The British opened the first door to independence in 1922 by providing for direct election of some members of the governing Legislative Council. The nationalists accepted the challenge with passion, led by Herbert Macauley, considered the "father of Nigerian nationalism." More and more local authority was gradually bestowed upon Nigerians in the years preceding World War II.

The war was a major milestone in the road to independence. Nigerian soldiers fought with British units in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. This experience led the soldiers to interact across ethnic lines as never before, and the bravery displayed by the Nigerian troops led the British to re-evaluate the capacity of the Nigerians for self-governance. World War II also created a schism between the schools of Nigerian thought regarding independence: the older, more gradualist philosophy or Macauley and others, and the younger, educated elites, who favored more direct steps toward independence.

In the post-War period, the specter of regionalism was further reinforced by the 1946 Richards constitution (named for the British governor who steered its creation). This document, though it was soon revised, invested real authority in the regions. The Richards constitution was supplanted by the Mcpherson constitution in 1951, a document which established federalism and paved the way for independence.