Lugard appointed Governor-General to execute amalgamation

In 1912, Frederick Lugard was sent back to Nigeria as Governor-General with the specific commission to merge the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria with the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria. The move generated controversy in the south, where it was opposed by a large section of the political class and the media. Lugard's appointment was deliberate: his Machiavellian, military-trained disposition made him the preferred enforcer for an amalgamation expected to face popular resistance.