DAMILOLA BAKARE argues in opposition to the overwhelming vestiges of colonialism
On October 1st, 2026, Nigeria turns 66.
Sixty-six years of proudly owning a flag, a structure, and a seat on the UN. Yet as a single, amalgamated British territory, Nigeria existed for less than 46 years (1914–1960).
How does 46 years of colonial setup proceed to survive 66 years of self-rule?
Nigeria inherited a 46-year-old colonial system, however we’ve additionally had six and a half many years to switch it, exchange it, or construct one thing completely completely different. That is the actual paradox. The flag got here down, however the wiring remained. The concepts, incentives and hierarchies didn’t go away with the British. A mindset doesn’t go away as a result of those that put in it left, it have to be intentionally changed, and nobody did that for us in 1960.
Colonialism was not simply concerning the District Officers and administrative boundaries, it was additionally about making a hierarchy of information, authority, language, tradition and values. It taught folks, over generations, what must be thought of refined and native; what was legit and what was casual; what was polished and what was not; what counted as data and what was superstition. Those concepts didn’t require British officers to stay in Nigeria to outlive, they have been reproduced by Nigerians themselves.
That is what makes the concept of psychological colonialism value analyzing as Nigeria marks 66 years of independence. We see it each day within the courtroom, the place legal professionals nonetheless put on Seventeenth-century British horsehair wigs and black robes in 35-degree warmth to seem realized. You see it within the civil service, the place a three-piece swimsuit in 38-degree Abuja stays the uniform of seriousness, whereas Kaftan or Isiagu is “casual.” Local entrepreneurs wrestle to achieve legitimacy in their very own market, whereas imported manufacturers are robotically related to high quality and status. The message is constant: authority should look overseas to be actual. To be truthful, none of that is defined by colonialism alone, globalisation, class, financial incentives and fashionable media all play their half. But colonial historical past helped construct the hierarchies by means of which we nonetheless assign worth.
We devalue what makes us, us. Consider magnificence.
Skin bleaching is widespread throughout Africa, with Nigeria recording a few of the highest reported charges. The actual figures differ, however the sample is plain.
Why does lighter pores and skin command such a premium in a society whose overwhelming majority is Black? The reply will not be colonialism alone. Colourism, class, gender expectations, promoting, and fashionable magnificence tradition all play a job, however colonialism constructed the framework for these to develop.
We see the identical sample on the earth of labor. Skilled trades are sometimes seen as backup plan by graduates fairly than professions requiring experience, certification, and entrepreneurship. Yes, increased pay and development alternatives generally clarify these preferences, however do they clarify why sure types of work are thought of inherently extra prestigious even once they pay lower than expert trades?
The downside will not be aspiration. It is the hierarchy of aspiration.
Colonial affect didn’t survive by means of one channel, a number of elements; some created throughout colonial rule and others expanded after independence account for this phenomenon.
Colonial training was intently related to the executive and financial wants of the colonial system. It was constructed to supply clerks not creators. Overtime, the Nigerian elite realized to equate intelligence with fluency in English, not competence in fixing Nigerian issues. We inherited that in the meantime; the target of training must be to supply Nigerians able to understanding the world and fixing Nigerian issues.
Indirect rule preserved chiefs however diminished their legitimacy. They turned accountable upward to the Crown, not downward to the folks. At independence, we inherited that extractive structure the place a state designed to manage territory and acquire income, to not serve residents. And that is among the deepest questions of post-colonial Nigeria.
The 1914 amalgamation was for British steadiness sheets, not Nigerian cohesion. We saved the construction, modified the flag, and puzzled why it nonetheless extracts fairly than serves.
After Britain left, the cultural centre of gravity didn’t robotically return to Nigeria. American and European media, vogue, promoting turned the usual. So, colonialism advanced into globalization and now, the actual query is whether or not Nigeria will stay a shopper of world tradition or develop into a serious exporter of it.
The success of Afrobeats and Nollywood exhibits what is feasible. Nigerian tradition is already shaping world tastes, however largely by means of the drive of outstanding people fairly than deliberate nationwide technique. Like South Korea with Okay-pop and Okay-dramas, Nigeria ought to create the incentives, insurance policies, and establishments wanted to export its tradition at scale. Cultural affect mustn’t rely solely on expertise. It must be supported by technique.
One, de-Lugardize Education. If the issue is partly the hierarchy by means of which we worth data, the answer can’t be to interchange one hierarchy with one other. Rather, we should construct an training system that treats Nigerian data, expertise, and realities with equal seriousness.
An agriculture pupil ought to be taught each world agricultural science and the realities of farming in Nigeria. An engineering pupil must be skilled to design for the infrastructure challenges they’re more likely to encounter at house. A public coverage pupil ought to examine concepts from Britain and the United States but in addition be challenged to develop options for issues in Kano, Lagos, Bayelsa, Enugu, or Yobe.
Our universities ought to reward sensible problem-solving. Government funding ought to prioritise analysis that addresses native challenges and produces options with direct social and financial influence. Education ought to put together Nigerians not solely to grasp the world, but in addition to enhance the nation they dwell in.
Two, Make Nigerian-ness Profitable. Promote using Nigerian materials even in company settings. Rwanda did it with Made-in-Rwanda. It kills the colonial concept that “corporate” means swimsuit and tie in 38-degree warmth. Then tax bleaching lotions like tobacco and use the income to run campaigns and sensitisation schemes that restore pleasure in being dark-skinned and natural-haired.
Three, Kill the Colonial Economy. The economic system created in 1914 was designed to export uncooked supplies and import completed items. More than a century later, we nonetheless comply with that mannequin. True financial independence requires insurance policies that promote worth addition at house, creating jobs, expertise, and wealth earlier than items go away our shores.
We should additionally rebrand work. Nigeria ought to set up nationwide guilds for expert trades reminiscent of welding, tailoring, and farming, with recognised certification, pensions, {and professional} standing similar to ICAN or the NBA. Countries reminiscent of Germany have proven that vocational excellence generally is a supply of status and nationwide energy.
Colonialism is not an excuse 66 years later. But it stays a proof for the way sure hierarchies have been constructed. We have had time to dismantle them. The query will not be whether or not 46 nonetheless shapes us. It does. The query is what we’ve completed with 66.
Bakare is Development Communications Expert and Founder, Full Life Creed
