WAEC Government 2013 Theory — Question 11

Model answer

(a) The term “indirect rule” can be defined as a system of colonial administration in which the British made use of the traditional political institutions of the people to govern them. Under the system, traditional rulers served as middlemen between the colonial officials and the people of the colony. (b) The following are the reasons why the policy of indirect rule was criticized: i. The system did not make use of the educated elite but rather used the uneducated traditional rulers. This made the educated elite to oppose the policy. ii. The indirect rule system in many cases increased the powers of the traditional rulers which made them to be too powerful for the people to control them. This made the educated elite to voice out against the indirect rule system. iii. Another reason why the policy of indirect rule was criticised is because the system was seen as undemocratic and oppressive by the both the people and the educated elite. The system was seen as an imposition on the people by the British colonial government. iv. The indirect rule system arrogated the powers of deposing a traditional ruler to the British colonial officials not the local people. This made the educated elite to oppose the indirect rule system. v. The rejection of the indirect rule system by the educated elite can be attributed to the awareness on the part of the educated elite that colonialism was exploitative. This made them to oppose the indirect rule system.