The list of Nigeria head of State during the colonial reign is listed below. That is, all the British colonial ruler-ship before Nigeria gained her independence in 1960 are given in this post.
A total of 8 British colonial masters ruled Nigeria in the pre-independence period. Sir Fredrick Lord Lugard was the first to rule under the colonial system by amalgating Nigeria Region into two distinct parts.
Nigeria colonial reign by the British Government dates back to as far as the early 1900. Whereby Sir Fredrick Lord Lugard became the first Nigerian head of State before Nigerian gained her independence.
During the Colonial rule the capital city of Nigeria was Lagos. The colonial rule in Nigeria was officially formed in the year 1914 (that is 19th and 20th century) and ended in the year 1960 when Nigeria gained independence.
In 1886 to 1899 what is known as Nigeria was ruled by the Royal Niger Company, that is even before the colonial rule took place between 1912 and 1914.
The Niger Company rule was governed by George Tauban Goldie who wouldn’t make it to the list; since the listing is purely based on those head of States who ruled during the colonial reign not pre-colonial reign.
The Niger Company Rule was replaced by the colonial system in 1900 when Governor Frederick Lugard amalgamated Nigeria as a colony. Consisting of two main parts, the Northern(North East, North Central, North West) and Southern(South South, South West, South East) Protectorate.
List of Colonial Head of States Before Independence:
- Sir Fredrick Lord Lugard 1912-1919
- Sir Hurge Clifford 1919-1925
- Sir Creamer Thompson 1925-1931
- Sir Donald Cameroon 1931-1935
- Sir Bernard Boundillion 1935-1943
- Sir Anthony Richard 1943-1948
- Sir John Macphaerson 1946-1958
- Sir James Robertson 1958-1960