Observation

This was an unpopular question and many of the candidates who answered it did not performed very well. They misinterpreted the question and gave wrong answers resulting in low marks. The candidates were expected to give the following points as their answers.

(i) The British Consular administration deprived the chiefs and their subjects their rights by forcing them to sign several treaties which undermined their authority.
(ii)  It interfered in the domestic politics of several city states.
(iii) It challenged the supremacy and authority of the rulers and in some cases it led to the dethronement of chiefs and installation of their favorites.
(iv)  It used the British Naval Squadron to intimidate chiefs and their subjects.
(v) It destroyed kingdoms and city states to satisfy British political and economic interest.
(vi) It dictated the prices of goods to their own advantage.
(vii)  It destroyed the middlemen position of Nigerians.
(viii) It led to loss of lives and property.
(ix) It prepared the way for British political and economic influence in the hinterland.
(x) It finally eroded the political independence of the people.