• NON RECOGNITION OF EDUCATED ELITES: British officials
    did not see the need to include the educate • Nigerians in the Colonial administration.
  •  THE USE OF
    UNEDUCATED TRADITIONAL RULERS: The
    indirect rule system made use of local chiefs and traditional rulers who were mostly uneducated.
  •  THE WARRANT
    CHIEFS:     The creation of
    warrant chiefs in the eastern part of the countr-. led to problems of
    different proportions. The warrant chiefs became highhanded and ruthless in the discharge of
    their functions.
  •  COMBINATION
    OF JUDICIAL AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS     IN THE HANDS OF COLONIAL OFFICERS: Most of the British
    Officials exercised both .functions and even to the
    disadvantages of the people.
  •  POSITION OF THE CH1EFS: The colonial officials strengthened or
    empowered and protected the powers of the
    chiefs even beyong traditional bounds. In fact, they acted more than their
    traditional role.
  •  INTRODUCTION
    OFTAXAT1ON: Britain imposed
    different methods of taxation on the people and it led to riots in various
    parts of the country for example the Aba women’s riot of 1929 and Iseyin riot of
    1927.
  •  APPOINTMENT AND DISPOSITION: Traditional chiefs
    were appointed and disposed or removed by colonial masters. The people were not allowed the opportunity to
    appoint traditional rulers themselves. This was kicked against by the educated
    elites.
  •  EDUCATION: The level of
    education was high in the east, people could question the relevance of indirect
    rule system imposed on them. Most of the protest or riots happened as a result of this.
  •  DECENTRALISED
    ADMINISTRATION: The eastern
    Nigerian, for instance had a decentralised -system of administration. Powers are not
    concentrated but decentraiised. In fact, the Igbo political system is more of Republic form of government. Indirect
    rule cannot work under such system.
  •  TRIBALISM: The system encourage
    tribalism and sectionalism at the expense of national consciousness, little wonder,
    Northern Nigeria did not want independence when other parts were asking for it.