SUMMARY

  The project has thoroughly addressed its primary objectives, providing or comprehensive understanding of the complex connection between western education and the emergence of the elite class in colonial Nigeria by focusing on the case study of Nnamdi Azikiwe. This study has enlightened various aspect of complex issues whose aim is to accomplish three main goals: Firstly, to examine the role of Western education in the formation of African elite, to analyze the impact of Western education on the political and social life of Nnamdi Azikiwe and the relationship between Western education and the development of Nigeria nationalism.

 Firstly, this study sheds light on this crucial role of Western education in shaping the African elite during colonial time. Western education wasn’t just a tool of colonial control, it unintentionally fostered the rise of an educated class. Western education was introduced by European colonizers, primarily the British, as a tool for assimilating Nigeria into their culture and values. The education system was designed to produce a small group of Nigerians who could assist the colonizers in governing the country, however the establishment of schools by the colonial administration offered an opportunity for individuals from lower social class to acquire education and rise through the ranks. Education became a means of attaining upward social mobility and those who had access to it gained an advantage in terms of employment opportunities and social standing. It provided a frame work of governance and administration which the British colonial authorities established educational institution that taught subject such as English, Mathematics and Science, as well as subject related to governance and bureaucracy. This enabled Nigerians to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to occupy positions of authority with the colonial administration of authority with the colonial administration.