NIGERIAN STRUGGLES

It is important to mention that Nigerian politicians collaborated with the British in the later part of the colonial period in order to acquire power, these were seen in the nineteenth century but the efforts made by the Nigerian masses in resisting British colonial conquests and domination were phenomenon that it made the British aware of the bitterness of the people.

Quite a number of the emirs who rejected British rule were killed, deposed, exiled or imprisoned. In order to ensure the loyalty of the new emirs and their successors, they were made to take an oaths of allegiance on the Quran.

From the roles of collaborators, a lot of the educated elite, especially those who resided in Lagos, assumed the position of the protesters against the discrimination by the British. Their protests were mainly motivated by narrow self interest.

Their protests complemented the other forms of opposition which were continually mounted against British domination by other segments and institutions of the Nigerian society. These included student's protests, christian movements, the Mahdist in northern Nigeria, women protests etc. These came into existence as a result of the deterioration in the living conditions of Nigerians. It is noticeable that the Nigerian peoples struggled to achieve and resist the control and domination of the British.