ABSTRACT
When the French Government granted independence to the West African territories of the French Union in 1960, there was no question of handing over the control of the military units stationed there to these new states. The military forces of the four British West African territories now became independent of one another, each with its own commander and staff, but still part of the British Army and subject to the Army Council in London until such time as control passed to the local governments. The Agreement presented to the House of Representatives for ratification in November 1960 was a fairly innocuous document about the provision of instructors, equipment and training facilities, and arrangements for air-staging rights. But there were some savings to be set against these increases. Exclusive schools run for the children of white servicemen could no longer be maintained by Nigeria and were handed over to committees of local expatriates.
