Northern Protectorate, Provinces and Region

States

Benue Plateau State

Kano State

North Central State / Kaduna

North Eastern State

North Western State

West Central State / Kwara

History

Northern Nigeria was a British colony formed in 1900. The basis of the colony was the 1885 Treaty of Berlin which broadly granted Northern Nigeria to Britain, on the basis of their protectorates in Southern Nigeria.

Britain's chosen Governor, Frederick Lugard, with limited resources, slowly negotiated with, and sometimes coerced, the emirates of the north into accepting British rule. Lugard decided on the merger of the Northern Nigeria Protectorate with Southern Nigeria on 1 January 1914 and Northern Protectorate became a part of British Nigeria Colony as Northern Provinces.

Under an umbrella administration for all Nigeria, the north and south continued to have their own separate administrations, and each had its own Lieutenant-Governor answering to Lugard and his successors.

In 1954 the Northern Provinces were transformed into the Northern Region with its own Governor. In 1962 the Northern Region was incorporated into Nigeria.

Heraldry

The badge of Northern Nigeria was introduced in 1900 and consited of the Royal  British achievement, surrounded by a strap with the title and crowned with the Imperial State Crown.

In 1914 this was abandoned for the Nigerian hexagram.

For the Northern Rgeion a flag was adopted in 1958. This consisted of a white rimmed yellow cross on a green field, in the center a white disc with a red arabesk.

An achievement for the region was adopted before independence and was granted by Queen Elizabeth. It consisted of a shield quartered Or and Vert by a bar wavy of three pieces Azure and Argent, and a pale tierced Or and Azure, in the first a bull, in the secons and third trade crops proper, in the fourth a horse.

On the shield  is the headgear of a Hausa chief.

As supporters on the dexter a horse saliant in traditional horseclothes and on the sinister a camel both proper.

The motto reads: WORK AND WORSHIP.

The compartment consists of a grassy ground.

12 Dec 1958 - 1963

1960 - 1967

In 1967 the region was split into states - Benue-Plateau State, Kano State, Kwara State, North-Central State, North-Eastern State and North-Western State. These would later be renamed and split up themselves. The North Central State’s capital was Kaduna, and after further loss of territory is now known as Kaduna State.

As a result the achievement of the region was abandoned. For the new states achievements were designed instead. Al heve the crest of the national achievement. The arms of the Northern Region were continued by the North Western State but the crest and supporters were changed for the purpose. All achievements of the states were abandoned in 1979. Nowadays the governors of the states display seals with the national achievement.

Pictures retrieved from FOTW (except badge of Northern Nigeria). No higher resolution available.