The Native Authority System was most effective and successful in .......

1. Analyze the question The question asks where the Native Authority System (the colonial system of Indirect Rule) worked best.

2. Explain the concept Indirect Rule was introduced by Lord Lugard. The British governed through existing traditional rulers and institutions instead of setting up a completely new administration. For this to work, a region needed:

• A well-organized, centralized political system
• Respected traditional rulers with real authority
• An established system of taxation and justice

3. Solution, region by region

• Northern Nigeria: The Sokoto Caliphate and the Borno Empire already had a hierarchy of emirs, a working tax system (jangali and kharaji), and Islamic courts. Lugard kept the emirs in power and supervised them through British Residents. The system worked smoothly here, so it was most effective and successful.

• Western Nigeria: It had powerful Obas, such as the Alaafin of Oyo, but their authority was shared with chiefs and councils. The system worked only partially. Educated elites and the introduction of direct taxation caused resistance, such as the Abeokuta (Egba) tax riots.

• Eastern Nigeria: Igbo society was largely decentralized and had no paramount rulers. The British created "Warrant Chiefs", who were often unpopular and illegitimate. This led to failure, culminating in the Aba Women's Riot of 1929.

• Mid-western Nigeria: It had mixed systems. The Benin kingdom had a monarchy, but many areas, such as the Urhobo and Itsekiri, had varied structures. Indirect Rule was only moderately effective there.

4. Answer The Native Authority System was most effective and successful in Northern Nigeria, which is option C.

5. Exam tip Remember: "North = Success, East = Failure." Whenever you see Indirect Rule in JAMB, think of the North's emirate system as the success story and the East's Warrant Chiefs and the Aba Women's Riot as the failure.