Migrated Archives, Northern Muslim Sensibilities and the Crisis of Self-Government to 1960

This research adopts a revisionist approach to offer insights on the politics of the transfer of power and the Northern Nigerian question. It studies the British Colonial Office archives ‘stolen’ during the terminal phase of colonialism. In particular, files FCO141/13367, 13651, 13366, and 13705 have provided relevant information on why the British chose to delay the decolonisation process and address issues in Northern Nigerian politics first. Covering a wide range of topics including Nigeria Muslim movements, Nigeria political intelligence reports, plans relating to the possible splitting of Nigeria, and Nigerian relations with Israel, these archives underscore how the religion of the Northern Muslim majority played a role in shaping the British policy in this period. They explain how an external phenomenon—the Arab nationalist movement under Gamal Abdel Nasser—became a source of worry to the British as it was seen as making it more likely that the North could secede from the Federation and join Egypt. The fear of losing the Northern region—a greater part of the empire’s largest remaining territory to ‘an Islamic movement’ was therefore, of great concern to the British and of course an important factor in shaping the politics of power transfer.

Ismail Musbahu, Ahmadu Bello University, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A researcher with background in history, Ismail Musbahu specialises in the politics and economics of land in the ‘rural North’ of Nigeria. He is passionate about the environment and climate change, and its impact on communal land and rural economics. An avid peace builder with compelling interest on religion, Ismail also focuses on terrorism and violent extremism. He had his first and second degrees in history from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and currently pursuing his PhD scholarship on ‘Insecurity and Conflict of Narratives in Northern Nigeria’. He worked as a Nigeria Research Consultant for Utrecht University in the Netherlands, and has written several journal and newspaper articles.