Western Region Built-Up Nigeria With Their Sweat Before & After 1960

What did Nigeria depend on before foreign Oil Income? Nigerians, especially the new generations have to be reminded that there has always been a country and its people before the discovery of Oil in the late 50s that became one of the foreign income earners in the late 60s. The curse of oil has rendered the country into the Poverty capital of the world. The euphoria of foreign Oil Income after the 1971 Arab Oil Embargo, turned ruling politicians into kleptomaniacs.

The Western Region of Nigeria was ruled by the Action Group which was not a member of the coalition of the NPC dominated by the Northern Region and NCNC dominated by the Eastern Region. Indeed, the Action Group remained as the Opposition Party while NPC and NCNC shared political appointments, budgets and contracts. Chief S. L. Akintola later bolted away from the A.G to join the coalition at the Federal but only for some months before the great chaos!

There is a limit to humility, endurance and cultured behavior towards your neighbors. It has now reached a stage where Nigerians have to be reminded who created the land of honey and Wara that turned Nigeria into a potential Regional Power which is being destroyed in this generation. This is not about politics or the fight for the key to the treasury; it is about telling it as it is and was before barbarians embark on born to rule mentality or turned to wanton destruction.

World attraction to Western Region in particular and Nigeria in general was never to develop it but for selfish prospects. They were welcomed with accommodation, tolerance and privileges unmatched anywhere else in Nigeria or the world. Some turned around to abuse unprecedented privileges unavailable anywhere else, must be called to order. Indeed, some of those welcomed have turned the table, usurping accomplishments and the rights of native in Western Nigeria.

It must be stated that most of those welcomed have been grateful, respectful of their hosts and contributed in no small way to the economic progress while respecting the culture, custom and social activities of their hosts. Why do we kneel and say God Bless Foreign lands but abuse and desecrate other African land that accommodate and tolerate us?

Nigeria is a country naturally blessed with cultures of people, music, foods, games and religions. Many people kiss the tarmac or floor after landing as a common expression of gratitude or relief from desperation of their impoverished country into a new country. Except Africans on a new African land or country. Indeed, some get bold claiming that but for them, their new found land would not have been developed or enterprising. The same attractions that brought them in.

• Federal Allocation in Nigeria, 1955: Colonial Funding and Regional Development Dynamics

• During the final decade of British colonial rule in Nigeria, public finance was largely shaped by allocations made under the Colonial Development and Welfare (CD&W) Acts. These funds were intended to support infrastructure, education, health, and administrative development across Britain’s colonies. One frequently cited example is the 1955 regional allocation, which has since become a reference point in discussions about regional inequality and development trajectories in Nigeria.

• Federal Allocation to Nigerian Regions in 1955

• According to records from the Colonial Development and Welfare funding framework, allocations to Nigeria in the mid-1950s were distributed among the Federal Government and the regions as follows:

• According to records from the Colonial Development and Welfare funding framework, allocations to Nigeria in the mid-1950s were distributed among the Fed

Federal Government and the regions as follows:

Northern Region: £4,750,000
Eastern Region: £3,750,000
Western Region: £500,000
Federal Government: £3,750,000

• The total allocation to Nigeria under the CD&W Acts between 1945 and 1955 amounted to £36,380,000, covering multiple development programmes across the country.

These figures show that, in absolute terms, the Northern Region received the highest regional allocation, while the Western Region received the lowest among the three regions.

Context of the Allocations
It is important to note that colonial allocations were not solely based on productivity or contribution, but on several factors used by British administrators, including Geographical size

Sources
Colonial Development and Welfare Acts (UK Parliamentary Records, 1945–1955)

Nigerian National Archives
Academic studies on colonial Nigerian public finance

Population estimates
Administrative and security considerations
Perceived levels of “development need”

The Northern Region, being the largest and least infrastructurally developed at the time, was often prioritized for higher allocations. Conversely, the Western Region, which already had comparatively stronger educational and administrative structures, received less direct colonial development funding.

Western Region Development Experience
Despite receiving the lowest allocation, Western Region recorded notable social and economic advancements during the 1950s. This progress was largely attributed to:

Internally generated revenue, particularly from cocoa exports

Strong regional governance under the Action Group-led government

Heavy investment in education, including the introduction of free primary education in 1955

Higher wage structures for regional civil servants compared to some federal and regional counterparts

Historical records show that these policies contributed to rapid improvements in literacy, public administration, and infrastructure in the Western Region, often outpacing federally funded initiatives.