[b]Writer and poet, Odia Ofeimun, has rated the late Premier of the old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, above late former South African President, Nelson Mandela.

The social critic, in an interview granted to Sahara TV which was uploaded to YouTube and seen by our correspondent, said although “Mandela was good for the liberation” of his people, Awolowo made far-reaching impacts on the lives of many Nigerians.

Ofeimun, while comparing the two leaders, said the processes leading to independence in South Africa and Nigeria “followed exactly the same pattern” noting that the liberation struggle championed by Mandela did “not create the end of apartheid.”

He said Awolowo negotiated Nigeria’s independence just as Mandela did, adding that it would amount to a “hype” to think that there were differences in what the two leaders essentially fought for in their respective countries to end colonisation.

Ofeimun said, “I am too much of an Awolowo man not to see that the process of moving into independence in South Africa and in Nigeria followed exactly the same pattern. It was based on a negotiated settlement. The liberation struggle did not create the end of apartheid. It was a negotiation and Nigerians negotiated exactly the way Mandela negotiated.

“You can hype it if you like, but the pattern was exactly the same. You move from one meeting to the other, discussing politics and economics, and they successfully convinced Mandela to buy the pig in a poke of an economy and they also successfully succeeded in convincing Nigerians to buy the pig in a poke of an economy.

“The only man in Nigeria, who stood up against it, was (Obafemi) Awolowo. He was quickly jailed and all his men scattered across the prisons in Nigeria. Some driven abroad and the educational system that he had put in place was smashed.”

While choosing Awolowo above the late anti-apartheid leader, Ofeimun said the philosophical postulations about the workings of a state put forward by Awolowo were superior to those credited to Mandela.

Insisting that Mandela could not match the stature of Awolowo, the Edo State-born poet said Ghana’s first President Kwame Nkrumah was the only African leader that could be seen to rival Awolowo.

But according to him, Nkrumah’s ideology of pan-Africanism lacked the capacity to “save Africa’’ when compared to Awolowo’s brand of socialism.

He said, “People talk about Mandela’s capacity to put various classes (of people) together as theory, but Awolowo ironed it out very clearly, why you don’t need a class struggle, in order to create a society in which all children can go to school; in which everybody can get a job, and in which old age pensions will be paid to people.

“It is not just love and I want to emphasise that. Those who criticise Awolowo’s socialism for wanting in love are obviously basing their argument on his claim that a government should be like a sun that shines on all equally. If it is about a theory of how to bring the people together on the African continent, none is as good as the Awolowo’s and I’m not trying to pretend.
“Bring all their writings, fine phrases, alright, but reduce them to economic terms, and I can tell you that there is only one man who rivals Awolowo in this respect and that is Nkrumah. Unfortunately unlike Awolowo, Nkrumah did not believe in either a democratic or a federal theory. If you want to save Africa, you need those two.”

Asked by the interviewer why he chose Awolowo over Mandela, Ofeimun said “Yes and I will tell you why, the simple reason is that what needed to be done in South Africa, after apartheid was precisely what Awolowo wanted for Western Region and Nigeria after independence. Which is to say put every child at school, ensure that productivity takes the creativity of the individual citizen into proper focus and build the relationship between people and not on whether they did not love each other? But whether there is justice and equality.”

[/b]
Source:http://www.punchng.com/news/awo-was-greater-than-mandela-ofeimun/

K

Someone's response
abiodun johnson Tamedo1
As I've argued in the past, Awolowo and Mandela are different in their achievements, one is a nation's builder and while the other is a freedom fighter., in fact I will only compare Mandela to Ken Wiwa, not Awo, and not Kwame.

In terms of international recognition, of course, Mandela had to deal with white supremacists which automatically puts him in the watchful eyes of the world, but Awolowo was simply trying to bring civilization to his people which usually doesn't elicit passion or praise from the outside world.

My African heroes are Awolowo, Nkrumah and Mandela in that specific order, but lets not totally forget the struggles of Thomas Sankara

another view
abiodun johnson
Your first paragraph is OK, but I disagree with the rest.

Your insinuations of sectionalism,ethnicity and nepotism against Awolowo were simply your propagandist and ethnic based view since south west which Awolowo represents accommodated political rivalries from every other regions of Nigeria, you can't say the same about the north or the east.

When it comes to "enthno-parochial" Yoruba interests as you put it, when did Azikwe or Bello do anything for the edification of Yoruba, you can't seriously argue that line in a nation that is divided along ethnic line, yet Awolowo did more than his calling to reach out to other tribes as documented in history books, but was rejected.
Mandela fought for the freedom of south African blacks and not for the freedom of all blacks. You will be insulting the spirits of Marcus Garvey, Fredrick Douglas, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King If you are so blunt on Mandela's struggle, it was Awolowo, Azikwe and Balewa that fought for my freedom, not Mandela.
And you are right, Awolowo was a great leader and the champion of Yoruba people in Nigeria, but did you ever give him a chance to be your champion? Ask your people and Shagari.

In my opinion, Awolowo is greater

Not verified!

victorazy: How both of them died will tell u which is greater rat poison

Oga on why Mandela is rated higher than Awolowo

When you think about that then you will see that the two men played two different roles in the history of their countries. They both had different opportunities to fail or shine and they performed incredibly. Mandela's performance was on the world stage so of course he garnered international recognition and accolades. Awolowo was never given the chance to operate on the world stage, so his impact is not known internationally.

But if you want to know Awolowo's legacy it is in every academic distinction exhibited by Nigerians worldwide today. Nigerians are generally regarded as smart and intelligent people. Let me tell you right now. Nigerians do not have a corner on intelligence. We are no more intelligent than the next man. The reason we have attained the level of academic prowess we have is because of the tremendous investment in education that was made by Awolowo.

So while Mandela was the symbol that saved a nation from impending doom and civil war, which is where SA was headed before his release, Awolowo put his country on the path to academic distinction that is a pride to all black people the world over, but which you will not hear of because it does not fit the white man's agenda.

The white man has written books about explorers that made 'discoveries' in Africa, they have written books about religious leaders like Martin Luther, and medical pioneers like Florence Nightingale, but they will not commission a book on a visionary like Awolowo that transformed a nation (and yes the Yoruba is a nation) and who was prophetic in his warnings about the impending economic collapse in Nigeria under Shagari.

So much was the force against him that he was framed and imprisoned, and when he came out he joined forces to save a nation, prosecute a war without debt.

Two great men with different challenges and great achievements.

WE all know Late Awo was a renounced tribalist, only championing the interest of his kinsmen and nothing more, so please stop insulting Mandella biko! cause Mandella wasn't playing tribal politic...

Awo - the name that makes all the imperialists, feudalists and expansionists shit in their pants.
No doubt about that.
Mandela made a huge sacrifice like many other SA ,for his people but
Mandela had no choice but to tow that path.
That path had more to do with property and the white minority keeping their economic advantage than any other thing .
That was the reason he was blown larger than life.
You only need to look at Egypt and morsi to know what would have happened if he towed the path of Mugabe .
The best POEPLE to ask that question are the Zimbabweans.
I used to think that they hated Mugabe but
4 out of every 5 Zimbabwean I have ever asked that question about Mugabe actually love him for what he did .
We saw what happened to Mugabe even though he is a corrupt buffoon.
The west descended on him because he redistributed land back to the ancestral owners.
I just personally think he is a bit overrated.
Nkrumah ,lumumba,sankara and awo are people I rate higher than Mandela because the legacies of these men live on.

Babakeu's view

Some comments here are all based on over-bloated sentiments, some are only based on "what I only hear people talk much about Mandela, so as I speak". Some comments are mere exaggerations which are blown out of proportion. Some are not even based on "why, how, for what" facts but only on conjectures.

Sincerely speaking, there is no doubt that Mandela was a great man, but the fact still remains that Mandela was being overrated while alive more than some past greater personalities, such as Obafemi Awolowo, But what I know is that one can only speak to such extent at which point his knowledge ends.

Oga again

As much as you may want to bait me I will not reduce Mandela to uplift Awolowo. Awolowo stands on his own and will hold his own against any other political figure of the last century. There is a reason why Mandela is idolized and propagated by the white man. After all he led a country controlled by white people from the brink. It is in the interest of white people to idolize him.

White people, who by the way still rule the world, have no interest in making any black man from a black country a hero.

My comments about Awolowo are not subjective at all. He introduced universal free primary education to his people, he established the first TVA station in Africa, he built infrastructure that is still being used today in the Western region of Nigeria.

When he was imprisoned he predicted that the country would still be in 'darkness' when he was released. The country was in chaos when he was released. He was the brain behind the very successful Gowon Administration, he helped prosecute the war without borrowing a dime, he led the country through reconciliation and a massive development of roads and bridges. The Gowon administration suffered a severe setback when he left, and it crumbled soon after.

After the massive rigging and fradulent election of 1979 he warned the country once again in 1981 that the economy was in serious trouble and on the verge of a depression. Shagari denied, but barely a year later Shagari asked the National Assembly to give him emergency powers to tackle the declining economy he titled the bill to the Assembly 'The enabling Act'.


It is an indictment of the Nigerian people that a transcendant figure such as Awolowo was through rigging and conspiracies denied the opportunity to save the nation. That my friend is to this day Nigeria's loss and not Awo's.

Odidere Odua:
And, it never occurred to you that all these appraisal of Mandela legacies boil down to [b]the machination of the White folks in order to avoid brutal revenge attacks from the indigines and friendly African countries after he had been released from prison.? [/b]His incarceration,the duration of it and the killings of the indigenes were the reasons why the people got pissed-off with the appartheid governments

What is the point of this thread? There should be no cause for comparison between the two.
They are different and they represent different pple and ideaologies, both were great men.

King George: WE all know Late Awo was a renounced tribalist, only championing the interest of his kinsmen and nothing more, so please stop insulting Mandella biko! cause Mandella wasn't playing tribal politic...

Don't mind them. Comparing Mandela and Awo is an insult to the great Madiba of Africa, Awo is only for the West not even Nigeria.

Tamedo:

Tamedo1
My personal opinion is that the judgement of how great someone is, can be based on national and international acceptance. I do not know of any African that has the national and international acceptance like Mandela did. Odia Ofeimun is also entitled to his opinion.

Awolowo was a great man though just not sure he or any African in recent history was equal to Mandela. One of the greatest qualities of Madiba was the fact that he did not witch hunt any of his captor even when he was in power

Chief awolowo was also a very very great leader.

Gave his people more impact? That should be Awolowo. Who is greater? That should be Mandela.

Lawrence Anini and Martin Luther King, who is greater... discuss... I knew it,; a matter of time before this kind of thread emerges

smartchoice: Tamedo:

Tamedo1
My personal opinion is that the judgement of how great someone is, can be based on national and international acceptance. I do not know of any African that has the national and international acceptance like Mandela did. Odia Ofeimun is also entitled to his opinion.

Awolowo was a great man though just not sure he or any African in recent history was equal to Mandela. One of the greatest qualities of Madiba was the fact that he did not witch hunt any of his captor even when he was in power

My friend,
You do not know how things work.
They do not want you to know about people like Thomas sankara,khuruma,lumumba and awo in the same way you would not know about Malcolm X.
Luther king was a great orator while
Malcolm x opens your eyes and makes you think.


WE ARE STILL IN CHAINS.

Awo on Equality of The Blackman with Other Races
"The Blackman shall be absolute and undisputed master in his own home, and shall enjoy unaffected and un-patronising equality with the other races of the world."
- Press Statement (196/): Voice of Reason, 1981.

Awo on Africa's Dependence on Former Colonial Masters
"Today, Africa is a continent of COMPETING BEGGAR-NATIONs. We vie with one another for favours from our former colonial masters; and we deliberately fall over one another to invite neo- colonialists to come over to our different territories to preside over our economic fortunes ... Unless a beggar resolutely shakes off, and irrevocably turns his back on, his begging habit, he will forever remain a beggar. For, the more he begs, the more he develops the beggar characteristics of lack of initiative, courage, drive and self-reliance."

Then he joined the feudal lords to kill wel over 3 million black women and children so that shell and chevron will run Nigeria thereafter.. In Africa post 1970,is there any bigger booty captured by the west after using Africans to maim fellow Africans? Nice speacehs, terrible actions..

bloggernaija:


My friend,
You do not know how things work.
They do not want you to know about people like Thomas sankara,khuruma,lumumba and awo because those men represent freedom for the Blackman.

WE ARE STILL IN CHAINS.

Awo on Equality of The Blackman with Other Races
"The Blackman shall be absolute and undisputed master in his own home, and shall enjoy unaffected and un-patronising equality with the other races of the world."
- Press Statement (196/): Voice of Reason, 1981.

Awo on Africa's Dependence on Former Colonial Masters
"Today, Africa is a continent of COMPETING BEGGAR-NATIONs. We vie with one another for favours from our former colonial masters; and we deliberately fall over one another to invite neo- colonialists to come over to our different territories to preside over our economic fortunes ... Unless a beggar resolutely shakes off, and irrevocably turns his back on, his begging habit, he will forever remain a beggar. For, the more he begs, the more he develops the beggar characteristics of lack of initiative, courage, drive and self-reliance."

owobokiri: Then he joined the feudal lords to kill wel over 3 million black women and children so that shell and chevron will run Nigeria thereafter.. In Africa post 1970,is there any bigger booty captured by the west after using Africans to maim fellow Africans? Nice speacehs, terrible actions..

Awo On The Nigerian Civil War
"It appears to me that the causes of the last Civil War lie embedded in the nether realms of such degrading and depraving evils as unemployment; [/b]mass ignorance[b]; endemic and debilitating diseases; low productivity; abuse and misuse of power, bribery and corruption; [/b]favouritism and nepotism; ethnocentricity and tribalism[b]; much poverty and much discontent."
- Address to The Nigerian Trade Union Congress (1970): In Voice of Courage, 1981.

Whomever declared war with cutlasses should have been shot -
If it was ojukwu- shot by the elders
Elders - shot by ojukwu.

Awo know only his people. He was a local champiön. Thus, his ideas killed a united Nigeria. While Mandela was a great Leader for all South Africa till today. Pls no camparison. Mandela is sky away from Awo. A man that unite South Africa till date and than looking at Awo's position. Get me lafing. Peace and unity (One Nigeria) is the issue and not my tribe my people. Mandela lives on.

Kingspin: Awo know only his people. He was a local champiön.[/b] Thus, his ideas killed a united Nigeria[b]. While Mandela was a great Leader for all South Africa till today. Pls no camparison. Mandela is sky away from Awo. A man that unite South Africa till date and than looking at Awo's position. Get me lafing. Peace and unity (One Nigeria) is the issue and not my tribe my people. Mandela lives on.

United SA?
South Africa is a ticking time bomb like nigeria.

What ideas killed a united nigeria?
Give an example of such an idea.
Or you are just regurgitating village square ,papa hand me down gossips.





"I predict that every multi-lingual or multi-national country with a unitary constitution must either eventually have a federal constitution based on the principles which J have enunciated, or disintegrate, or be perennially afflicted with disharmony and instability."
- The Peoples' Republic, 1968.

Awo on Human Diversity and Political Autonomy
"You can unite but can never succeed in unifying peoples whom language has set distinctly apart from one another; the more educated a linguistic. group becomes, the stronger it waxes in its bids for political self-determination and autonomy, unless it happens to be the dominant group."
- Thoughts on the Nigerian Constitution, 1966.

Awo On Creation of More States for Minorities
"The creation of the Mid- West State will be the beginning of a journey which may be short or long but which will irresistibly bring Nigeria to the goal of true federalism and more States, and of individual freedom and happiness for all our people."
- Awolowo and Nigerian Federalism, 1988.

Awo on Population As Basis Of Sharing Revenue
"In a country where the accuracy of the census figures is so much in acrimonious dispute, it is gross and aggravating provocation to urge that population should be used as a basis of sharing what belongs to others who are much fewer in number."
-The Strategy and Tactics of the People's Republic of Nigeria, 1970

.wic one cuz d awo i knw was a tribalist jst lik his fellow kinsmen dt neva believed in one nig..stp comparin him wit d great madiba of africa..show respect to d dead

Comparing Mandela and awo is like comparing angel and demon. Both have no comparison

You lack basic knowledge of Nigeria's history...if not you would have known Awo was more of a united Nigeria person....which culminated in the pressure he put on the Sardauna when he stormed out of the Race Course...meeting!

Kingspin: Awo know only his people. He was a local champiön. Thus, his ideas killed a united Nigeria. While Mandela was a great Leader for all South Africa till today. Pls no camparison. Mandela is sky away from Awo. A man that unite South Africa till date and than looking at Awo's position. Get me lafing. Peace and unity (One Nigeria) is the issue and not my tribe my people. Mandela lives on.

Why only Mandela, why not compare awo to Jesus?

The Yoruba ego ehn!
Sorry to burst this Yoruba bubble but awolowo was only known amongst the Yorubas. How many northerners/southerners remember awo?

We all probably remember him as serial election loser that he was.
He has so much trophies in election failures that would make Buhari jealouse.

Awos legacy is Nigeria post 1970. You cant wish that away.A million Odie cant change that. Untill the Nigeria biafran war, African conflicts, including the Congo were nothing but a series of tribal wars fought with spears and knives. Nigerias genocide in the east marked the first black on black genocide that had an amazing international effect not just amongst foreigners but within the black communities well outside Africa. The beastial nature of that ethnic cleansing and the fact that the so called winners were smart enough to reach very dirty deals with some western countries that shielded them uptill today from war crimes emboldended a lot of warlords across Africa leading to terrible tragedies that were Sudan, Angola, Liberia, Sieraleon, Somalia , name them. These conflicts all had one defining character; attempts by some ethnic groups to use force in the process of accessing supreme power within a state. Before Biafra,'in the face of conflicts, there were discussions in the spirit of African brotherliness, .After Biafra, it was rent a warlord for western multinationals in Africa. That Aweolwo, the most intellectually savvy amongst the bands of theives that that set this standard never found a better way to recalibrate Nigeria post 1967 rather prefering to use force to acquire other peoples resources with the help of some werstern powers shows how hollow and sterile his claims to higher intellectual sophistication or Africanism are. Awolowo is a disgrace to Africa. A polarising pseudo intellectual whose history and tales should be consigned to the same dustbin meant for rabid charlaatans

If Awolowo was a disgrace to Africa (as you have alleged) what of the Colonel who led you people into suicide but instead chose to flee (in a woman's wrapper and headgear to match) to Ivory Coast! Only to come back to marry the beautiful damsel without care for those whose lives he wasted!

owobokiri: Awos legacy lis Nigeria post 1970. You cant wish that away.A million Odie cant change that. Untill the Nigeria biafran war, African conflicts, including the Congo were nothing but a series of tribal wars fought with spears and knives. Nigerias genocide in the east marked the first black on black genocide that had an amazing international effect not just amongst foreigners but with black communities well outside Africa. The beastial nature of that ethnic cleansing and the fact that the so called winners were smart enough to reach very dirty deals with some western countries that shielded them uptill today from war crimes emboldended a lot of warlords across Africa leading to terrible tragedies that were Sudan, Angola, Liberia, Sieraleon, Somalia , name them. These conflicts all had one defining character; attempts by some ethnic groups to use force in the process of accessing supreme power within a state. Before Biafra,there were discussions in a spirit of aAfrican brotherliness, .After Biafra, it was rent a warlord by western multinationals. That Aweolwo, the most intellectual savvy amongst the bands of theives that that set this standard never found a better way to recalibrate Nigeria post 1967 rather prefering to use force to acquire other peoples resources with the hep werpwes shows how hollow and sterile his claims to higher intellectual sophistication or Africanism are. Awolowo is a disgrace to Africa. A polarising pseudo intellectual whose history and tales should be consigned to the same dustbin meant for rabid charl

though I think he was a fcknn tribalist, we can't rule out that every Yoruba millionaire owes his success directly or indirectly to awos bigoted policies.

if I was Yoruba, I'd worship him, even Mandela won't smell his back.