History and Historiography of Colonial Rule in Yorubaland: 1894-1960

Abstract

This paper discusses the colonial rule in Yorubaland from 1894 to 1960. General Concept in this context means penetration of Colonial Rule into Yorubaland through the treaties and imposition of colonial administration over the paramount chiefs to govern Yorubaland effectively. In 1894 the British began to establish their authority in Yorubaland. However, this was preceded by a period of Christian missionary activities which paved way for the subsequent control of British Colonial Officers. The process of British influence and expansion in Yoruba land owed much to the Christian Missions. The objective of this work is to study the history of Yorubaland from 1894 to 1960 AD. The work is to give adequate attention to the area within the historical framework. Scholars had written on the urbanization of some towns and cities in various parts of the world but no scholar has ever attempted to examine the colonial rule in Yorubaland from 1894 AD. A multi-disciplinary approach had been used in writing this thesis. Oral information was extensively used in cross checking written data. I had the privilege of knowing and interviewing knowledgeable persons within Yorubaland. Similarly, this work is the first of its type at this level written by an indigene and this represents indigene‘s perception of history of Yorubaland. Both oral sources and archival materials are used in the within of this thesis. In the course of this research, I have consulted numerous books, none of which clearly deals with colonial rule in Yorubaland from 1894 to 1960 AD. The literature that deals with the history of Yorubaland neglected her urbanization. Other works that centered on Yorubaland mostly concentrated on her pre-colonial history and presented very little information on colonial rule in Yorubaland from 1894 to 1960 A.D.