Pre-colonial Elitism: A Study in Traditional Model of Governance in Akokoland

• Main Author: Olusanya Faboyede
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athens Institute for Education and Research 2019-01-01
• Series: Athens Journal of History
• Online Access: https://www.athensjournals.gr/history/2019-5-1-4-Faboyede.pdf

This paper examines the nature of traditional administration in pre-colonial Akokoland. Contrary to the view that traditional Yoruba society and other African peoples carried out their activities without planning because they were non-literate; there is sufficient evidence that pre-colonial Akokoland had dynamic patterns and result oriented models of administration. Prior to European colonialism, Akoko society was structurally arranged and positively administered for the benefit of the people of the region. The method of data analysis employed in the study is the historical approach of simple, descriptive and analysis of historical data. The paper concludes that pre-colonial Akokoland and African states generally had their own unique models or systemic pattern of governance before the commencement of colonial enterprise. The paper, therefore recommends that pre-colonial history of various communities in Nigeria, including Akokoland should be given more scholarly attention in order to preserve indigenous culture and to show that the people had a history worthy of study before the era of colonisation.