The Role of Colonialism in Labour Migration in Funtua, C. 1903-1945

Abstract

The paper examines the role of colonial factors in labour migration, in the
establishment and growth of Funtua town in the colonial period. Using primary
sources such as archival materials and secondary data including textbooks and
other extant literature in conducting the research, it reveals that the concept of
migrations has an international dimension that permeated economic, cultural and
demographic global institutions. While narrowing it to Funtua town in Nigeria, the
paper assesses the role of colonial government policies on land, labour and
establishment of colonial government’s firms such as John Holt, P.Z., Miller
Brothers, and so on, which led fortune seekers and disturbed population to migrate
and take up jobs of all kinds in Funtua to meet the challenges of the new imperial
capitalist subjugation. The research concludes that with such dual occurrences the
once traditional economy of Funtua was transformed and integrated into the world
capitalist economy leading to the labour migration. This Funtua in the colonial
period became a receiving society of most of the labourers, which by extension,
made Funtua a semi-urbanized city in Katsina Province.