متون
Volume 1, Numéro 2, Pages 145-158
2008-11-12

Traditional Socio-political Structures In Nigeria

Authors : Mokhtaria Rahmani .

Abstract

Pre-colonial Nigeria was in the past the home of a variety of ethnic groups, the most important of which were the Hausa, Fulani, Nupe and Tiv in the north; Yoruba, Annang, Edo, Ibibio, Ibo, Ijo, Itsekiri and Urhobo in the south. These groups had evolved, throughout different epochs, a variety of political systems which were basically linked to their system of beliefs1. Prior to the fifteenth century, there were four main political entities viz the Kanem-Bornu Empire, near Lake Chad2, their neighbouring Hausa States to the east3, and the loosely-organised Ibo communities, near the mouth of the Niger. Subsequent changes modified slightly this traditional organisation by integrating the Kanem-Bornu Empire and the Hausa States to give birth to the Fulani Empire. The three entities ( Fulani Empire, Yoruba Kingdoms and the Ibo Tribes) displayed differences in the kind of political organisation which could be ranked from a highly centralised system to a decentralised one 4. The present paper tries to identify this organisation, delineating at the same time the reasons behind such a difference. The latter could be clearly understood through the analysis, in each system apart, of the position and the prerogatives of the ruler, central and provincial administrations, and finally the organisation of the army.

Keywords

Traditional Socio-Political Structures in Nigeria