Abstract

This paper discusses the Benin Native Administration and forestry regulations in colonial Benin. In colonial Nigeria, the Benin Native administration was a two edge structured system, that served the interests of both the colonial authorities and the indigenes or local people. In the context of forestry regulations and exploitation, it was saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the ‘unreserved’ or ‘free areas’ of the forest; that was left out of what was constituted into reserves and out of bound to indigenes for farming or extracting any resources. In essence, the ‘unreserved’ were the only areas the local people could access to get timber to meet their local needs. Therefore, native administration’s regulations were implemented to protect these areas against foreign firms’ intrusion. The ideal goal of the regulations as perceived by the people was that the unreserved should be opened only for indigenous extractors and for domestic supplies. This paper however found that the native administration was merely an organ through which the colonial authorities further appropriated the unreserved areas of Benin forest for the crown. It relies on both primary and secondary sources of information for analysis and interpretation.

Keywords: Native Administration, Unreserved, Forestry Regulations, indigenous extraction, Timber Permits