It was after the victory of Sir Fredrick L Lugard in the north and following his recommendations that an indirect system of administration was set up in Nigeria. This involved the local government and administration to be left in the hands of the traditional chiefs and this to be controlled or managed by European officers. The reasons behind this sort of a set up can be attributed to several reasons. The white officers were mostly of aristocratic or gentry backgrounds and they disliked coming in direct contact with locals. The British were basing their decisions on their experiences in Uganda. They believed in a gradual change if necessary and maintaining the status quo as far as possible. The British saw themselves in the role of gardeners more than anything else and the indirect rule would gradually put more of the responsibility on the shoulders of the local tribal chiefs. Realistically speaking the British were just crooks and it was easier for them to rob in this way and lay the blame on the chiefs.
