Ethnic Minority Reaction towards the Unification of the British-Northern Cameroons with the Federation of Nigeria: 1945-1961

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue I, January 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Ethnic Minority Reaction towards the Unification of the British-Northern Cameroons with the Federation of Nigeria: 1945-1961

Adamu Sani Buba¹, Zulkanain Abdulrahman², Azharudin Muhammad Dali^3
1University of Maiduguri, Borno State Nigeria
^2,3 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract: This article examines the minority ethnic extractions otherwise (known as ethnic groups), reaction towards the unification in the 1959 and 1961 plebiscites. Sponsored by the United Nations, under the British, mandate for the part of the former British-Northern Cameroons, unification with the Federation of Nigeria, with the aim of ascertaining the reaction of the minority ethnic extraction who, supposedly against the unification of the trust territory, and voted against it in 1959 and 1961 plebiscite and why? The objectives of their reaction were because of what they called ‘oppression of Kanuri and the Fulani rulers’, and another to avoid been involved in the Jihad? This region, inhabited several ethnic extractions, in both ethnic and geographical compositions, considered as a large whole because of its diversity in common historical root. However, it was not possible to discuss all the ethnic extractions of the region, as we are concern with the ‘Chamba and Kaka-Ntem’ ethnic stocks who were said to be against the unifications, as available sources tend to suggest. The territory was quite remarkable with a unique historical occurrence. Therefore, Sources relied on are primary and secondary sources. We may infer that no part of Nigeria that has experienced such a significant historical feel. The finding of this article is not only the 19th-century Jihad added salt to injury, but rule of the Fulani and the Kanuri as were a made to understand. Undoubtedly, the result of which forced some of the minority ethnic extraction to migrate to Cameroon, while others restricted themselves to the mountaintop.

Keywords: Ethnic Minority, Unification, Northern Cameroons, Nigeria, United Nations.

I. INTRODUCTION

Yola, the Capital of Adamawa state was the headquarter of the Northern Cameroons, and Mubi headquartered the districts on the North, while Jada was Temporary headquarter of the southern districts. Later renamed Sardauna, and became the second smallest province after Kaba, had about 750,000

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