Thread by @SienceTalk

#LestWeForgetNigeria:
🇬🇧 decided to split🇳🇬 into 3 regions,with a Northern gov’nor in Jebba, a Southern gon’nor in Lagos & a crown colony also administered from Lagos. The dividing line was drawn by 1st drawing a line connecting rapids of Calabar with center of the town of Yola.

Then the boundary is the line btw where the 1st line crosses the north fork of the Katsina river to the center of the town of Owo. This is approx the 7° 10'N line..Note this is where the line intersects a river which runs north-south,the dividing line isn’t following the river.

It was placed at 7° 10' cos 🇬🇧 wanted to avoid drawing the dividing line down the center of a river both banks of the Niger must be under one jurisdiction on opposite banks, otherwise the admin of criminal and civil law will be more difficult."

They also wanted to keep southern Yoruba & northern Hausa Muslim emirates intact. Therefore they chose a line at 7°10' which was well south of Benue river & which ran thru villages which were neither Christian nor Muslim.

3rd,it had the advantage of running thru area which 🇬🇧had little interest in, so it avoided dividing any 🇬🇧 owned or operated plantations between newly created Northern
& Southern Protectorates” ICYMI @CitizenPeper @EmekaOkoye @GbenroAdegbola @AbdulMahmud01 @cchukudebelu @CACCOT1

@threadreaderapp pls compile