NIGERIAN STAVES OF OFFICE

[Mervyn Mitton]

Have managed to separate them - so will post now to keep them together. Strictly speaking these are civil - rather than police - however, the similarity to British regalia is very apparent.

The one thing you have to admire the British for - is total arrogance !! We knew we were right - and never deviated from that opinion - why do I say this ? Quite simply - these were given by the British administration in Nigeria as status symbols for THIRD class chiefs... Only we - could designate someone as a third class - but, still give him an impressive staff for authority !!

These date back to the reign of King Edward 7th. (1901-1910) and they are brass ended , with a crown surmounting. They actually look very impressive when polished. I have never seen the badge of office for a 2nd. class - however, I understand it was a badge and not a staff - perhaps Peter can help on this ?

For a first class chief the top was in solid silver and was - surmounted by a large cast silver hippoptamus (this may have varied). The oldest stick and umbrella company in England is opposite Holborn Police Station - they made them for the Govt. and have one on display.

Apart from that one, mine are the only other ones I have seen - if anyone can help with pictures or, more info. it would be good.

Edited July 19, 2009 by Mervyn Mitton

[Mervyn Mitton]

[Mike Dwyer]

...The one thing you have to admire the British for - is total arrogance !! We knew we were right - and never deviated from that opinion...

At the risk of being terribly politically incorrect, I have to say, Mervyn, that sometimes I wonder, with all of the corruption, murders, dictatorships, etc. that have occured in many of the former British colonies, perhaps the British were as right as right can be! The Empire may not have been perfect, but there was a sense of law and order to it. God save Victoria, the Queen-Empress.....oops, a bit late for that isn't it!

[peter monahan]

Mervyn

I'm afraid I can't shed any light on the staffs - By the time I got there Nigeria had gone through independence and a civil war (the Biafran War) and things British were in short supply except for some of my acquaintances who bore distinctive names such as MacDonald Owerri and Thompson Abache. Apparently the custom was to name a son after the local District Commissioner, using his surname as a first name. I used to think it very odd but here in multicultural Canada it is becoming very common to meet kids with names like Shannon Chen, Kevin Singh and Ivan O'Shea.

I believe the "Third Class Chief", while arguably very arrogant, was an attempt to sort out local leaders according to their importance in the political scheme of things - their 'pay grade' if you will. In southern Nigeria, at least when I was there, "Chief" was so widely used as to be virtually meaningless except as an indicator that the bearer felt important.

The various classes would have received, besides differing rank symbols, different pensions/stipends, differing levels of ceremony and deference on official occasions and so on. The British used a similar system in India to rank the rulers of the various princely states.