Nigerian traditional rulers
Encyclopedia
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Although they do not have formal political power, in many cases they continue to command respect from their people and have considerable influence.
Pre-colonial period
Modern Nigeria encompasses lands traditionally occupied by highly diverse ethnic groups with very different languages and traditions. In broad terms, the southeast including the Niger Delta was occupied mainly by IgboIgbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
s and related peoples, the southwest by Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
and related peoples and the north by Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
and Fulani
Fula people
Fula people or Fulani or Fulbe are an ethnic group spread over many countries, predominantly in West Africa, but found also in Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa...
people, with a complex intermingling of different ethnic groups in the Middle Belt between north and south. In total there were (and are) more than 200 distinct ethnic groups.
Before the arrival of the British in the late 19th century, the history of the area was turbulent, with periods when empires such as those of Oyo
Oyo Empire
The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba empire of what is today southwestern Nigeria. The empire was established before the 14th century and grew to become one of the largest West African states encountered by European explorers. It rose to preeminence through its possession of a powerful cavalry and wealth...
, Kanem-Bornu
Bornu Empire
The Bornu Empire was an African state of Nigeria from 1396 to 1893. It was a continuation of the great Kanem Empire founded centuries earlier by the Sayfawa Dynasty...
and Sokoto gained control over large areas, and other periods when the states were more fragmented.
Although political structures differed widely between different ethnic groups, it was common for each town or collection of towns to have a recognized ruler, who might in turn be subordinate to the ruler of a larger polity.
Thus the Sokoto caliphate was divided into emirates, with the emirs loosely subordinate to the Sultan of Sokoto, although at times acting as independent rulers.
Colonial era
Europeans had long traded with the coastal states, primarily exchanging cotton and other manufactured goods for slaves and palm oil products at centers such as CalabarCalabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
, Bonny and Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
.
The Niger Coast Protectorate
Niger Coast Protectorate
The Niger Coast Protectorate was a British protectorate in the Oil Rivers area of present-day Nigeria, originally established as the Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1891 and confirmed at the Berlin Conference the following year, renamed on 12 May 1893, and merged with the chartered territories of the...
was established in 1891 holding a small area along the coast.
During the period 1879–1900 the Royal Niger Company
Royal Niger Company
The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century. It formed the basis of the modern state of Nigeria....
made a concerted effort to take control of the interior, using disciplined troops armed with the Maxim gun
Maxim gun
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born British inventor Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. It has been called "the weapon most associated with [British] imperial conquest".-Functionality:...
, and making treaties of "protection" with the local rulers.
The company's territory was sold to the British government in 1900, with the southern region merged with the Niger Coast Protectorate to become the Southern Nigeria Protectorate
Southern Nigeria Protectorate
Southern Nigeria was a British protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria, formed in 1900 from union of the Niger Coast Protectorate with territories chartered by the Royal Niger Company below Lokoja on the Niger River....
and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate
Northern Nigeria Protectorate
Northern Nigeria was a British protectorate formed in 1900. The basis of the protectorate was the 1885 Treaty of Berlin which broadly granted Northern Nigeria to Britain, on the basis of their protectorates in Southern Nigeria...
remaining separate. In 1914 the two were merged into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, with roughly the same boundaries as the modern state of Nigeria.
The first British High Commissioner for Northern Nigeria, Frederick Lugard
Frederick Lugard
Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard GCMG, CB, DSO, PC , known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator, who was Governor of Hong Kong and Governor-General of Nigeria .-Early life and education:Lugard...
, tried to rule through the traditional rulers, and this approach was later extended to the south. Lugard's successor Hugh Clifford
Hugh Clifford
Sir Hugh Charles Clifford, GCMG, GBE was a British colonial administrator.-Early life:Clifford was born in Roehampton, London, the sixth of the eight children of Major-General Sir Henry Hugh Clifford and his wife Josephine Elizabeth, née Anstice; his grandfather was Hugh Clifford, 7th Baron...
left this system in place in the north, where the emirate system had long traditions, but introduced a legislative council with some elected members in the south, relegating the traditional rulers to mainly symbolic roles.
Over time, the relationship between the colonial administration and the traditional rulers evolved. For example, the Tiv
Tiv
Tiv are an ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. They constitute approximately 2.5% of Nigeria's total population, and number over 5.6 million individuals throughout Nigeria and Cameroon. The Tiv are the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Tiv language is spoken by about 6...
, the fourth largest ethnic group, had always been extremely decentralized with no single ruler. The British created the office of Tor Tiv in 1947, appointing Makere Dzakpe as the first holder of this title, in order to have a "traditional ruler" to speak for the Tiv people.
Independent Nigeria
Where rulers had previously acquired office strictly through inheritance or through appointment by a council of elders, the government now increasingly became involved in the succession.
Thus, in May 1994, the military ruler General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
deposed Awwal Ibrahim
Awwal Ibrahim
Alhaji Mohammed Awwal Ibrahim is a Nigerian traditional ruler who served as governor of Niger State from October 1979 to December 1983 during the Nigerian Second Republic...
, Sarkin Zazzau of the Suleja Emirate
Suleja Emirate
The Suleja Emirate is a Hausa principality in what is now Niger State, Nigeria.The emirate was established as the Abuja Emirate during the 19th century, located just north of the site of the present-day federal capital city named Abuja...
, although he was subsequently reinstated in January 2000.
In some cases, the government has merged or split traditional domains. For example, there had been two rulers of the Efik people in the area around Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
, but in December 1970 it was agreed to combine the office into a single one that was to be held by a ruler known as the Obong.
When Yobe State
Yobe State
Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
was created there were just four emirates, but in January 2000 the state governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim restructured the state into 13.
The government has maintained colonial classifications. Thus when Kwara State
Kwara State
Kwara State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Ilorin. The primary ethnic group of Kwara State is Yoruba, with significant Nupe, Bariba and Fulani minorities.- History :...
governor Bukola Saraki
Bukola Saraki
Abubakar Bukola Saraki was elected governor of Kwara State, Nigeria in 29 May 2003, holding office for two terms. In the April 2011 elections, he was elected Senator for Kwara Central, succeeding his sister, Gbemisola Saraki-Forowa....
appointed three new monarchs in August 2010, the new Emir of Kaiama
Kaiama
Kaiama is a Local Government Area in Kwara State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Kaiama.It has an area of 6,971 km² and a population of 124,164 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 242....
was designated a first class traditional ruler while the Onigosun of Igosun and Alaran of Aran-Orin were designated Third Class monarchs.
Traditional rulers today are still highly respected in many communities, and have considerable political and economic influence.
Although they have no formal role in the democratic structure, there is intense competition for royal seats amongst the finite pool of eligible dynasts.
The rulers can also award honorary titles for positions in their "administrations", and wealthy businessmen or politicians often place great value on acquiring such titles.
The rulers play useful roles in brokering between the people and the state, enhancing national identity, resolving minor conflicts and providing an institutional safety-valve for often inadequate state bureaucracies.
One reason for their influence may be that the people of many ethnic groups have limited ability to communicate in the official English language, so the traditional ruler serves as an interpreter and spokesperson.
By June 2010, Akwa Ibom State had 116 traditional rulers with official certificates from the state.
They had received new cars on their appointment, among other perks.
The chairman of the Akwa Ibom council of Chiefs
State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs
A state council of traditional rulers and chiefs, also known as a state council of obas in Yoruba language-majority states, refers to any Nigerian state government run body of traditional rulers and chiefs. It is usually headed by a traditional ruler, although the sitting governor of the state...
said that in return, the traditional fathers were responsible for preventing robberies and kidnappings in their domains.
Titles
There are as many titles for traditional rulers as there are languages in Nigeria, perhaps more.In the northern Moslem states, Emir is commonly used in the English language, but names in the local languages include Sarki, Shehu, Mai, Lamido and so on.
Oba
Oba (ruler)
Oba is a West African synonym for monarch, one that is usually applied to the Yoruba and Edo rulers of the region. It is also often used by their traditional subjects to refer to other kings and queens, such as Elizabeth I of England, in their native languages.-Edo account of the word's origin:The...
is the title of the Edo
Edo people
Edo is the name for the place, people and language of an ethnic group in Nigeria. Other Edo-speaking ethnic groups include the Esan and the Afemai...
paramount ruler, while Enogie and Odionwere are ascribed to his dukes and governors, respectively. The same title
Oba (ruler)
Oba is a West African synonym for monarch, one that is usually applied to the Yoruba and Edo rulers of the region. It is also often used by their traditional subjects to refer to other kings and queens, such as Elizabeth I of England, in their native languages.-Edo account of the word's origin:The...
is also used by the Yoruba people
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
s to refer to their various rulers, though other titles such as Alake, Alaafin or Olu'wo are also used, specific to the people and/or place ruled.
In the southeast, Obi
Obi (ruler)
Obi is the word used to describe the central building in an Igbo homestead, one used most commonly as a place for the reception of guests. As such, it can also be looked at symbolically as a metaphor for the most important part, or heart, of any given place...
, Igwe and Eze
Eze
Eze is an Igbo word which means King; with further implied meaning of chieftain of the tribe or kingdom. Such words as Igwe and Obi plus others are used by Igbo people as titles of respect and homage to the Eze...
are common titles among Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
rulers, but again there are many local titles such as Amanyanabo, Orodje, Obong, and so on. Though they usually maintain the monarchical styles and titles of their royal ancestors, both their independent activities and their relations with the central government of the federation are closer in substance to those of the high nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
of old Europe than to those of actual reigning monarchs.