Abiodun Afolabi

The study examines the structural basis and varied impact of taxation and revolts among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria between 1900 and 1970. The issues are explored from the perspective of the peasants while the cumulative impact is given a more scholarly attention. The policy makers of the period failed to resolve the traditional hostilities between the government and the governed, issues which became very critical for all stakeholders. The resulting political hostility dragged the entire polity into crisis and led to the assassination of chiefs and kings. Predatory leadership and insensitivity to peasant welfare undermined the relative peace in southwestern Nigerian. This research preserves the social memory of the 1968-69 Agbekoya movements through the collection and dissemination of literature on the major stakeholders in the tax revolts.