Chiefs under the Indirect Rule system were used to carry out unpopular tasks, one of which was

Analyze the question: Under Lord Lugard's Indirect Rule in Nigeria, the British governed through traditional rulers (chiefs). The question asks which task was unpopular with the people, which the chiefs were made to carry out on behalf of the colonial government.

Concept: Indirect Rule used traditional rulers as intermediaries. They had several duties:

• Collecting taxes (the most unpopular one)
• Recruiting labour for public works (forced labour)
• Maintaining law and order
• Presiding over native courts
• Enforcing colonial regulations

Tasks the people disliked were those that imposed burdens on them, such as taxation, forced labour and, in some cases, conscription for military service. These made chiefs lose respect among their people.

Evaluating the options:

• A. Enforcement of Western education: Not a major duty of the chiefs. Education was largely left to missionaries, and in the North the colonial government even restricted missionary activity.
• B. Establishment of churches: This was the work of missionaries, not chiefs. In Muslim areas, Indirect Rule protected the existing religion.
• C. Military conscription: Chiefs were made to supply recruits for the colonial army and carriers (especially during the World Wars). People resented this, so it was an unpopular task.
• D. Presiding over native courts: This was a recognised and accepted function of chiefs, not an unpopular imposition. It actually preserved their traditional authority.

Exam tip: For "unpopular tasks of chiefs under Indirect Rule", think of the "3 burdens": tax collection, forced labour, and conscription. Tasks like judging cases in native courts were seen as powers of chiefs, not burdens.