123 Years After British Conquest: Historian Says Colonial Rule Weakened Kano’s Economic Power

As Kano marks 123 years since its conquest by British colonial forces on February 3, 1903, a Kano-based historian, Malam Ibrahim Ado Kurawa, has reflected on the long-term economic impact of colonial rule on the ancient city.
Kurawa said the British occupation of Kano was driven largely by the desire to exploit the area’s wealth and natural resources. According to him, colonial authorities restructured Kano’s economy to serve British interests rather than local development.
He explained that economic activities were deliberately restricted, with emphasis placed mainly on cotton and groundnut production. Farmers, he noted, were compelled to sell their produce at controlled prices for export to Britain, limiting local industrial growth and economic independence.
The historian further observed that the transportation of agricultural produce through southern ports gradually redirected economic activity away from Kano. This shift, he said, weakened Kano’s long-standing status as a major commercial hub and diminished its role as the economic nerve centre of the region.
Kurawa called for renewed and deliberate investment in agriculture, trade, and infrastructure, stressing that such efforts are necessary to restore Kano’s historic position as one of Nigeria’s leading centres of commerce and economic activity.
He emphasized that understanding Kano’s colonial past is essential for shaping policies that will revive its economic strength and preserve its historical legacy.