ROAD DEVELOPMENT IN COLONIAL ANNANG, CALABAR PROVINCE, NIGERIA, 1900-1960

Abstract

The major task of this paper is to examine roads construction and maintenance in colonial Annang and how road transportation was used to exploit the resources of Annang during the colonial period. The exploitation of Annang would not have been possible, but for improvement in roads construction and maintenance by the colonial authorities. The study interrogated how these roads were used to promote British economic exploitation of Annang during the colonial period. It adopted the historical method, relying extensively on primary information obtained from oral interviews and archival sources. The study reveals that improvement in transportation facilities in Annang was a means to an end contrary to the colonial belief that there were meant to develop the Annang society. The end itself was the economic exploitation of Annang. The colonial administration leveraged its machinery to establish crucial infrastructure in Annang, which served to advance and safeguard British economic interest in the region.