ABSTRACT
William Wallace was a military officer, colonial administrator and geographer. Wallace compiled this report for parliament in his capacity at the time as High Commissioner for the Northern Nigerian Protectorate. He had recently replaced Sir Frederick Lugard on an interim basis prior to the appointment of Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard. For the three years prior to this Wallace had served as Lugard’s deputy. He had also acted as acting High Commissioner on three previous occasions dating back to 1901, shortly after Northern Nigeria was created as a protectorate in place of corporate rule via the Royal Niger Company. Lugard’s tenure as High Commissioner, prior to Wallace’s appointment, had consolidated British control over the diverse peoples of Northern Nigeria under the system of ‘indirect rule’ whereby some elements of traditional indigenous governance are maintained. Elsewhere in the report Wallace admits to a growing problem of deforestation in northern Nigeria owing to excessive clearances and an unsustainable rubber trade.
