts of his conquest and
his subsequent administration of Northern Nigeria are
relegated to the realms of fancy.
This book, therefore, whether the author's view of
Lord Lugard's work is fully accepted or not, should
be of the greatest value to all those who served in
Nigeria or are interested in the present crisis there.
The author's concentration on demolishing the
Lugard legend dominates the book, and allows him
little room for a description of the actual work of the
administrative staff. Although Mr. Nicholson emphasises the essential difference of administrative
methods in the North and in the South, one finds no
detailed analysis of the ways in which the day-to-day
work of the Northern administrative officer differed
from that of his counterpart in the South. Nor does it
appear that there was any essential difference in the
aims of the officers in North and South; to do justice,
keep the peace, and encourage their peoples to develop
and progress towards a better and more civilised way
of living.
Mr. Nicholson, while recognising the difficulties
faced by Lord Lugard in administering a vast territory
with an exiguous staff and inadequate financial resources, criticises him for accepting the administrative
system which he found in existence in the Emirates
and for building upon its foundations; but does not
suggest what other course was open to him.
But this is certainly a thought provoking book,
which is well worth reading. It is well written, contains
a mass of information especially about the early days
of British rule in Nigeria, and helps to give the reader a
good idea of the background to the present situation in
Nigeria, although all the author's views cannot be
accepted.
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