Britain and the civilizing mission in Nigeria: revisiting anti-malaria policy in Lagos metropolis during the colonial era, 1861-1960

Abstract

Malaria, probably the oldest and most endemic human disease has also received the greatest attention of man with Africa ever remaining the most vulnerable. The etiology of malaria among the indigenous Yoruba of Lagos before the advent of Western civilization was like other African peoples ascribed to physiological factors. For this reason, malaria was perceived as ‘Blackman’s disease’. However, with the advent of European influence, this belief system changed from that of African to a global disease. Lagos under the British colonial administration between 1861 and 1960, witnessed unprecedented attempts to stem the malaria scourge in the city. By 1960 when Nigeria attained her independence, the anti-malaria campaign, though significant, was sectional. The impact of the campaign was felt only in the highbrow areas, essentially at Ikoyi, the seat of power and official quarters of the British colonialists and the European settlers’ communities, while the larger part of the city was still ravaged by the disease. Using cultural and modernization theories, the study adopted a historical and descriptive analysis to explain why the effort of the colonial government, though remarkable, failed to achieve the goal of a malaria-free world of the World Health Organization. Nonetheless, the study concluded that the effort of the British colonial government at this period laid a solid  foundation for a virile health-care sector for Nigeria and brightened the prospect for a malaria-free Lagos Metropolis.