Southern Nigeria was divided into Eastern and Western provinces for administrative purposes in _________

Analyze the question: The question asks for the year Southern Nigeria was split into Eastern and Western Provinces for administrative purposes.

Concept: Key dates in Nigeria's colonial administrative history:

• 1900: Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate established
• 1906: Colony of Lagos merged with the Southern Nigeria Protectorate
• 1914: Amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria by Lord Lugard
• 1939: Southern Provinces divided into the Eastern and Western Provinces under Governor Bernard Bourdillon
• 1946: Richards Constitution introduced regional councils (North, East, West)
• 1954: Lyttelton Constitution established a federal system

Solution:

1. Before 1939, Nigeria consisted of the Northern Provinces, the Southern Provinces, and the Colony of Lagos.
2. The Southern Provinces were large and difficult to administer from one centre.
3. In 1939, Governor Sir Bernard Bourdillon divided them into the Eastern Provinces and the Western Provinces, creating three administrative units in all: North, East, and West.
4. This division laid the foundation for the three-region structure later formalised by the Richards Constitution of 1946.

Answer: The division took place in 1939, which is option C.

Tip: Link "1939" with the start of World War II, and remember that Bourdillon divided the South in 1939, just before the Richards Constitution of 1946 formalised the regions. Sequence to memorise: 1914 → 1939 → 1946 → 1954 → 1960.