Adah and her family are Nigerians, and as the novel primarily takes place in Great Britain, it is important to understand the complicated relationship between the two countries. We will look briefly at Nigeria’s independence in this section.
The Berlin Conference of 1883 divided Africa among European powers, with Britain receiving control over the Niger region. Nigeria was officially formed in 1914 by colonial authorities merging the Northern and Southern protectorates; this brought together over 400 ethnic groups and tribes into the largest British colony in the world. Its name is derived from colonial sources.
Toyin Falola and Matthew Heaton explain the path to independence: “Beginning in the 1930s a new generation of anti-colonial activists emerged in Nigeria, calling for greater involvement of Nigerians in the governance of Nigeria. Led by charismatic visionaries and dominated by the ever-growing class of European-educated Nigerians, the new nationalist movements placed increasing pressure on the colonial government to embark on progressive development planning measures, particularly after the Second World War. Increased spending on infrastructure, education, and health facilities made the colonial government more responsive to the needs of average Nigerians. Meanwhile, pressure from nationalist groups led to constitutional reforms in the years after the Second World War – reforms that increased Nigerian self-governance at the regional level and ultimately resulted in complete independence.” Great Britain granted Nigeria, with its 45 million people, full independence on October 1, 1960. Princess Alexandra of Kent was the Queen’s representative and presented the Freedom Charter. The first Prime Minister was Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who gave a speech at the “Race Course” with the British delegation (it was soon renamed after Balewa, and is a prominent monument to independence).
The provisions of the Constitution, Franklin Ugobude explains, are as such: “ a parliamentary system of government, 3 regions (Northern, Eastern and Western Regions), a bicameral legislative framework at the federal (Senate and House of Representatives) and regional levels (House of Assembly and House of Chiefs) with the legislative powers of government delineated into three categories or lists – exclusive, concurrent and residual.” In 1961, the northern part of the Trust Territory of the Cameroons joined Nigeria while the Southern Cameroons united with Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. Nigeria herself also became a republic on October 1, 1963. Balewa remained Prime Minister while Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe became President.
The UK-trained army overthrew the democratic government in 1966, and repressive military governments ruled the country until democracy was reestablished in 1999. In 1967, the country also experienced a civil war, with the Republic of Biafra seceding. The Nigerian government declared war and fighting lasted for thirty months. Biafra surrendered.
