Government · Lesson 10

Pre-colonial political systems: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba & Igbo

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: Pre-colonial polities: pre-jihad Hausa, Emirate, Tiv, Igbo and Yoruba political systems

WAEC: Pre-colonial political administration: Hausa/Fulani (emirate), Yoruba (Oyo), Igbo; structure, functions of rulers and officials, legislative, executive and judicial organisation, checks and balances, comparisons

NECO: Pre-colonial political administration: Hausa/Fulani (emirate), Yoruba (Oyo), Igbo; structure, functions of rulers and officials, legislative, executive and judicial organisation, checks and balances, comparisons

What you will learn

Distinguish centralised and non-centralised pre-colonial political systems.
Describe the political organisation of the pre-jihad Hausa states.
Explain the emirate system of the Sokoto Caliphate, its officials and its legislative, executive and judicial arrangements.
Explain the Oyo (Yoruba) political system and its checks and balances.
Explain the Igbo and Tiv political systems.
Compare these systems and explain their relevance to indirect rule.

Key points

Pre-colonial systems: centralised (Hausa states, emirates, Oyo) and non-centralised/acephalous (Igbo, Tiv).
Pre-jihad Hausa: Hausa Bakwai (Daura, Kano, Katsina, Zazzau, Gobir, Rano, Biram); Sarki with title-holders; Habe rulers; mixed Islam and traditional religion.
Jihad of Usman dan Fodio from 1804 created the Sokoto Caliphate (Sokoto and Gwandu), with emirs under the Caliph.
Emirate officials: Waziri, Galadima, Madawaki, Ma’aji, Sarkin Dogarai, Alkali; district and village heads; taxes (zakat, kharaj, jangali, jizya); Sharia; theocratic and near-absolute.
Oyo: Alaafin (sacred) chosen and checked by the Oyo Mesi (seven, headed by the Bashorun); Ogboni checks the Oyo Mesi; Are-Ona-Kakanfo commands the army outside the capital: constitutional monarchy.
Igbo: Okpara with Ofo; elders; village assembly (direct democracy); Ozo titled men; age grades (executive); Umuada; oracles (Arochukwu).
Tiv: segmentary lineages, elders, consensus; no central chief before colonial rule (Tor Tiv created 1946).
Indirect rule succeeded in the emirates, partly in Yorubaland, and failed in Igboland (warrant chiefs; 1929 Aba Women’s Riot).

Start here: Centralised and non-centralised societies

Long before the British arrived, the peoples of the area now called Nigeria governed themselves through sophisticated systems. Some had kings, palaces, armies and tax collectors. Others had no single ruler at all, yet maintained order, settled disputes and made decisions. Political scientists group them into two broad types.

A centralised political system has a single supreme ruler (king, emir) with a hierarchy of officials, a capital, a standing or organised army and a system of tribute or taxation.

A non-centralised (or acephalous, "headless") political system has no single ruler over the whole society; authority is spread among family heads, elders, title-holders, age grades and religious institutions, and decisions are made by consensus.

Centralised	Non-centralised
Pre-jihad Hausa states; the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate; the Oyo Empire; Benin	Igbo; Tiv; many smaller groups (e.g. Ibibio, parts of the Middle Belt)
Clear chain of command	Power diffused
Rulers often had religious or sacred status	Strong role of kinship and consensus

Worked example 10.1

Why is it wrong to call acephalous societies "without government"?

They still performed all functions of government: rules were made in assemblies, enforced by age grades and family heads, and disputes settled by elders and oracles.
What they lacked was a single central ruler, not government itself.

Government existed, but authority was spread out

Try it yourself. Name two non-centralised societies in pre-colonial Nigeria.

Show solution

Igbo and Tiv.

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Practice questions

1. The Igbo political system is described as

acephalous (non-centralised)
centralised
theocratic
feudal

Show answer

A: acephalous (non-centralised)
No single ruler over all Igboland.

2. The head of the Oyo Empire was the

Bashorun
Emir
Obi
Alaafin

Show answer

D: Alaafin
The Alaafin was regarded as sacred.

3. The Oyo Mesi was headed by the

Are-Ona-Kakanfo
Ogboni
Bashorun
Alaafin

Show answer

C: Bashorun
Seven kingmakers.

4. The Ogboni in the Oyo system

appointed emirs
checked the powers of the Oyo Mesi
led the army
collected jangali

Show answer

B: checked the powers of the Oyo Mesi
A secret society of elders and earth cult.

5. The commander of the Oyo army was the

Are-Ona-Kakanfo
Bashorun
Waziri
Alkali

Show answer

A: Are-Ona-Kakanfo
He lived outside the capital.

Key words

Centralised system: A political system with a single ruler at the top and a hierarchy of officials.
Acephalous (non-centralised): "Headless": a society without a single central ruler, where power is spread among groups.
Sarki: King or ruler of a Hausa state; also used for many title-holders.
Hausa Bakwai: The seven "legitimate" Hausa states of tradition: Daura, Kano, Katsina, Zazzau (Zaria), Gobir, Rano and Biram.
Jihad: Here, the Islamic reform movement led by Usman dan Fodio from 1804.
Caliph (Sarkin Musulmi): Head of the Sokoto Caliphate: "Commander of the Faithful".
Emir: Ruler of an emirate, appointed with the approval of the Caliph.
Alkali: A judge in an Islamic (Sharia) court.
Alaafin: King of Oyo.
Oyo Mesi: The council of seven kingmakers of Oyo, headed by the Bashorun.
Ogboni: An earth cult and council in Oyo that mediated between the Alaafin and the Oyo Mesi.
Are-Ona-Kakanfo: Commander-in-chief of the Oyo army.

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