British Historical Explorations of the Nigerian area

Name: British Historical Explorations of the Nigerian area
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The systematic British Exploration of the Nigerian area and the impacts

Created byFortunatus Onuh

Last updated 2/2023

English

What you'll learn

Learn about the Nigerian area before the European Explorers
Learn about the the motives for the European Explorations of the Nigerian area
Learn about the different European Explorers teams that got to the Nigerian area and their activities
Learn about the reactions of Nigerians to European Explorers activities and the different difficulties faced by European Explorers

Course content

4 sections • 17 lectures • 1h 49m total length

Introduction2:48
The European explorations of the West African region and especially the Nigerian area played very important role in opening up the area to European commercial activities and the subsequent European imperialistic activities.
In the Nigerian area, the Portuguese were the first European nation to make an impact. They were able to establish some relationship in Benin and Warri area. The Benin and Warri areas can be found in the South South sub region of the present day Nigeria.
Their impact did not stay long. This was because of the fact that they pulled out of the Nigeria area. After some years the British started very systematic exploration activities in the Nigeria area.
Nigerian Area before European visits and Occupation.4:54
The area that later became Nigerian was made up of people who were living independently but had series of areas of interactions.
There were Empires, Kingdoms, communities and other non-centralised settlements. Some of them were Kanem-Borno Empire, Sokoto Caliphate, Oyo Empire, Ijebu kingdom, Ife kingdom, Benin Empire, Igbo Communities, Urhobo communities, Izon communities(Kingdoms), Efik Communities, Ibibio communities, Itsekiri Kingdom, etc. They interacted in some ways like wars, commercial relationships, marriages, cultural integrations, information sharing, etc.
There was no united entity that brought all of them together. The possible largest political unit that existed was the Sokoto Caliphate. The Sokoto Caliphate was created as a result of the jihad activities of Uthman dan Fodio. He led a jihad that resulted in the conquest of the Hausa city states and some areas in the middle belt part of the present Nigeria and as well some parts of southern western Nigeria.
Earliest European Contacts with the Nigerian Area8:51
The earliest Europeans to have contacts and engagements with the Nigerian area were the Portuguese.
The inspirations and encouragements of Prince Henry of Portugal led to the increased explorations activities organised and supported by Portugal. As at that period, Portugal was a very powerful European nation.
The Europeans led by the Portuguese wanted to establish trade relationship with African and as well had the intention of Christianising Africa in other to stop the spread of Islam from North Africa.
In 1472, a Portuguese man called Fernao da Po reached Lagos. By 1475, the Portuguese had covered the entire southern coastline of the Nigerian area.
It was only in Benin and Warri that the Portuguese made impacts. In 1483, a Portuguese man named D’Aveiro entered Benin with his entourage. The Portuguese were interested in purchasing products from Benin. Benin was a very renowned Empire with high global interest as at that period.
To reciprocate this visit, the chief of Ugwato which was under or Benin Empire was sent by the Oba to visit Portugal with D’ Aviero to relate the positions of Benin Empire to the King of Portugal.
His return visit cemented the trade relationship between the Portuguese and Benin Empire. Some Portuguese traders returned with the Benin Chief (Chief of Ugwato) and established business posts in Benin.
The Portuguese as well encouraged and established Christian Missionary presence in Benin. Some Portuguese and Italian Catholic Priests were brought to Benin for evangelism.
In 1530, the Portuguese visited Warri. When they left, they took a Prince of the ruling family called Erijuwa. They took him to Angola where he was educated by the Portuguese.
After some years, he returned to Warri and became a king. He was called King Mingo. He encouraged the Portuguese presence in Warri area and as well built a church to help the Portuguese supported Christian Missionaries. He later married a Portuguese woman. He was succeeded by his son who took the name Don Antonio Mingo.
The Portuguese engagement and activities in the Nigerian are later diminished due some reasons. One of such reasons was the inability of the Portuguese to continuing completely getting the products they were getting from Benin Empire.
Another reason was the fact that the leaders of Benin Empire did not take the Christianity that the Portuguese were propagating serious. They strictly adhered to their traditional religion.
Another reason was the fact that the leaders of Benin Empire were highly interested on getting modern weapons from the Portuguese to expand their Empire. This made their neighbours to see the Portuguese as enemies.
The loss of superpower status by the Portuguese affected their activities outside Europe. The rising powers of Britain, France and some other European nations, brought about the struggle for influence outside Europe which the Portuguese could not strive.
There was also the issue of diseases which was affected the Europeans. Some of them died due to tropical diseases.
Not being able to sustain their activities in the Nigerian area, the Portuguese pulled out.
British Exploration: The Background6:11
It was the British that later undertook a successful and systematic exploration of the Nigerian area which helped them to establish strong influence in the area. The major intention of the British interest in trade with Africa was the establishment of the African Association in 1788 founded by Sir Joseph Banks. The African Association was a group made up of business men from Europe mostly British merchants.
With the Industrial Revolution influencing Europe, the need for cheap and reliable source of raw materials and as well the need for external market for finished European became very important. This was the main focus for the African Association towards sending European explorers to Africa.
In the West African region, their main focus was to identify the flowing pattern of the River Niger. They projected that the River Niger will surely be a very big avenue towards a sound business engagement in the hinterland of Africa.
From 1788-1793, the African Association sent three expeditions into the inland of African starting from North Africa and one of them from the Gambian axis. They were giving the directive to discover the truth about the River Nigeria and its flowing pattern. Unfortunately, none of these three expeditions were successful.
Motives for the European Exploration of Africa4:21

Mungo Park's Expedition 18:48
After the earlier unsuccessful expeditions, the African Association sent a Scottish Doctor called Mungo Park. Park had two major instructions for this movement. One of them was to determine the flowing pattern of the River Niger; another was to visit the famous business town of Timbuktu.
He set off from England and entered the hinterland of Africa through Gambia at the end of 1795. Although he faced some difficulties, he we determined to carry out his mission. He was robbed of his belongings, weakened by fever and hunger, imprisoned in some places and other things but he continued his expedition. His determination was rewarded when he reached River Niger at Seguo in present day Mali on July 21, 1796.
He described this encounter in his report in this manner.
“….as we rode together through some marshy ground, where as I was anxiously looking around for the river, one of them called out geo afili (see the water) and looking forward, I saw with infinite pleasure the great object of my mission: the long sought for,… majestic Niger, glittering to the morning sun, as broad as the Thames at Westminister, and flowing slowly to the eastward”
Park later returned to England after a lot of hardships. The reports and information he took back to Britain were of great importance to the African Association. This was a positive development for them.
The African Association sent another explorer named Fredrick Hornemann who was a German. He entered the hinterland of Africa through Cairo in Egypt in1797. After a time nothing was heard of him. From research, he was said to have reached Nupe where he possibility saw the River. He was believed to have died within the Nupe area.
Mungo Park's Expedition 26:11
Major Peddie and Captain Tuckey Expeditions3:31
Dixon, Hugh Clapperton, Walter Quadney's Exploration9:01

Mac-Gregor Laird's Exploration4:29
The 1841 Exploration8:01
John Beecroft Explorations3:31
John Beecroft played very important role towards the British establishment of trade relationship in the Nigerian area. He made self-appointed explorations of the territories around the River Niger area.
He was sponsored by a British business man named Jamieson who was merely given support by the British government.
Jamieson provided a ship named “Quorra” for John Beecroft and his team. John Beecrocft set out from his base in Fernando Po.
His expeditions were in two phases. The one before 1835 got little information but the one in 1840 was highly rewarding. The 1840 expedition of Beecroft had all African team. The team sailed on River Niger up to Lokoja, Bussa and moved down to the Niger Delta area.
They explored the Creek and Rivers in the Delta. Some of the Rivers they explored were old Cross River, The Cross River and Benin River.
The outcome of this expedition fired the imagination of the British geographers and business men.
Heinrich Barth and Others Exploration4:11
To widen the scope of operation and business establishment, the British as well sent expedition with the intentions of creating business possibilities through the Trans-Saharan Trade route. They as well intended to obstruct the slave trade activities that were conducted through the Trans-Saharan trade route.
For this reason, they sent explores headed by a British man named James Richardson in the company of two Germans: Dr. Heinrich Barth and Dr. Adolf Overweg.
They entered the African region through the Tripoli axis. When they got to Agades, they separated. Richardson went towards the Lake Chad region, Barth went towards Katsina and Overweg went towards Sokoto.
Richardson reached Borno Empire region and unfortunately died there. Barth went to Katsina, Kano and some other parts of Hausa land. Frtom Hausaland, he proceeded to Borno and other parts of Lake Chad area.
Overweg visited Sokoto, Zinder and later went on to Kano.
Unfortunately, he died in the Lake Chad region.
Barth continued alone and was able to cover most parts of the present day Northern Nigeria. He travelled from Zinder to Katsina, then Wurno, Sokoto and Adamawa. He as well passed Gando from where he met the River Niger at Say. He went ahead to visit Timbuktu in September, 1853.
Barth studied the geography, History, Ethnology and Philology of the people he visited. The accounts of his travels were published in five volumes and they contain very important information.
Dr. William Baikie's Explorations6:21

Reactions of Nigerians to European Explorers activities12:21
The reaction of the people in the Nigerian area to the European Explorers varied from place to place depending on the attitude exhibited by the explorers to the people they came in contact with. The political situation of the place the European Explorers also played very important roles as well.
1) There were issues of violent reactions by some people the European Explorers met. One of such example was the one documented by L. M. Okafor. He described an issue involving Mungo Park during his exploration activities.
He stated that:
“When Mungo Park refused to pay tolls on the Niger as was customary for all strangers using the River, the Nigerians through whose territories he passed objected to his behaviours and were determined to force him to pay it. However, when Park would not allow anybody to approach him to closely but rather shot at such a person, the Nigerians reacted by meeting force with force”
This possibly might be responsible for one of the theory that stated that he and his team were attacked around Bussa.
In contrast, Richard Lander and John Lander exhibited gentlemanly attitude to the people of Patashie. This made the King of Patashie to show them much hospitality and even lent them two ships which they sailed down the Niger from Bussa.

2) The political situation in some Nigerian territories affected the reactions of the people in the Nigerian area to the Europeans. During the first expedition of Hugh Clapperton and Richard Lander, they were warmly received in Sokoto Caliphate by Muhammed Bello.
When they returned for the second time, they experienced hostile reception from the same Muhammed Bello. This was because Mohammed Bello’s Sokoto Calipahte was at war with their powerful neighbour Borno Empire. Bello believed that they were aiding Shehu El-Kanemi of Borno Empire.
3) The knowledge of international developments and events as well contributed to the reactions of some people in the Nigerian area against the European Explorers. Through the engagement with Arabs from Middle East, the people in the Nigerian area were able to know the imperialist tendencies of Europeans.
Some of them were able to know how the European exploration of India was followed by European takeover of Indian Land. They had the fear that European activities in their territories might lead to the Indian experience.

4) The misinformation about the Europeans who were of Caucasian race. The people in the Nigerian area living in the villages and the hinterland view white men in different ways. Some saw them as spirits and creatures from different areas. The Nigerian and African living in the coastal areas that have traded with Europeans saw them as intruders.
5) Some territories were out rightly uncomfortable with the presence of European Explorers. They felt that their territorial integrity and freedom were threatened.
Difficulties faced by European Explorers7:41
Results of the European Explorations of the West Africa region8:08

Requirements

Ability to listen, read and understand English Language

Description

There is a considerable amount of historic evidence to show that those that lived in the Nigerian area have had active relations with Europeans and others from abroad from earliest times. These contacts have been in the aspect of political, economic and social areas.

In Nigerian area, significant increase in external relationships were witnessed during the 19th Century. This was made possible by the European's movement from the costal area to the hinterland.

Before this period, the European were already doing business with people in the coastal areas of the territories that later became Nigeria.

The earliest Europeans to carry out Exploration activities in the Nigerian area were the Portuguese. They made impacts in the coastal areas. It was only in Benin and Warri that they were able to create somethings in the interior of the Nigerian area. The Portuguese were not able to sustain their pressure and presence. They pulled out of these areas.

The subsequent systematic European Explorations were set up by the British. The British were to later carry out Exploration activities that covered parts of West Africa. There were Explorations led by Mungo Park, Hugh Clapperton, Hendrich Barth, Lander Brothers and others.

These Expeditions ended up opening the Nigerian area to a very high British participation. This increased participation contributed to imperial activities of the British in the region.

Under this course,we discussed the various European Explorations activities in the Nigerian area.

Who this course is for:

Anybody that is interesting in History

British Historical Explorations of the Nigerian area

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction5 lectures • 27min

The Explorations4 lectures • 28min

British Commercial Expeditions of the Nigerian Area5 lectures • 27min

Reactions and Activities3 lectures • 28min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: