Deposed Rulers under the Colonial Regime in Nigeria
Date
2003-01-01
Authors
Oduwobi, T
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Éditions de l’EHESS
Abstract
Traditional rulers were the cornerstone of the British colonial system of Indirect Rule.
Essentially, traditional rulers were, therefore, government officials who could be
removed from their offices for misconduct by the colonial authorities. In pre-colonial
Yoruba society, a deposed ruler was required to die to avert his being a potential
focus of opposition to his successor. This was conceptualised by the belief or adage
that a king had to die before a successor was enthroned. The concept or notion of
death after deposition was abrogated under the colonial administration. The deposed
ruler became an ordinary citizen. This created an anomalous situation and legitimacy
problems for the successor since traditional rulers retained political authority
under the colonial dispensation. This paper examines the attendant difficulties
through a consideration of the careers of two deposed rulers in the Yoruba society
of Ijebu.
Description
Staff Publication
Keywords
Native Administration , Deposed
Citation
Oduwobi, T (2003) Deposed Rulers under the Colonial Regime in Nigeria. Journal of Cahiers d’études africaines, vol. XLIII (3), 171, pp. 553-571.