Spanish and Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to begin trade in Nigeria in a port they named Lagos and in Calabar. The Europeans traded with the ethnicities of the coast and also negotiated a trade in slaves, to the detriment and profit of many Nigerian ethnicities. Consequently many of the citizens of the former slave nations of the British Empire are descended from a Nigerian ethnic group. Britain abolished its slave trade in 1807 and, following the Napoleonic Wars, established the West Africa Squadron in an attempt to halt the international traffic in slaves.
In 1914, the Niger area was formally united as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the northern and southern provinces and Lagos Colony. Western education and the development of a modern economy proceeded more rapidly in the south than in the north, with consequences felt in Nigeria's political life ever since. Slavery was not finally outlawed in northern Nigeria until 1936.
Following World War II, in response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism and demands for independence, successive constitutions legislated by the British government moved Nigeria toward self-government on a representative and increasingly federal basis. By the middle of the 20th century, the great wave for independence was sweeping across Africa.
On October 1, 1960, a new dawn arose as Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Newly independent, Nigeria's government was a coalition of conservative parties: the Nigerian People's Congress (NPC), a party dominated by Northerners and those of the Islamic faith, and the Igbo and Christian dominated National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) led by Nnamdi Azikiwe, who became Nigeria's maiden Governor-General in 1960. Forming the opposition was the comparatively liberal Action Group (AG), which was largely dominated by the Yoruba and led by Obafemi Awolowo. The cultural and political differences between Nigeria's dominant ethnicities, the Hausa ('Northerners'), Igbo ('Easterners') and Yoruba ('Westerners'), were sharp.
Following our independence, wars have been fought in order to attain ethnic freedom from political tyrants which to me, didnt mean total freedom. Several unfree and unfair elections had taken place and the voice of the people not taken into consideration on several notable ocassions.
The last April 2011 elections in my country proved the emergence of a new Nigeria as the polls were declared as having run smoothly with relatively little violence or voter fraud in contrast to previous elections by the international media.
The hope of every Nigerian is that her Nation becomes totally free from political tyrants and selfish leaders who do nothing but looth public funds in their tenure as leaders. Then, the level of poverty will be reduced drastically; there would be a thin line between the rich and the poor, availability of stable electricity, water, security of lives & property and finally; a better educational system compared to what we have presently which to me means total freedom.
Like the Americans gave a continuous fight for the attainment of their freedom as seen in their declaration of independence, so will we also continue to fight until the dream of a better Nigeria is attained.
God bless Nigeria!
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