Charles Joseph George
Encyclopedia
Charles Joseph George was a successful SaroA "Saro" was a freed slave who had returned to Nigeria. trader who was appointed a member of the Legislative Council of the Lagos Colony
from 1886 onwards.
trader and a prominent Wesleyan.
The Anglican C.M.S. Grammar School, Lagos had been established in 1859 by Rev. T.B. Macaulay.
On 13 January 1874, leaders of the Methodist community, including C.J. George, met to discuss founding a similar school for members of their communion. After a fund-raising drive, the Methodist Boys School building was opened in June 1877.
On 17 February 1881, George was one of the community leaders who laid the foundation stone for the Wesley Church at Olowogbowo
, in the west of Lagos Island
.
in 1886.
The new legislative council was composed of four official and three unofficial members. Moloney nominated two Africans as unofficial representatives, the other being James Johnson
.
The British had arranged to pay Dosunmu, the Oba
of Lagos an annual grant of £1,000 for his lifetime, after which they would assume full sovereignty of the colony. When Dosunmu died in 1884, Africans led by James Johnson and supported by George demanded a reasonable payment for his son, Oyekan. This was agreed by the administration, but only reluctantly.
In August 1896, C.J. George and G.W. Neville, both merchants and both unofficial members of the Legislative Council, presented a petition urging construction of the railway terminus on Lagos Island rather than at Iddo, and also asking for the railway to be extended to Abeokuta
. George was the leader of the delegation making this request, and described its many commercial advantages.
In 1903 there was a crisis over the payment of the tolls that were collected from traders by native rulers, although Europeans were exempted. The alternative was to replace the tolls by a subsidy. Governor William MacGregor
requested views from C.J. George, Christopher Sapara Williams and Obadiah Johnson as indigenous opinion leaders. All were in favor of retaining the tolls to avoid upsetting the rulers.
In 1903 the government of the colony prepared a Newspaper Ordinance ostensibly designed to prevent libels being published. George, Williams and Johnson, the three Nigerian council members, all objected on the grounds that the ordinance would inhibit freedom of the press. George said "any obstacle in the way of publication of newspapers in this colony means throwing Lagos back to its position forty or fifty years ago". Despite these objections, the ordinance was passed into law.
George was reappointed to the Legislative Council in April 1904.
He retained his position on the Council until his death in 1906.
Lagos Colony
Lagos Colony was a British colonial possession centered on the port of Lagos in what is now southern Nigeria. Lagos was annexed on 6 August 1861 and declared a colony on 5 March 1862....
from 1886 onwards.
Church leader
Charles Joseph George was of Egba origin, a LagosLagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
trader and a prominent Wesleyan.
The Anglican C.M.S. Grammar School, Lagos had been established in 1859 by Rev. T.B. Macaulay.
On 13 January 1874, leaders of the Methodist community, including C.J. George, met to discuss founding a similar school for members of their communion. After a fund-raising drive, the Methodist Boys School building was opened in June 1877.
On 17 February 1881, George was one of the community leaders who laid the foundation stone for the Wesley Church at Olowogbowo
Olowogbowo
Olowogbowo is an area in the west of Lagos Island in Lagos, Nigeria, also known as Apongbon. The area is in the central business district....
, in the west of Lagos Island
Lagos Island
Lagos Island is the principal and central local government area of the Metropolitan Lagos in Nigeria. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a population of 209,437 in an area of 8.7 km²...
.
Legislative Council member
As a leader of the indigenous business community, C.J. George was appointed an unofficial"Unofficial" means a civilian as opposed to a colonial official. member of the Legislative Council by Governor Alfred Moloney when Lagos Colony was separated from the Gold CoastGold Coast (region)
The Gold Coast was the region of West Africa which is now the nation of Ghana. Early uses of the term refer literally to the coast and not the interior. It was not until the 19th century that the term came to refer to areas that are far from the coast...
in 1886.
The new legislative council was composed of four official and three unofficial members. Moloney nominated two Africans as unofficial representatives, the other being James Johnson
James Johnson (Reverend)
James 'Holy' Johnson was a prominent clergyman and one of the first African members of Nigeria's Legislative Council.-Early Life:James Johnson was born in Sierra Leone in 1836 to liberated African parents of Yoruba origin....
.
The British had arranged to pay Dosunmu, the Oba
OBA
Oba or OBA may refer to:* Oba , an African ruler or king* Oba , in Yoruba mythology* Oba, an island in the North Maluku province of Indonesia* Oba-Igbomina, a town in Nigeria...
of Lagos an annual grant of £1,000 for his lifetime, after which they would assume full sovereignty of the colony. When Dosunmu died in 1884, Africans led by James Johnson and supported by George demanded a reasonable payment for his son, Oyekan. This was agreed by the administration, but only reluctantly.
In August 1896, C.J. George and G.W. Neville, both merchants and both unofficial members of the Legislative Council, presented a petition urging construction of the railway terminus on Lagos Island rather than at Iddo, and also asking for the railway to be extended to Abeokuta
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
. George was the leader of the delegation making this request, and described its many commercial advantages.
In 1903 there was a crisis over the payment of the tolls that were collected from traders by native rulers, although Europeans were exempted. The alternative was to replace the tolls by a subsidy. Governor William MacGregor
William MacGregor
Sir William MacGregor GCMG, CB was a Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea, Governor of Newfoundland and Governor of Queensland.-Early life:...
requested views from C.J. George, Christopher Sapara Williams and Obadiah Johnson as indigenous opinion leaders. All were in favor of retaining the tolls to avoid upsetting the rulers.
In 1903 the government of the colony prepared a Newspaper Ordinance ostensibly designed to prevent libels being published. George, Williams and Johnson, the three Nigerian council members, all objected on the grounds that the ordinance would inhibit freedom of the press. George said "any obstacle in the way of publication of newspapers in this colony means throwing Lagos back to its position forty or fifty years ago". Despite these objections, the ordinance was passed into law.
George was reappointed to the Legislative Council in April 1904.
He retained his position on the Council until his death in 1906.