This book is primarily concerned with an analysis of the historical background of the forces leading to the underdevelopment of Northern Nigeria in the period from the second half of the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, through the activities of British conglomerates: the Royal Niger Company and United African Company. Doing so, provides a basis for understanding the development of African's dependent political economy. Though the study does not cover the whole country, nevertheless, the part which it covers constitutes about two-thirds of the total land area and over half of the country's population at the time of flag independence in 1960. In this book we argue that the intrusion, invasion and subordination of the region's economy by European trading companies destroyed the once self-sufficient and integrated industrial raw material and Agricultural sectors of the economy. The region thus became a mere supplier of basic industrial raw materials to British Industries, and a buyer of their manufactured goods. In the process, its productive classes largely peasants and pockets of metal workers, were impoverished and virtually reduced to penury. The aristocracy lost its sovereignty to the agents interests, and thereby became subordinated to the agents of those companies which in turn, used them in the super-exploitation of the region's resources. The book demonstrates that by the mid-twentieth century, a classical colonial system was effectively established in the region, thereby making the rest of the period that of an intensification of exploitation of both human and material resources.