The Niger Coast Protectorate was a British protectorate in the Oil Rivers area of present-day Nigeria, originally established as the Oil Rivers Protectorate in 1891 and confirmed at the Berlin Conference the following year, renamed on 12 May 1893, and merged with the chartered territories of the Royal Niger Company on 1 January 1900 to form the colony of Southern Nigeria. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In International law, a protectorate is a autonomous territory that is "protected" by a stronger state or entity hense the protector which engages to protect The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal See also Congress of Berlin (1878 and Berlin Conference of 1954 (Cold War Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Royal Niger Company was a mercantile company chartered by the British government in the nineteenth century New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Southern Nigeria was a British Protectorate in the coastal areas of modern-day Nigeria, formed in 1900 from union of the Niger Coast Protectorate
Postage stamps and postal history
The main post office was established at Old Calabar in November 1891; sub-offices existed at Benin, Bonny, Brass, Opobo, and Warri. A post office is a facility authorized by a Postal system for the posting receipt sorting handling transmission or delivery of Mail. Calabar is a city in southeastern Nigeria. The City is watered by the Calabar and Great Qua Rivers and creeks of the Cross Benin City, a city (2006 est pop 1147188 in Edo State, southern Nigeria, is a city approximately twenty-five miles North of the Benin River. Bonny (formerly Ibani or Ubani) is a town in Rivers State in southeast Nigeria, on the Bight of Biafra. Brass is any Alloy of Copper and Zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties History Opobo did not exist until 1870 From pre-historic time what become known as Opobo was formerly known as Ikot Abasi which was one of the communities (states in the old Calabar Warri is a Major Oil city in Delta State, Nigeria, with a population in the range of over a million people Initially the postage stamps of Britain were used; in July 1892 they were overprinted with "BRITISH / PROTECTORATE / OIL / RIVERS". A postage stamp is an adhesive paper evidence of pre-paying a fee for postal services An overprint is the addition of text (and sometimes graphics to the face of a Postage stamp after it has been printed (although some overprints are solely in the Selvedge A pressing need for halfpenny values in mid-1893 resulted in a variety of surcharges on 2d and 2 1/2d stamps. While most simply read "HALF / PENNY", with a horizontal bar to obliterate the old value, some were overprinted "1/2 d" twice, with the intent that they be bisected diagonally to produce two 1/2d stamps.
The name change occurred just as new stamps were being prepared, and so the first issue of the Niger Coast Protectorate, featuring a 3/4 portrait of Queen Victoria, was inscribed "OIL RIVERS" but obliterated and overprinted "NIGER COAST". Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Available in November 1893, they were superseded the following May by stamps in a new design and the correct inscription. These stamps continued for the remainder of the protectorate's existence, with a change over to use the "Crown & CA" watermark from 1897 on (the paper had previously been unwatermarked). A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in Paper that shows in various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected
References
- Thomas Pakenham, The Scramble for Africa (Random House, 1991), pp. There are a number of books bearing the title "Scramble for Africa" including The Scramble for Africa The White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912 197-199
- Wellsted, Rossiter & Flower, The Stamp Atlas (Macdonald, 1986)
- Stanley Gibbons catalogue
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