The impact of colonisation on Nigeria and the call for reparations
DECADES of colonisation have left their mark on Nigeria's history, drastically altering the nation. During its century-long rule over Nigeria in West Africa during the Industrial Revolution, the United Kingdom pillaged its natural resources.
Like many other European nations, the English placed a high value on dominating Africa and the Atlantic trade in the 17th century. They played a key role in the transatlantic slave trade as well.
The UK owes Nigeria $3.2 trillion (about R59trln at current exchange rates) in damages, according to Major General Dr Al-Tayeb Abdul Jalil, a Sudanese professor of international law. This sum covers the time that colonialism, forced labour, resource looting, environmental harm, and underdevelopment occurred.
Experts on Trust TV News spoke about whether reparations were necessary and in what way this issue should be considered. A panel discussion was held on April 26 to discuss the question of reparations from the UK and possible solutions to the problem. Speakers at the event included Armsfree Ajanaku, executive director of the grassroots Centre for Rights and Civic Orientation, and Ambassador Haruna, a retired diplomat from the Ecowas Commission.
Reparations are a right and a minimum in regard to the harms and crimes committed by the colonisers, experts maintained throughout the discussion. Haruna argues that Western aid is not reparations because, regardless of the amount, it does not cover real damage: 'Western aid is not reparations; most aid funds are returned to Europe as administrative costs; they do not compensate for true damage.'
In addition, the panellist noted that Europe had not made a significant contribution to the development of the continent's infrastructure; in his view, other powers are now doing it: 'The real development aid today comes mostly from China.'
Speakers noted that the African Union (AU) should be applauded for taking the initiative on the issue of reparations. It should be recalled that the organisation has chosen 'Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations' as its theme for 2025.
According to participants at the event, the scars left by England in Nigeria are still being felt even now. It is largely about the economic dominance of European powers in Africa.
Ajanaku has insisted that in order to heal emotional wounds, restore memory, and ensure that errors are not repeated, reparations must go beyond monetary payments. During the discussion, specific reparations measures were suggested, including the establishment of a reparations fund, funding public projects (such as schools, hospitals, and memorials), thorough documentation of colonial crimes for future generations, and the return of cultural artefacts.
Debates on reparations have also recently taken place in Senegal and Mali, demonstrating the growing vitality of the topic. The countries of West Africa are actively voicing their position and taking concrete measures to achieve their goal of reparations.
According to Ambassador Musa Sani Nuhu, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to Ecowas, the issue of reparations is also being actively discussed at the technical level in the economic bloc.
Now that Nigeria is one of the major African economies, it is powerful enough to demand justice. However, decisive and well-coordinated initiatives by the government and civil society will be necessary to achieve this goal.
* Dr Manuel Godsin is a writer and researcher at the International Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. He has a large number of books translated into many languages: English, French, and Spanish, including The Crisis of the World and The Conflict of the Wings: The World on the Brink of Abyss.
** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, Independent Media, or IOL.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
4 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Foreign transfers are now flowing mostly North to South via remittances — World Inequality Lab report
A new study from the World Inequality Lab covers a lot of ground but one of the things that sticks out is that financial transfers are now moving mostly in a North-South direction – because of remittances. This is a striking contrast to the colonial era that defined the 19th century. The World Inequality Lab, a think-tank fronted by the economic historian Thomas Piketty, has produced a new study that looks at the unequal North-South wealth exchange through the prism of global trade flows and balance of payments over the longue durée from 1800 to 2025. Piketty is a prolific author and public intellectual whose work is focused broadly in readable and insightful ways on the history of inequality. Piketty's latest effort is typically trailblazing and is erected from the foundations of a vast new database on global trade flows and the world balance of payments from 1800 to the present. The study, co-authored by Gastón Nievas, covers a lot of ground but one of the many things that stands out is how financial transfers are now moving in a North-South direction – largely because of remittances. This is a striking contrast to the colonial era that defined the 19th century. 'No country or world region has ever received foreign income inflows approaching the magnitude of Europe's in the 19th century,' the study says. This accumulation of foreign wealth to the European colonial powers – an extractive process – had many taps: France imposed a large debt in Haiti in 1825 to compensate former French slave owners for the loss of their property(!), Britain saddled China with a debt from the Opium War, and there were also massive transfers of tax revenues from colonies to the metropolis. 'Today, financial transfers mostly flow from North to South, particularly through private remittances, rather than from South to North, via colonial transfers. For instance, sub-Saharan Africa received very large cumulated net transfer inflows between 1970 and 2025 (the equivalent of +64% of its 2025 GDP), approximately as much as the cumulated foreign income outflows (-55%),' the authors write. So one of the many trends the study has unearthed is that Africa's inflow of financial transfers since 1970 has exceeded its outflows, and this is mostly explained by wage and salary earners from the continent working abroad and sending part of their income home – and in a big way. These findings come against the backdrop of a rising tide of xenophobia and racism in Europe and North America, fuelled on the far right by the 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory which holds that white folks up North are being 'replaced' by a tsunami of dark-skinned migrants from the South. Of course, there has been significant migration in recent decades from South to North, not least because of the labour market needs in advanced economies with ageing populations. Far-right shrills in the US and France who want to shut down such migration will shut down their own economies in the process. The findings also underscore the importance of remittances to regions such as Africa. For families these can be literal lifelines of income support, and multiplied many, many times they amount to vast inflows of capital which are at odds with perceptions of capital flight. Remittances, of course, can also create a dangerous economic dependency for the countries on the receiving end that can evaporate if the needs of the labour market change or an isolationist regime builds a wall. Lesotho offers an arresting example on this front. As this correspondent has previously reported, during the peak of South Africa's gold production under apartheid – which relied on a ruthlessly exploited pool of migrant, rural labour – remittances from the wages of Basotho working underground here amounted in 1987 to an astonishing 236% of the mountain kingdom's GDP. They now equal 21% of GDP, according to World Bank data – a 'remittance shock' without parallel in modern global economic history. South Africa's mines once employed almost 500,000 foreign workers. That number, according to the last available data, stood at 35,000 in 2022. This explains why so many Basotho are now 'zama zamas' at the bottom of the exploitative and transnational criminal pyramid of illicit gold mining. Lesotho's economy has not developed or industrialised in meaningful ways to provide jobs and domestic economic opportunities for its labour force. Exploited by the legal gold industry in the past, many of its young men are now exploited by the illicit sector in the precious metal. Does that stand as a warning for Africa more widely? Certainly there is a lot of talk these days about industrialisation and the 'beneficiation' of minerals and stuff like that. And remittance inflows to Africa are clearly important and at a scale larger than many have perhaps assumed. Africa notably between 1970 and 2025 had a cumulated trade surplus from primary commodities that equalled close to 200% of its GDP, but a trade deficit in manufactured goods equal to 169% of its GDP. It is surely no bad thing to develop your economy and raise the living standards for most of your population through processes such as industrialisation, and not just as a precaution if the remittance flows are suddenly staunched. But for now, remittances are flowing one way, and that in itself speaks to enduring global disparities in economic opportunity. DM
eNCA
6 hours ago
- eNCA
Dutch suggest social media ban for under-15s
AMSTERDAM - The Dutch government on Tuesday advised parents to forbid children under 15 from using social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat, the latest country to propose curbs over mental health concerns. The advice, which is non-binding, comes after Australia and New Zealand proposed social media bans for under-16s, and several European countries have issued similar guidelines. "Intensive screen and social media use can be bad for the (mental) health and development of children," said the Dutch ministry for health, wellbeing and sport. "Think of sleeping problems, panic attacks, depressive symptoms, reduced concentration and a negative self-image." The ministry distinguished between smartphone use, messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal, and social media apps like TikTok. Children younger than their last year of primary school (typically 11 or 12) should not be allowed a smartphone, the government advised. From secondary school (age 12 or 13), message apps should be permitted but no social media apps before 15, according to the guidelines. "A step-by-step approach helps: first learn to communicate via chat, then get acquainted with social media," said the government. The ministry also issued guidelines on screen time: none at all before the age of two, while children over 12 should not be in front of a screen for more than three hours. Healthy screen use is more than just time limits, the government said. "It's also about balancing screen time with other activities, using media together, and fostering positive online experiences." The advice brings the Netherlands into line with other age guidelines in Europe, said the government. Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the European Union should limit children's use of online platforms. France, Greece and Denmark believe there should be a ban on social media for under-15s, while Spain has suggested a ban for under-16s. In the Netherlands, a children's advocacy group said earlier this month the "unchecked expansion" of social media platforms is driving an unprecedented global mental health crisis in kids and teens. The KidsRights report said what it termed "problematic" social media use was on the rise, with a direct link between heavy internet use and suicide attempts. However, blanket bans are not the answer, the group warned.
eNCA
8 hours ago
- eNCA
G7 leaders urge Trump to ease off trade war
KANANASKIS - World leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday pushed US President Donald Trump to back away from his punishing trade war, arguing that it poses a risk to global economic stability. At a summit where host Canada worked to avoid stoking Trump's anger, and with attention on events in the Middle East, leaders still urged the US president to reverse course on his plans to impose even steeper tariffs on countries across the globe as early as next month. Most countries represented at the G7 are already subject to a 10 percent baseline tariff imposed by Trump, with European countries and Japan also hit with additional levies on cars, steel, and aluminum. G7 leaders used the meeting to sit down with Trump one-on-one to make their case for the US leader to seal agreements that would eliminate the worse of the US tariff threat. In official sessions, the leaders also warned Trump that the tariffs could bring serious harm to the world economy. "Several participants asked to end the tariff dispute as soon as possible," a senior German official told reporters on condition of anonymity. They argued that the dispute weakens the G7's economies and "in the end will only strengthen China," the official said. Trump used the meeting to officially sign a deal already announced in May with Britain, the first country to secure a trade pact with the US to avoid Trump's threat of the crushing levies. "I like them. That's the ultimate protection," Trump told reporters after a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the G7 sidelines. At a media conference marking the deal, Trump opened a folder to display the signed agreement, only for the paperwork to slide out and spread across the ground. "Oops, sorry about that," he said as Starmer scrambled to gather up the loose sheets and stuff them back in the folder. - 'Get it done' - The trade issue is of urgent interest to Canada after the Trump administration announced several additional levies on Canadian imports in recent months, throwing the economic future of America's northern neighbour into deep uncertainty. After a meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney, the Canadian government indicated that the two sides could reach a trade truce deal within the next 30 days. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters in Canada that he spoke to Trump for 30 minutes and discussed ways they could find a solution "in a manner that is in line with Japan's national interests," according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. "As there are still some points where both sides disagree, we have not reached an agreement on the package as a whole," Ishiba said. There were hopes that non-G7 countries expected at the meeting on Tuesday would also have their time with Trump, but this was dashed by the US leader's decision to cut his attendance short due the Iran crisis. Leaders from South Korea, India, Brazil, and South Africa will arrive at the gathering at a resort in the Canadian Rockies with Trump already gone. Dozens of countries are locked in negotiations with Washington to clinch some sort of trade deal before the US imposes stinging reciprocal tariffs, threatened for July 9. Mexico, whose president Claudia Sheinbaum was also expected, is meanwhile seeking to renegotiate its three-way North American free trade agreement that also includes Canada. While there was little expectation that the summit would deliver a breakthrough in the trade negotiations between the US and the rest of the world, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was part of Trump's delegation. A source at the summit said that French President Emmanuel Macron urged the American leader to quickly end the trade conflict once and for all. The European Commission handles trade negotiations for the 27-country bloc, and the EU's trade chief Maros Sefcovic was also attending the summit, accompanying the delegation of EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. The EU institutions are official members of the G7, and during the morning session, von der Leyen argued to the leaders that "tariffs -- no matter who sets them -- are ultimately a tax paid by consumers and businesses at home." Von der Leyen also met with Trump one-on-one on trade issues in a sit-down that US officials said was at her request. "We instructed the teams to accelerate their work to strike a good and fair deal. Let's get it done," she said in a post on X.
