First published in 1982. This book, makes sense of Lugard's administration in Egbaland, by to devoting space to the history, religion, and political structure created by the African peoples of western Nigeria. Only by looking at the Egba traditional system and their attempts to modernize their state prior to 1914 can one fully appreciate their sense of loss and betrayal after annexation. The Abyokuta uprising was a very important event during the imperial phase of Nigerian history.