Who among the following colonial governor-generals criticized the activities of National Congress of British West Africa?

Analyze the question: The question asks which colonial governor criticized the National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA). This was founded in 1920 by J.E. Casely Hayford (Gold Coast) and others, and it demanded elected representation in the legislative councils, a West African court of appeal, and a West African university.

Key facts:

• Sir Hugh Clifford was Governor of Nigeria from 1919 to 1925. He introduced the 1922 Clifford Constitution, which brought the elective principle to Nigeria.
• He openly ridiculed and criticized the NCBWA. He called its members "self-appointed" and unrepresentative, saying they did not speak for the traditional rulers and the masses. He described the delegates as "a self-selected congregation of educated gentlemen who could not claim to represent the people."
• Lord Lugard also held views hostile to the educated elite, but he left Nigeria in 1919, before the NCBWA was founded in 1920.
• Arthur Richards (1943-1948) introduced the Richards Constitution of 1946, Bourdillon (1935-1943) introduced the 1939 division of the Southern provinces, and Macpherson (1948-1954) introduced the Macpherson Constitution of 1951. All of these came long after the NCBWA's activities in the 1920s.

Solution: The NCBWA was active in the 1920s, and the governor of Nigeria at that time was Hugh Clifford. He was its most prominent critic.

Tip: Link names to constitutions and dates:

• Clifford, 1922: the first elective principle
• Bourdillon, 1938-39: the division of Nigeria's provinces
• Richards, 1946: regionalism
• Macpherson, 1951: expanded representation

"Clifford criticized Congress" is easy to remember because both the NCBWA and the Clifford Constitution belong to the early 1920s.