Becoming Nigeria

A review of “What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule” by Max Siollun

Siollun, Max. What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Brief History of Conquest and Rule. London, C. Hurst & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 2021.

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Dear Fellow,

At this very instant the time, is about 11:26 p.m., Friday, 30 September 2022. There is just a little above thirty minutes before my dear country would have expended sixty-two years as an independent nation—a nation free from colonial subjection—since 1960.

The experience has not been all fun. For the most part, it is tiring to mull over the fact that universities have been shut down since the 14th of February. This is just one of the numerous problems which make every Nigerian wonder, “Where did we get it wrong?” As I grow older, I begin to have some sense of responsibility toward understanding the intricacies of this part of the earth where God has allocated my existence so far. I am also asking, “What is Nigeria?” Or “who-?” I decided to attempt an answer.

History is the resort for such an adventure, as the words of Danish theologian and poet Søren Aabye Kierkegaard demonstrate:

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

A Travel Back in Time

Before time machines become a reality (if they ever will?), books are the time machines I can afford now. Max Siollun took me on this journey back into the roots of this country called Nigeria. His book was just what I needed to whet my appetite for the story of Nigeria, a nation in the becoming process. What Britain Did to Nigeria: A Short History of Conquest and Rule was just what I needed to recover from the blow I got from being unable to read through Toyin Falola’s A History of Nigeria. Well, Falola’s book is a textbook.

Image source: Adebayo Adeniran - Medium

I found many things quite interesting in this account of the becoming of my country. What hits differently is the expression used to describe Nigeria toward the end of the book. Siollun writes:

‘Nigeria was just a page in a colonial accounting ledger.’

Of course, the narrative rendered does not betray that fact. However, it baffles me to find that since what one Nigerian northern leader called the “the mistake of 1914” (when the Northern and Southern Protectorates were joined as one), we are yet aspiring to actualise the name which served as a mere description of a people living around a river. The British used the word “Nigeria” to describe territories around the River Niger area.

Max Siollun rendered the accounts in graceful and astonishing detail, touching on the individual lives who had a stake in the emergence of this country. Broadly, the book assumed its title to the end. In this book, you will learn in reliable bits about the events, people, and other factors that culminated in what is now Nigeria.

It’s now sixty-two years since the men who initiated this union left, allowing the parties to sort themselves out. How much of an independent nation—non-dependence on foreign rulership—have we been so far?

Well, to me, Nigeria is still a work in progress. We are on a journey to self-actualisation. We are becoming.

I remain your LetterMan.

What are your thoughts about Nigeria, especially as we commemorate Independence Day?

Happy Independence Day!

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You can more detailed insights I got while reading the book here: The Reading Nigeria series.

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