Nigerianisation: Difference between revisions

In the 1930s, the [[Colonial Service]] administration became unified and controlled from [[Colonial Office|London]], rendering it the image of a unified [[British Empire|empire]].{{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=159}} A consequence of the unified system was the recruitment and placement of officers into the Nigeria service was processed through the London office while little deliberation was considered for suitable Africans. In Nigeria, the structure of the colonial machine placed emphasis on [[indirect rule]] and the placement of expatriate [[Resident (title)|Residents]], Divisional Officers and administrators to the [[Provinces of Nigeria|provinces]] where they were in direct contact with citizens. The unified system also created a bureaucratic [[Secretariat (administrative office)|secretariat]] with expatriate secretaries responsible for communications with London. Though, both offices were inundated with constant transfer of personnel and lack of funds, many of the positions in the secretariat were filled with expatriates from other colonies while most of the governing functions were done by residents in the provinces.{{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=159}}

By the beginning of World War II, Nigeria had a large [[Bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] service manned by expatriates. But the quality of service provided by the expatriates began to dwindle, a situation aggravated by among other things low pay, restriction of expatriate participation in the war effort, constant transfers, separation from families{{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=160}} and the increasing complexity of governance not matched by the qualifications. {{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=166}} After the war, a salary commission was instituted to consider the welfare of civil servants. The commission encouraged the use of the word ‘Senior Posts’ for administrative positions in the secretariat and provinces which were dominated by Europeans and formerly known as 'European posts'. The new designation also came with expatriation pay and allowances while the 'African posts' was referred to as junior posts but had little benefits. {{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=162}} Since the 1930s, the number of Nigerians of Southern origin who were mission school graduates was increasing. The educated Africans including some on the civil service and the nationalists began to clamor for increased involvement of Nigerians in the senior positions of administration. {{sfn|Nwankwo|1980|p=307}} Nigerianisation was shaped as a fight against [[discrimination]] and [[colonialism]].

At the Federal level, progress began later. In August 1955, the House of Representatives called on the Council of Ministers to present proposals towards the Nigerianisation of the civil service. In March 1956, the council presented before the House, Sessional Paper No.4 of 1956, a statement policy on Nigerianisation. The council proposed that a new position, the Office of the Nigerianisation Officer be created and increased level of post-secondary school training of Nigerians so as to meet the needs of the public service. To ensure the success of the proposals three training programmes were to be instituted. Senior Training, Intermediate Training and Preliminary Training. {{sfn|McStallworth|1961|p=106}} Three major governmental bodies wherewere charged with implementing the process: the Public Service Commission, Scholarship Board and the establishment office.

As part of the transition towards independence, the control of the [[Nigerian Armed Forces|armed forces]] was transferred from the army council to the office of the Governor-General. Expatriate military officers were now placed under the control of Nigerians and given a maximum period of 3 years of secondment before returning home. In 1959, there were 297 officers in the military with 37 of them Nigerians. The Nigerian cadre in 1959, were 3 majors, 6 captains and 28 subalterns. By 1960, more officers were planned to be commissioned and others promoted into the major and captain ranks. From 1956 to 1961 British non-commissioned officers were gradually decreased and at which point the remaining officers wherewere those with technical skills. Cadetship was established in select secondary schools to discover potential recruits who will could qualify for officer positions. About seventeen yearly cadets were recruited yearly and sent to train abroad as potential officers.

Nigerianisation was slow to materialize in the Northern region due to a limited number of qualified graduates from the region. Administration in the North was through indirect rule and Western education was not considered very important in many divisions. After the regionalization of the public service, political leaders in the region felt that the number of Northerners in the service was minimal in comparison to their counterparts in the South. Due to political considerations, leaders in the region limited the recruitment of Southerners into the Northern regional service and found ways to push up the ranks of northerners in junior and senior positionpositions. The leaders retained the services of expatriates, {{sfn|Nwankwo|1980|p=309}} because Northerners regarded expatriates as transients but feared southern domination of the regional civil service.{{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=184}} Measures were put in place to train northerners; in 1949, a scholarship board provided grants to almost all Northerners with qualifications to enter universities.{{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=183}} In 1957, administration courses were taught at the Institute of Administration in [[Zaria]]. Apart from trying to fill positions in the civil service with Northerners, political leaders in the zone also made it a priority to secure Northern representation in senior positions of the Federal service.{{sfn|Mackintosh|1966|p=183}}

*{{cite book |last=Olusanya |first=Gabriel |editor-last=Obichere |editor-first=Boniface |title=Studies in Southern Nigeria History|publisher=Cass |date=1982 |pages=|chapter=Chapter 9: The Nigerian Civil Service in the Colonial Era |isbn=}}

*{{cite journal |last=McStallworth|first=Paul |last2= |first2= |date=April 1961 |title=Nigerianisation at Dawn: The Federal Civil Service|url= |journal=The Journal of Negro History|volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=104–114 |doi= |access-date= }}

*{{cite book |last=Mackintosh |first=John|title=Nigerian government and politics,|publisher= Allen & Unwin |date=1966|pages=|isbn=}}

*{{cite journal |last=Nwankwo|first=Godson |last2= |first2= |date=July 1980|title=The Bureaucratic Elite in Nigeria|url= |journal=Philippine Journal ofPublic Administration|volume=24 |issue=3 |pages= |doi= |access-date= }}