TRUTH Is OUT! See Who Sold Nigeria To Britain In The 19th Century [Full Details Inside]
The history of Nigeria’ s colonization is filled with intrigue, and one of the most significant events in this history happened in the late 19th century. In 1899, Nigeria was effectively sold to the British for a sum of £865, 000, a transaction that would shape the future of the country. But who was responsible for facilitating this sale, and how did it all come about?
At the heart of this deal was the Royal Niger Company (RNC), a British corporation that controlled trade along the Niger River. The company’ s roots can be traced back to an ambitious British businessman, George Goldie, who formed the United African Company (UAC) in 1879. Goldie’ s company slowly gained control over the Niger Delta and by 1884, had monopolized the palm oil trade, a crucial resource for British industries. The growing demand for palm oil, used as an industrial lubricant, became one of the main reasons Britain was so eager to secure control of the region.
Palm oil had replaced the transatlantic slave trade as the major export from the Niger Delta by the 1870s. It was immensely valuable to the industrial revolution, fueling Britain’ s expanding factories and machinery. As the UAC expanded inland, it was clear that Britain would need to secure this resource for its growing empire.
Jaja of Opobo, a former slave turned successful merchant, tried to challenge this dominance by negotiating better terms and attempting to export palm oil independently. His resistance led to his exile in 1887, and he mysteriously died while returning from exile. His exile served as a chilling warning to other chiefs who were growing uneasy with the monopolistic control of the Royal Niger Company.
One of those chiefs was King Koko of Nembe, who ascended the throne in 1889. Koko, discontent with the increasing encroachment of the British, sought alliances with the Germans in Cameroon, hoping to secure better terms. In a dramatic show of defiance, King Koko led a raid on the Royal Niger Company’ s headquarters in Akassa on January 29, 1895. Armed with a thousand men, Koko captured the company’ s base, seized goods, and even took 60 hostages, including a Maxim gun. However, when the British refused to negotiate for the release of the hostages, Koko executed 40 of them. This act of defiance prompted a furious response from the British Royal Navy, which retaliated by destroying Brass, resulting in many deaths.
The incident, known as the Brass Oil War, turned public opinion in Britain against the Royal Niger Company. The British government, faced with growing unrest and diplomatic pressure, decided to revoke the company’ s charter in 1899. Shortly after, the company sold its holdings to the British government for £865, 000, effectively handing control of Nigeria over to the British Crown.
The sale was a classic example of colonial exploitation, where commerce and conquest went hand in hand. The Royal Niger Company, which had operated with unchecked power and authority, paved the way for British colonial rule in Nigeria, a rule that would last until the country gained independence in 1960.
The deal and the surrounding events highlight the complex dynamics of colonialism, where powerful business interests played a key role in the political and economic decisions of entire nations. It also shows how local leaders like Jaja of Opobo and King Koko resisted foreign domination but were ultimately outmaneuvered by stronger imperial forces.
Thus, while the Royal Niger Company was at the center of selling Nigeria to the British, it was the broader system of imperial ambition and the competition for resources, particularly palm oil, that led to the eventual colonization of the entire region. The legacy of this event continues to shape Nigeria’ s history and its relationship with former colonial powers.
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