Exploitation of labour: waged and forced

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Book chapter

Title:	Exploitation of labour: waged and forced
Author:	Obadike, D.C.
Book title:	Britain and Nigeria: exploitation or development?
Year:	1987
Pages:	142-163
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Nigeria United Kingdom
Subjects:	colonialism labour forced labour
Abstract:	The fundamental reason for owning a colony was to exploit, not only the colony's mineral and agricultural wealth, but also its labour resources. British imperialists introduced new forms of slavery into 20th-century Nigeria as manifested by forced labour and deplorably low wages. The entire exercise affected Nigerians negatively. Among other things, it assigned to them the inevitable dependency role which, in turn, opened up channels for further exploitation of the colony. On the psychological level, Nigerians who were brought up in the bizarre atmosphere of the colonial forced labour system have remained disenchanted with all forms of wage labour. Some of them who have not forgotten the brutality and uncertainty that characterized service in the colonial economy still describe all forms of paid labour as 'the white man's work'. Notes, ref.