Brokering Colonial Rule: Political Agents in Northern Nigeria, 1886-1914

Abstract

A group study of African political agents, this work develops the role of the agents as brokers in the British colonial administration of northern Nigeria. African political agents bridged the communication gap between the foreign rulers and the indigenous people, a task only they could perform in colonial administration, owing to their knowledge of the local languages and cultures as well as some English and colonial government conventions. As brokers, political agents controlled communication between the colonial authorities and the indigenous rulers. Agents assisted government diplomacy and helped to establish and maintain relations between the colonial government and the native rulers. Agents gathered information that was needed for policy-making in administration, and many of them would perform administrative duties. In essence, the role of political agents reflects the dynamics of interdependence and power relations in colonial governance and administration in northern Nigeria. Knowledge of agents’ activities is important for the academic community including Africanist scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as educated general readers.