An Assessment of the Impact of Prison Labour in Colonial Africa: The Nigerian Example, 1872-1960

Abstract

The establishment of colonial prisons across the various regions in Africa by the colonialists in the 19 th and 20 th centuries was one of the strategies aimed at consolidating its judicial system during that period. Indeed, penal labour during this period became a ‘harbinger’ for the establishment of imperial capitalism. By 1872, the first colonial prison was built and commissioned in Lagos, Nigeria, by the British colonialists. However, by the turn of the 20 th century, the prison system in colonial Nigeria witnessed massive restructuring and classification of the entire scheme. Under this new system was the prison labour section, which was further classified into three categories: industrial, domestic, and unskilled labour. These units formed the complete penal labour arrangement under the colonial administration, and until 1960, it served as one of the major sources of cheap colonial labour. Thus, the role played by penal labour in the colonial economy cannot be overemphasized. It is against this background that this research seeks to (re)examine the impact of the prison labour in the African colonial economy, with particular reference to the Nigeria Prisons Service, 1872- 1960. The qualitative historical narrative and analytical method are adopted in this study. Data collection is based on oral interviews, popular culture, newspaper commentaries and opinions, archival materials, and other relevant secondary literature gathered through a multidisciplinary approach. This research will go a long way in contributing to the comprehension of the content and contextual interpretation of the African colonial penal labour system, using the Nigerian example, 1872-1960.