History Lesson Notes JSS2 (Basic 8) First Term

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History Lesson for Junior Secondary School 2 – Edudelight.com

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN NIGERIA

HISTORY SCHEME OF WORK JSS TWO FIRST TERM

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN NIGERIA

WEEKS 1-10 : Non- centralized states in pre-colonial Nigeria

1. Meaning of Non- centralized states

2. Characteristics of Non- centralized states

3. Examples of Non- centralized states in non-colonial Nigeria.

 Tiv
 Idoma
 Igbo
 Urhobo
 Ijo (Ijaw)
 Oro (ORON)
 Ibibio
 Anang

WEEKS 11-12 :Revision and Examination

WEEK 1
TOPIC; NON CENTRALIZED STATES IN PRECOLONIAL NIGERIA (MEANING
AND CHARACTERISTICS OF NON CENTRALIZED STATES)

MEANING OF A NON CENTRALISED STATE

A non-centralized state is the one in which political power is distributed among various units of
government, power is not concentrated at the Centre, In this form of government, small
governing authorities or bodies exist to share power in governance, it is also known as
decentralized state. The Igbo society was a typical example of non centralized state during the
pre-colonial era.

CHARACTERISTICS OF NON CENTRALISED STATES

1. POWER DISTRIBUTION; Power is shared among the units of government, it is not

concentrated on a particular unit,
2. SINGLE CONSTITUTION; only one constitution is used to govern all the units of
government, they all derive their powers and functions from it.
3. WRITTEN CONSTITUTION; The body of law governing the society is written in a
single document, it can be referred to from time to time by leaders and citizens.
4. RIGID CONSTITUTION; The constitution is difficult to change, this prevents from
changing it for selfish reasons,
5. SINGLE JUDICIARY; The supreme court exist and has the final decision on any legal
matter in the states that has been decided by lower courts,
6. DIFFERENT EXECUTIVE BODIES; each units of government has its own executives
but the one at central units is the most powerful,
7. DIFFERENT LEGISLATIVE HOUSES; different units of government have its own
body of legislature to make its laws.
8. FREEDOM TO MAKE POLITICS; the existing political units are free to make
politics for the smooth running of their government.

CLASS WORK

1. Explain non-centralized states

 2. identify three characteristics of non centralized state

ASSIGNMENT

Mention two characteristics of non centralized states in pre-colonial period

WEEK 2

NON-CENTRALIZED STATES

The following are some of the characteristics of non-centralized states in pre-colonial era in
Nigeria.

1. Different governing units existed in the states; there were different bodies that helped in
the administration of these states, each state had its peculiar governing structure.
2. Age grade systems were used in most of the state; This was very common in the Igbo and
some Niger Delta –city states,
3. decision making were in the hands of elders; The elders most often took major decisions
in many of these states,
4. power distribution; political powers were distributed among various units such as age
grade, council of elders, secret societies, etc., in most cases the king did not have final
say in decision making,
5. Existence of secret societies and cults; In many of the pre-colonial states secret societies
and cults played significant roles in political administration

ADVANTAGES OF NON CENTRALISED STATES

1. It prevents misuse of power

2. it encourages everyone to participate in government
3. it brings government close to the people
4. it gives people at the grassroots sense of belonging
5. it grooms people at the grassroots for future leadership role.

DISADVANTAGES OF NON- CENTRALIZED STATES

 1. It increases cost of governance
2. corrupt politicians at the grass roots may mismanage funds
3. it may bring about tribalism and ethnicity
4. it may retard growth of areas with immature and inexperienced political leaders
5. The entire nation may become weak politically

EXAMPLES OF NON-CENTRALIZED STATES IN PRECOLONIAL NIGERIA

1. TIV
2. IDOMA
3. EBIRA
4. IGBO
5. URHOBO,
6. IJO(IJAW)
7. ORO(ORON)IBIBIO
8. ANAANG

CLASSWORK

1. state three advantages of non-centralized states

2. state two disadvantages of non-centralized states
3. mention six examples of non-centralized states in pre-colonial Nigeria

ASSIGNMENT

Identify the location of TIV on the map of Nigeria

WEEK 3

TOPIC; TIV

TRADITIONS OF ORIGIN
According to history, their ancestor was a man named TIV. he had sons called ICHONGO and
IPUSU. All TIVS were descendants of either of these two sons of the man TIV.

A similar version said TAKURUKU was the founding father of Tiv, Takuru had two sons,
Ichongoa and ipusu ,

Ichongoa had seven two sons which were Gondo, ikyura, Nongo, Ihar,mase and turan,his brother
had three children ,these were shitire ,kum, and kpar,

The Tiv people came from these ten children ,all Tivs had just one language which gave room
for unity.

Furthermore, the Tiv originated from Bantu-speaking people of the present day democratic
republic of Congo , having moved through many places from the central Africa through
savannah land of west Africa, they eventually came to Benue valley around 1750AD.

SOCIO-POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

Tiv like the Igbo, was a stateless society without strong centralized administraTive and judicial
systems.

Three major factors determined leadership, these were age, influence and affluence,

leaders duties included settling of disputes among the people within their lineage, maintaining
good behavior among them, sitting on kmoots and leading their people in internal and in
precolonial days, Tiv society had segmentary lineages in which every Tiv was a member ,the
smallest of these was Ityo,the pre-colonial administraTive system had the following components;

1)the Orya;; Orya means head, each compound was named after its head, senior male members
of the compounds usually formed a council which looked into the administration of the
compound,

The Oryas as the head of the council performed the following duties;

1. ensuring the wellbeing of every member of the compound,

 2. ensuring peaceful co-existence among people in the compound,
3. ensuring peaceful co-existence among people in the compound
4. settling disputes

To carry out his functions the head was given powers to;

1. administer justice within the compound,

2. determine sites for new buildings,
3. distributes farmlands,
4. identify burial ground
5. admit, entertain and expel visitors as the case may be,

2) The Ityo; This body was supreme and patrilineage,it discharge its duties according to tradition
of the land ,it was made of representatives of difficult families ( sub lineage) that made up
particular lineage, its decision was binding on every member of the group .

3) The kwav (age trade) here, there were different age grades or group or groups, the age groups
assisted in fighting against witchcraft, helping each other in farming, the kur, he was the Tiv
military head, his responsibilities were; to lead people in war, to defend people against external
aggression,

4) the drum chief ( Tor-agbana) he was in charge of drum group ,he had no political or control,

5) Igba( maternal clan); this was the woman in charge of protecting young girls or ladies in times
of sickness and death,

CLASSWORK

1) Locate the Tiv on Nigeria map

2) Trace the origin of the Tiv

3) Mention at least three main leaders in Tiv society in pre-colonial days.

Assignment
Narrate the story of IDIOM

WEEK 4

Topic; IDIOM

The origin of idiom can be traced to Apa capital of kwararafa confederacy, the idiom people,
according to history migrated from Apa along with Igala ,Ebira,and other people, this was
necessary because of wars and insecurity in the kingdom, it eventually established itself in the
present location at about 18th century

according to history ,iduah was the father of the Idoma,the names of his children were
AMANAWOOGENO, OLINAOGWU, IDUM, AGABI, EJE, EBEIBI, EDEH and ODE.all
these children established different areas of Idomaland,

SOCIO-POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF IDIOMA

1) FAMILY UNIT (OLE); this was the smallest unit in Idoma political structure ,the head of the
family unit was called Adole. His major duty was to settle disputes among the family members.

2) OJILA; this was the highest organ of government and final authority in Idoma political
system,

it was the general body of all adult men in Idoma land,but most often the elders used to dominate
discussions and decisions making,

3) OCHE( The king) Oche in Idoma land acted as both the king and religious leader of the
community ,he was usally chosen democratically through the central ojila, different lineages
would present candidates and out of all these one person wouldeventually emerge as the king,

Oche was the highest officer in Idoma land ,he was the chief priest and president of all cults in
the land, he was regarded as mediator between the people and their ancestors, the position of
Oche used to be rotated among specific number of lineages, this method prevented monopoly of
power by a particular lineage, besides, Oche was the custodian of the law of the land, he ensured
the laws were enforced and obeyed, he also acted as the chief judge of court officer of appeal,
Oche also used to perform executive functions and was equally the chief external officer,

4) Age group;;; The Idoma land also had age-group and age ste as important parts of its political
structure,

CLASSWORK

1. Locate the Idoma on Nigeria map

2. trace the origin of Idoma
3. mention any two major officers in the political structure of Idoma in pre-colonial days
4. state any two function of the king in Idoma during pre-colonial days,

ASSIGNMENT

Explain the history of EBIRA

WEEK 5

TOPIC; EBIRA

TRADITIONS OF ORIGIN;

According to oral tradition,Ebira origin can be traced to WUKARI which was part of kwararafa
confederacy In 1680AD, the Ebira migrated from wukari due to chieftaincy dispute, they were
together with the Igala for about 300 years before they parted ways,the father of the Ebira Tao
was itaazi who had five sons and one daughter,he led the Ebira tao to the present Ebira land,

The five sons of Taazi later spread and founded the various districts in Ebira land,

SOCIO-POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF EBIRA

Ebira had no central administrative structure, the clan head was called Otaru, it consisted of
community of kindred lineage
The clan head (Otaru) used to be conferred on the oldest male within the clan ,the clan had little
political influence, he presided over meetings, he however, made judgments based on the
consensus opinion of the elders in the clan he also also performed religious and disciplinary
duties which were limited by his family, Otaru also had the responsibility of keeping the income
from the clan, all the clan heads in the communities of Ebira land were under the control of the
chief priest ,the elders and influential individuals

MILITARY

The Ebira had strong military force, they waged wars and resisted invaders form Nupe (1865-
1900), The Nupe army was resisted and chased away under Ebira military leaders Attah Omadiri

CLASSWORK

1. locate Ebira on Nigeria map

2. trace the origin of the Ebira
3. mention the major leaders in Ebira in the pre-colonial days

ASSIGNMENT

Briefly narrate the origin of the IGBOS

WEEK 6

TOPIC; THE IGBO

EARLY HISTORY

Even though not much was known of the Ibos speaking people, before the advent of Europeans
into the west coast of Africa, history has revealed that they migrated into their present location
hundreds of years ago, it has been suggested that they migrated with the Ibibio but soon became
the dominant tribe in eastern Nigeria, due to their dogged industry, they overshadowed the Ibibio
and others that arrived later.
The Igbo are close neighbours of the Ibibio who migrated with them to their present location,
along with the Ijaw and the itsekiri of the NIGER delta,

THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STRUCTUIRES OF THE IGBO.

one of the developments that distinguished the Igbo in the pre-colonial era was that while states
and empire already discussed had people who lived in large and urban communities ,the Igbo had
scattered pattern of settlements( i.e. They lived in villages and villages groups)

also, unlike other states and empire, the Igbo had no traditional rulers or kings, this was why they
were referred to as ‘stateless society’’

The political structure of the Igbo was regarded as subtle and complex, this is because it was
based on the principle of village democracy, it is democratic because every male adult had the
right to the decision making process, each village was architect of own fortune, members of each
village were bound together in their strict belief in the common descendant or ancestor (i.e
umunna)

The village council

The actual organ of government at the village was level the village council consisting of leaders
of the various families. These elders were their compound’s mouthpiece as well as the earthly
representative of each family ancestor. The village council was responsible for voicing out laws
already sanctioned by the ancestors. These included laws for misbehavior which were
accompanied by the highest punishment in the land.

In the southern part of the Ibo land, there were villages and villages councils that comprised of
heads of the different lineage and some wealthy individuals, for examples the okpara (the head of
a lineage) kept the ofo title which represented the symbol of their common ancestor,

Age Group

The system of government recognized the institution of the age group social life, each age group
was responsible for certain duties as stipulated by law, for example, the senior age group looked
after the maintenance of peace and order as well as providing army commander off external
aggressions. The junior age-group took care of the sanitation related matters, while the most
junior age group catered for other issues not mentioned above,

CLASSWORK

1. Locate the position of the Igbo on the map of Nigeria

2. why were the Igbo regarded as a stateless society

ASSIGNMENT

NARRATE THE HISTORY OF URHOBO

WEEK 7

THE URHOBO

The Urhobo speaking people of Nigeria can be found in the present delta state of Nigeria ,stories
about their origin have been linked to the ijo-speaking people of Niger delta in which five clans
were identified,

The first, UGHELLI clan which was said to have been founded by one ogele,two of his brothers
namely; ogo and Agbarha later founded settlements named after them ,The above three
settlements of ughelli,ogo and Agbarha became the owha clan,

Other clans such as ughienvwe and Ewu were founded by both ughienvwe and ogobiri, these two
brothers were said to have left ogobiri after a misunderstanding with their kinsmen,they moved
through the creeks towards bomadi where they settled moved through the creeks towards bomadi
where they settled for a while before they later established ughienvwe and ewu clans.

another tradition of origin identified benin as their ancestor,this traditionwhich claimed that a
benin man was the father of uwherun with his two brothers who were the first to sttle in eastern
part of niger delta,from here uwherun moved to established a settlement called Urhobo clan,
furthermore, other cans such as the Urhobo clan of effurun ( uvwie) founded by a mixed
group,Evhro-oto founded by a GROUP of migrants from Agbon that traced their origin to Benin,

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES OF THE URHOBO

1. Like the Igbo,the political and social structures of the Urhobo were based on the structure
of the village in which the compound was the smallest units,for examples,the father was
the head of the compound who was responsible for the maintenance of law and order as
well as the promotion of the welfare of each family,
2. There were clans which exercised authority of ovie among the Urhobo

CLASSWORK

1. Mention the various clans from which the Urhobo traced their origin
2. lists the various activities of the age-grades among Urhobo

ASSIGNMENT

Narrate the history of the IJAW (IJO)

WEEK8

TOPIC; THE IJAW [IJO]

TRADITIONS OF ORIGIN

The Ijaw were one of the ethnic groups found today in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.in the
earliest time, the Ijaw were identified with three settlements of Bonny, Nembe and Kalabari.

According to history, the Ijaw like many other tribes, had many traditions of origin, The first
being the one that claimed three men were involved, These were OLODIA,ONYO and OBOLO.
They were said to have come from Benin,
The second set of immigrants were led by Ogidigba, who was a descendant of Ginuwa, the
founder of the Itsekeri kingdom, while the third group of immigrants founded the coastal ports
of Akassa and Twon.

Another version of the origin of the Ijaw linked it to some Nemne rulers,in which the mostly
remembered was Kala-Ekule through which seven rulers were identified, The last ruler was
Busua who after his death, succession disputes arose between his two sons; Ogbodo and Mingi,
This later led to a civil war which resulted into two lines of kingship in Nembe (brass)

SOCIO POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF THE IJAW

The Ijaw speaking people developed a system of administration known as the house system as it
was with other Niger Delta city states, This system made people to be grouped into households
and ward. These were composed of families and village heads who became closer to their
families in each house than any other groups, the government was mainly in the hands of a group
of elders while the house heads had powers of life and death over the households,

Houses were based on localized groups that were homogenous in their composition, consisting of
group members, their wives and children,

Moreover, different house heads saw to the welfare of its people by the 18 th century, when trade
in slaves took control of the economic activities of the Ijaw, the house system developed into
‘canoe house system’ under this situation, slaves and how status freemen could rise to the office
of canoe house head in any of the Ijaw city states as long as they maintained their socio-
economic status of being wealthy,

The Ijaw canoe houses were made up of organizations of kinsmen, slaves and strangers that
came together for the purpose of participating in the Atlantic slave trade,

The number of canoe that a house had was a proof of its strength and prosperity.

CLASSWORK

1. Locate the Ijaw on the map of Nigeria

 2. highlight the traditions of origin of Ijaw
3. explain the house system administration of the Ijaw in pre-colonial period.

ASSIGNMENT;

Discuss the history of Ibibio

WEEK 9

THE IBIBIO

TRADITIONS OF ORIGIN

The Ibibio group of people that could be found mostly in Akwa-ibom state and also in some
parts of Cross Rivers in the south-south geo-political zone of Nigeria

The traditions of origin of the Ibibio like that of some ethnic groups in Nigeria are not clear of
reports of different versions.

The Ibibio said that they actually came from a place called Ibom, their legend story of origin
stated that they first settled in a location between Arochukwu in the north, Ika in the west and
Oron in the south,from this location, they later migrated to Uyo and Abak,

Another tradition of origin had it that old calabar was the home of early Ibibio settlers that settled
at the mouth of calabar river, by the 13 th century, the Ibibio spread out to establish other
settlements,

Even though the Ibibio have affinity with the Efik in terms of language and culture, they have
been able to maintain their tribal identity.

THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STRUCTURES OF THE IBIBIO

The Ibibio before colonial rule was one of the non-centralized states in Nigeria because
politically, they practiced segmentary system of government, This means they were not united
under a single authority in which there were no rules as in empires and kingdoms, in view of the
above, the Ibibio had the following political and social arrangements,

1. The Ibibio were formed and developed into village groups with each having an elder as
the head ,the village was the political life of the Ibibio,
2. The Ibibio had village councils where every members of the society played his role to
contribute to the discussion that will lead to the overall developments of each
village ,therefore, the village council was the decision making of each village,
3. The elders who were regarded as the head of each village group provided leadership at
the village councils, His symbol of authority rested on the title holder like the ‘OFO’ title
holders among the Igbo. There was also a senior title holder whose position was more or
less ceremonial

CLASSWORK

1. Who are the Ibibio?

2. How related are the Ibibio and the Anang speaking peole of Nigeria?
3. Identify an area of similarity in the socio political life of the Ibibio and that of the Igbo.

ASSIGNMENT

Who are the Oron and Anang?

WEEK 10

ORON AND ANANG

TRADITIONS OF ORIGIN OF ORON

Unlike many Niger delta tribesmen did not have a dependable history to trace its origin,

It is believed that it had settled in the present location by 2370BC, after Noah’s deluge.

However, Oron folklore revealed that Abang a great wrestler in Oron was overpowered by slaves
traders and was sent to Egypt,
He escaped from Egypt and found his way back to Oron having established his presence in
Cameroon,

SOCIO POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF ORON

Oron had non-centralised political structure, the following were some of the major organs that
featured in her political structure;

1. The head was known as ‘Ahta oro,He ruled with other chiefs,
2. council of priests; This also helped in the administration of the Oron society by making
important decisions for the people.
3. secret societies and association; These played the role of executing the decisions of
council of priests,
4. Age grade group; They also helped the council of priest in enforcing their decisions

TRADITION OF ORIGIN OF ANANG

Anang people were believed to have originated from Egypt,

Their movement from Egypt started in 7500BC, they first settled in Ghana before finally settling
in their present place,

Another oral version of their history said their ancestors were Israelites of the Northern Kingdom
who settled in Egypt. It is believed that the Anang were products of Marriages between the
Egyptians and the Israelites, They later migrated to their present location Nigeria

SOCIO POLITICAL STRUCTURE OF ANANG

Like many Niger delta city states, Anang had non-centralised structure of administration in pre-
colonial days,

The following featured in the political administration of Anang in the pre-colonial days;

1. Obong; this was the head of the executive arm, He was the chief of the village or clan. He
performed the role of the leader or ruler.
 2. Afe Isong;; These were the elderly men in the society, they performed legislative
functions among the Anang.
3. Association; In the pre-colonial days,Anang had societies and association for men and
women,The women organizations were, ABIDE, ISONG IBANG, NYAAMA, ETC

CLASSWORK

1. Locate Oron and Anang on Nigeria map

2. trace the origins of Oron and Anang
3. Name two major leaders in Oron political structure

ASSIGNMENT

Identify two major leaders in Anang political structure