Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State made a ground breaking achievement when she won a status of self-rule in the 19th century. Precisely, Britain the mother country of Nigeria granted Abeokuta independence in 1898. What a glorious dawn in Africa where several other countries were firmly in the chains and manacles of colonialism. Egbaland, the home of Alake, Olowu, Osile and Gbagura happened to be first, among others, to set up an independent government in Africa. The British government granted the request of Egba people to run their home set up administration.
That marked the birth of Egba United Government. It was formally put in place by the Lagos Colony governor at the time, Mccallum. An Egba man, William Alfred Allen, who was the Colonial government in Abeokuta, became the first Secretary to the Egba United Government. Other leaders who benefitted from the installation of the new government were the traditional rulers who were given portfolio. It’s remarkable to stress that the Egba United Government came to life at the end of Yoruba civil wars. Recall the Kiriji it was that pitched Ibadan against most other Yoruba towns and settlements in a fierce battle for superimacy. The recognition of the new nation-state, the Egba United Government by Britain made the city state one of the earliest areas to gain independence in Africa.
Abeokuta could, therefore, be said to be the earliest African city-state to self-rule its area of authority in accordance to the modern international law. Independence for Abeokuta came a few years after what was called the scramble for Africa. The white came, pretended to spread civilisation to the dark continent. They first abolished slave trade. Britain was the champion of what they described as a noble cause. They never told the beneficiaries that slave trade was out-lawed because it had then become a great stumbling block to the expansion of market areas for the modern commerce that was in the value-chain of disposal of products of industrial revoliton.
Britain, the workshop of the modern world had disrupted fudalism and relegated the status of land ownership to the background. A new class had emerged, capitalists, fueling the then new industrial revolution that threw Britain ahead of other European countries.
Mass production that necessarily produced more and more goods and products needed a widers area of markets. The use of steam engines to replace man and animal power in production lines had devalued use of slaves for production. Continued importation of slaves to Europe and the United States of America was depopulating Africa. To maintain and even increase the level of industrial revolution demanded end to slave trade as the black became the target consumers of industrial goods and products who would also be suppliers of raw materials to keep the industrial machines in Europe humming as they churned out tonnes of goods and products. It was, therefore, not a surprise that Europeans scrambled for Africa in the 19 century.
Unlike when Africa was literally shared out to the white at the Berlin Conference in 1885, independence or self-rule came to Africa in piece-meal. It’s this phenomenon that threw Abeokuta up as the West African if not the continent’s first self-rule city-state in Africa. The first Secretary to the Egba United Government, Alfred Allen was quickly succeeded by Adegboyega Edun. Egba people could, therefore be said to be among earliest Africans to taste flavour of independence or self-rule.
Regrettably, the freedom and independence of Egbaland, did not, however, last. The traditional rulers who were giver portfolio abused their privileges. Besides, the first governor-General of amalgamated Nigeria Lord Frederick Lugards Vision of indirect rule could not work in sync with the independence of a small portion, a town, in Nigeria. No wonder the independence was over-taken by political development not only in the defunct Western region, but also in the larger Nigeria.
Independence did not come to African countries in one day or one year unlike what the Europeans did to the African peoples in 1885 at the Berlin Conference in Germany. It was at the conference that the white literally parcelled and shared Africa among themselves. The demarcation of the continent into what is today known as African countriies was largely done at their whins and caprice to suit their purposes and of course, pleasure. Self-rule did not, however, come to the different black countries in one year.
This might not be unconnected with different policies adopted by the colonial masters to administer countries under their influence. Besides assimination policy of France; Freedom and self-development of Britain not to talk of Belgium absorption her countries in Africa; Spain and others also had policies that were peculiar to them. The policy stance of the colonial masters were dictated by their mission in the continent.
Send Us News, Gist, more... to citypeopleng@gmail.com | Twitter: @CitypeopleMagz
