HIS 322 Primary Source Assignment, Native Administration in Nigeria, 02/19/2020

Native Administration in Nigeria

Argument: British officials did not believe the Nigerians were capable of governing themselves, unlike those in India. This is due to the British not believing Nigerians were “civilized.” 

Questions:

1. Did the British respect the Nigerian’s values or culture? Why? 
   1. No, because we see from the tone of the author that he does not approve of their traditions. He believes Nigerians go to war for pointless reasons. 
2.  Why is the native administration seen as being inferior to the British? 
   1. The native administrators are seen as being better at running the Colonial Office because they are more in touch with the public, can speak the native language, and understand native culture where the British administrators do not. 

Reasonings:

1. The importance of this question is that it forces the reader to analyze how the British official feels about the Nigerians. In the reading, the author describes Nigerian traditions, but does not necessarily give his opinion. The person answering the question is forced to read between the lines to find an answer.
2. This question makes the reader question why and how native administrators were better than their British counterparts, which goes against the popular narrative