# The Amalgamation of 1914

> The Amalgamation of 1914 merged the British Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria — the latter already including the Colony of Lagos, annexed in 1861 — into a single Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria on 1 January 1914. Governor-General Frederick Lugard framed the merger chiefly as fiscal: covering the North's budget deficit with the South's customs surplus. Critics, including Northern premier Ahmadu Bello, later called it "the mistake of 1914."

**Category:** History · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/amalgamation-of-1914

## Key facts
- **Date of union:** 1 January 1914, by Order in Council of 22 November 1913
- **Territories merged:** Protectorate of Northern Nigeria + Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria
- **Lagos Colony:** Annexed 1861; merged into Southern Nigeria Protectorate, 1906
- **First Governor-General:** Frederick Lugard (in office 1914–1919)
- **Stated rationale:** Fiscal: North's deficit offset by South's customs surplus
- **Name "Nigeria":** Coined by journalist Flora Shaw, The Times, 1897
- **Later critique:** "The mistake of 1914" — Ahmadu Bello, My Life (1962)

## Sources
- 1914 and the Making of Nigeria: What the Amalgamation Really Was, and What It Was Not — Historical Nigeria (https://historicalnigeria.com/1914-and-the-making-of-nigeria-what-the-amalgamation-really-was-and-what-it-was-not/)
- Why Lord Lugard Joined Northern and Southern Nigeria in 1914 — HistoryVille (https://www.thehistoryville.com/lugard-1914-amalgamation/)
- Frederick Lugard and the 1914 Amalgamation of Nigeria — Historical Nigeria (https://historicalnigeria.com/frederick-lugard-and-the-1914-amalgamation-of-nigeria/)
- The Concept of Nigeria Was a Grave Mistake (quoting Ahmadu Bello, My Life, 1962, p.133) — Middle Belt News Network (https://middle-beltnewsnetworksltd.com/the-concept-of-nigeria-was-a-grave-mistake/)
- Lagos as a Crown Colony in 1861: The Foundation of British Colonial Nigeria — Historical Nigeria (https://historicalnigeria.com/lagos-as-a-crown-colony-in-1861-the-foundation-of-british-colonial-nigeria/)
- When Frederick Lugard's Wife Flora Shaw Named Nigeria in 1897 — Empire Untold (https://www.empireuntold.co.uk/articles/when-frederick-lugards-wife-flora-shaw-named-nigeria-in-1897)
- British Conquest of the Sokoto Caliphate, 1897 to 1903 — Historical Nigeria (https://historicalnigeria.com/british-conquest-of-the-sokoto-caliphate-1897-to-1903/)
- Geographical Expression, So What? — The Guardian Nigeria (https://guardian.ng/opinion/geographical-expression-so-what/)

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