JORAS - Nigerian Journal of Religion and Society

On 1st January, 2014, Nigeria marked one hundred years since the Southern and Northern parts of the country were brought together to form a single entity. However, various explanations have been given as to why it became necessary for the Amalgamation; the most popular being that it was both to bring the people closer to civilization and for administrative convenience. This paper argues that on the contrary the amalgamation became necessary so that the colonialist could tap the resources of the people more easily as well as tie them into the capitalist economic web. The paper using historical document is of the view that, that period marked the beginning of another phase of colonial exploitation in the history of the people through trade and commerce. It concludes that from that period, Nigeria has continued to be a major contributor to the development of the Western economy, to the detriment of the local economy and people.

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