Britain and the Civilizing Mission in Nigeria: Revisiting Anti-Malaria Policy in Lagos Metropolis during the Colonial Era, 1861 – 1960

Malaria, probably the oldest and most endemic human disease has alsoreceived the greatest attention of man with Africa ever remaining the mostvulnerable. The etiology of malaria among the indigenous Yoruba of Lagosbefore the advent of Western civilization was like other African peoplesascribed to physiological factors. For this reason, malaria was perceived as‘Blackman’s disease’. However, with the advent of European influence, thisbelief system changed from that of African to a global disease. Lagos under the British colonial administration between 1861 and 1960, witnessedunprecedented attempts to stem the malaria scourge in the city. By 1960when Nigeria attained her independence, the anti-malaria campaign, though significant, was sectional. The impact of the campaign was felt only in the highbrow areas, essentially at Ikoyi, the seat of power and official quarters of the British colonialists and the European settlers’ communities, while the larger part of the city was still ravaged by the disease. Using cultural and modernization theories, the study adopted a historical and descriptive analysis to explain why the effort of the colonial government, though remarkable, failed to achieve the goal of a malaria-free world of the World Health Organization. Nonetheless, the study concluded that the effort of the British colonial government at this period laid a solid foundation for a virile health-care sector for Nigeria and brightened the prospect for a malaria-free Lagos Metropolis