(a) Explain the term Native Authority.
(b) State four defects of the Indirect Rule system.
Explanation
(a) Native Authority was an institution of local administration of Indirect Rule System in British West African Colonies.
(b) The basic defects of the Indirect Rule System include the following
(i) It increased the power of the traditional rulers to the detriment of their subjects.
(ii) The imposition of warrant chiefs and taxation where there were none before made the system unpopular e.g. Isehin and Aba riots. (Hut-tax war in Sierra Leone).
(iii) It created tensions and misunderstanding between the chiefs and educated Africans due to distrust and intrigue.
(iv) The system made the chief corrupt e.g. mis-management of funds, embezzlement of taxes, forced labour, etc.
(v) It was autocratic since colonial authorities had power to over-ride the decisions of the native administration.
(vi) The activities of the native courts were unsatisfactory. They were slow, corrupt, inefficient, etc.
(vii) It slowed down the pace of constitutional development and early independence of West African colonies. This is because it drowned the voice of the people.
(viii) The system tampered with the established traditional institutions e.g. appointment and removal of chiefs.
(ix) It reduced traditional rulers to mere stooges and puppets of the colonial authorities. The traditional rulers were hated by their people.