Northern Nigeria Protectorate

Northern Nigeria Protectorate
1900–1914
Ensign
Badge
Anthem: "God Save the King"
Northern Nigeria (red)
British possessions in Africa (pink)
1913
StatusProtectorate of British Empire
CapitalZungeru
Common languagesEnglish (official)
Hausa, Arabic, Yoruba, Fula, Kanuri, Nupe, Igala, Jukun widely spoken
Religion
Islam, Christianity, Yoruba religion, African traditional religion
GovernmentConstitutional monarchy
Monarch 
 1900–1901
Victoria
 1901-1910
Edward VII
 1910–1914
George V
High Commissioner/Governor 
 1900–1906
Sir Frederick Lugard
 1907–1909
Sir Percy Girouard
 1909–1911
Sir Henry Hesketh Bell
 1911-1912
Charles Lindsay Temple acting
 1912–1914
Sir Frederick John Dealtry Lugard
History 
 Established
1 January 1900
 Disestablished
1 January 1914
CurrencyPound sterling (1900–13)
British West African pound (1913–14)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Sokoto Caliphate
Bornu Empire
Wukari Federation
Igala Kingdom
Borgu Emirate
Nigeria Protectorate

Northern Nigeria (Hausa: Arewacin Najeriya) was a British protectorate which lasted from 1900 until 1914, and covered the northern part of what is now Nigeria.

The protectorate spanned 660,000 square kilometres (255,000 sq mi) and included the emirates of the Sokoto Caliphate and parts of the former Bornu Empire, conquered in 1902. The first High Commissioner of the protectorate was Frederick Lugard, who suppressed slavery and tribal raiding and created a system of administration built around native authorities.

The Protectorate was ended on 1 January 1914, when its area was unified with the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Lagos Colony, becoming the Northern Province of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria.