Government 2,Nov/Dec 2015

Question 6

Highlight any five roles played by the Chiefs during the British colonial administration in West Africa.

Observation

This question was unpopular and was also avoided some of the candidates. The few ones who attempted it did not perform well; they failed to provide roles played by the Chiefs. The candidates were expected to provide the following answers in order to score good marks.
             
             (i)        Served as intermediaries between their subjects and the colonial authorities.
(ii)        Responsible for the collection of taxes in their domain.
(iii)       Served as judges at native courts where minor cases were attended to.
(iv)       Took part in the law making process as some of them belonged to the House of Chiefs/Legislative Council.
(v)        Maintained law and order in their domain.
(vi)       Organized force labour for the colonial authorities.
(vii)      Guided and protected the customs of the people.
(viii)     Some chiefs assisted the colonialist to exploit the resources of their community.
(ix)       Mobilized their people for communal works.
(x)        Served as advisors to the colonial government on customs and traditional  issues.
(xi)       Implemented colonial policies and decisions.

(xii)      Served as custodians of lands.