George Taubman Goldie-the founder of Nigeria (2)

By

Tatabonko Orok Edem

critterdocs@netzero.net

The name ‘Nigeria,’ applying to no other portion of Africa, may, without offence to any neighbours, be accepted as co-extensive with the territories over which the Royal Niger Company has extended British influence, and may serve to differentiate them. Flora Shaw, the London Times, January 8, 1897.

French interests

With the moving in of French companies into this region encouraged by their Premier Lyon Gambetta, and Otto von Bismarck, the German Chancellor, (motivated more by European political motives than economic interests). French traders started operating on the Niger; the French aim was to link up their possessions in Africa from Senegal to Somaliland, an east-west axis, to block Cecil Rhodes’s goal of achieving a Cape to Cairo, British controlled empire. The British after prevaricating could not denounce the need for a proposed international commission which could have prevented the argument to obtain territorial rights, based on control by British interests at the Berlin Conference[1].

The following year, France mounted more pressure which led to another round of negotiations, with Goldie being instrumental in the preservation of the whole of the navigable stretch of the lower Niger for Britain. In 1894, a Captain Decoeur approached the chief of Nikki to whom the chief of Bussa, which was in RNC’s territory, was vassal according to French claim. Goldie dispatched Captain Frederick Lugard, then employed by the RNC to forestall him. The French later sent another expedition that occupied Bussa, and attempted to sail up the Niger. This threatened the RNC’s monopoly but, unfortunately for the French, a Lieutenant Mizon, one of their men was discredited in France for deploying artillery in a local dispute between two emirs. This coupled with other happenings in the upper Nile between Kitchener and Marchand, brought the Niger dispute into the international arena.

German interests

Germany had quickly established protectorates in Camerouns, South West Africa and Togo. Otto von Bismarck, mounted pressure on Britain from 1884 to 1890 with strenuous efforts to secure a foothold in the Niger basin. Eduard Robert Flegel, was sent by the German Colonial Society in 1885 to also sign treaties on behalf of Germany. After Flegel’s death, Dr. Staudinger, continued his work till 1886. Herr Hoenigsberg, was dispatched as an agent provocateur to stir up trouble in the territories of the RNC. He was arrested at Onitsha and tried by the RNC’s Supreme Court at Asaba, then expelled from the country. Bismarck then sent his cousin Herr von Puttkamer, as the German Consul to Nigeria with special orders to report on this incident. This report was published in a white book, (fore runner of today’s white paper) after which Bismarck demanded heavy damages from the RNC. Bismarck maintained pressure on the British for a third of today’s Nigeria’s territory, but he fell from power in March 1890 and the following July, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3^rd Marquess of Salisbury, concluded the Heligoland agreement with Germany, which ended the aggressive intent of Germany on the Nigeria area. This agreement led to further negotiations in 1893, initiated by Goldie as a means of halting the French advance into the area from the direction of the Congo. He conceded a long narrow strip of territory between Adamawa and Lake Chad, to which Germany had no previous treaty claims, to Germany. This move checkmated French advance into Nigeria from the East, later another thrust was made by France into Nigeria from the western or Dahomeyan side, even though Goldie had concluded an agreement with France regarding the northern border.

British interests

The British Home government realized how untenable it was for a chartered company to control vast acres of territory, making the areas vulnerable to other foreign competitors. On the appointment of Joseph Chamberlain, a firm believer in colonialism as colonial secretary, the days of the RNC were numbered. Relations with France on the western boundary became so strained that in 1897, Chamberlain raised a local force, afterwards known as the West African Frontier Force, for the special defense of the West African frontier dependencies. It was clear that with the sort of pressure mounted by the French and German governments, it was impossible for a chartered company to hold out against the machinations and the state supported protectorate thrust of the French and German, this led to the RNC controlled territories coming under direct control of the British government in 1900, in exchange for the sum of 865,000.00., British pounds.

Niger Delta interests

Like in most affairs of men, the RNC became a victim of his success and excesses. As an example, the penetration of the RNC led to the displacement of Brass people, and other traders belonging to the African Association, a group of Liverpool companies, this led to the first Niger Delta war. Goldie spread the rumor that the RNC was going to amalgamate with the African Companies, with the capital base to float their own shipping line, thus alarming the shipping companies, who jointly exerted influence in London to force a re-consideration of responsibility and control of the area overseen by the RNC. In 1889, a Major Claude Maxwell MacDonald, was appointed to inquire ‘into certain questions affecting imperial and colonial interests in the west coast of Africa and into the position of the RNC’.

The traders of Brass complained bitterly of their mistreatment and being treated as foreigners in their own country, as they were not able to trade with other peoples of the Niger Delta under the jurisdiction of the RNC, except through smuggling. MacDonald found that the RNC was operating within its rights, but the regulations spelling out those rights were unfair, an eerie resemblance to the current edicts and promulgations controlling the oil wealth of the Niger Delta.  In January 1895, matters came to a head, warriors from Brass attacked the Akassa company headquarters of the RNC, destroying its factory, the Krios working for the company were slaughtered. This attack triggered off a retaliation which in spite of the handsome apology of King Koko, resulted in the destruction of Brass town once known as the Venice of the Niger Delta, in what is now known as “the Akassa Massacre of 1895.

”The Oil River protectorate was not part of the acquisition of Goldie, their chiefs having signed over 400 individual treaties with the British crown, Goldie’s ceded territories, along with these smaller Niger Coast protectorate already under imperial control was formed into the protectorate of southern Nigeria in January 1, 1901., and was formally united with northern Nigeria Protectorate as the ‘Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria’ in 1914.

Northern interests

Simultaneously, the RNC was also feeling resistance from the natives up the Niger, with Nupe and Ilorin, being the seats of rebellion. Their supposed crime, was daring to raid for slaves in areas controlled by the RNC.  In 1897, the hostilities of several Fulani princes led Goldie to organize and personally direct an expedition along the upper Benue, which was completely successful. He imposed terms on them which included the recognition of the suzerainty[2] of the company. He followed that by abolishing the status of slavery within the RNC controlled territories. This though only meant that slavery was not recognized in the RNC’s courts, but slavery still thrived within the hinterlands. Goldie’s sagacity in striking a lenient political settlement with the Emirs set the tone for their preferring British nominal rule as opposed to French direct control of their affairs.

Goldie and Lugard

Goldie’s greatest move was in calling Frederick Lugard to Nigeria, based on Lugard’s experiences in pacifying the Muslim societies of Sudan and Burma. Lugard also had checkmated French interests in Uganda, Goldie a good judge of his lieutenants knew that Lugard was the ideal mercenary to carry out his vision. Even though, Goldie did not have the high profile of Lugard who was greatly admired by Flora Shaw, the Times correspondent whom he later married, Goldie’s genius was in laying a concept of indirect rule on the emirates, which Lugard was instructed to follow. Thus, Lugard put flesh on the ideas of Goldie. It is on record that much of what Lugard achieved in Nigeria was done as a private citizen employed by the Royal Niger Company.

Later life

George Taubman Goldie, was knighted in 1887, and changed his name from Taubman to Goldie by Royal license. He became a privy councilor in 1898. In 1905 he was elected president of the Royal Geographical Society. He was chosen an alderman of the London County Council in 1908. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society, honorary D.C.L. of the University of Oxford (1897) and honorary L.L.D. of the University of Cambridge (1897). Goldie died in 1925.

The author declines to acknowledge any referral source as to the information above, in deference to the curse placed by Goldie on anyone who assisted in any way to the writing of his biography.

August 2005