EXCLUSIVE: CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO IN HIS OWN WORDS

During the 1983 elections, Chief Awolowo was hosted to a town hall interview in Abeokuta, where in addition to other pertinent topics of the day, he spoke on his role in the civil war, the 20-pound policy, starvation as a weapon, change of currency, abandoned property etc.

INTRODUCTION:

At the age of 11, he struggled through primary school here at Wesleyan School Imo, Abeokuta. He then became a teacher, he was a trader, he was a school clerk, he was a stenographer, he was a transporter, he was a produce buyer, a unionist, name it, he has experienced it all. He even knows the problems of the police, the warders and the prisoners, because he was there.

When he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 1963, and he predicted a glorious dawn many did not believe that he will live to see the glorious morn which we are having today in Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Bendel and Lagos states.

That at 74, he’s here today is a testimony to the fact that the great good Lord and Allah needs him to save Nigeria.

Ladies and gentlemen, here is a self made man, who battled all the institutes of life to rise to the highest peak of his calling as Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He was first leader of government business, and first premier of the old western region. The first leader of opposition in the federal republic of Nigeria, the first chancellor of the University of Ife, first civilian deputy chairman in any military government in Africa, the first man ever to win the highest honor from an opponent as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the greatest moment of my life as I present to you the next president of the federal republic of Nigeria.

At this point I’ll hand you over to the moderator.

MODERATOR:

Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Governor of the state- Chief Bisi Onabanjo, the deputy governor- Chief Sesan Soluade, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the interview panel, I’m welcoming our distinguished guest - Chief Obafemi Awolowo to this program. Its going to be a 90 minutes program during which one hour of the period will be spent by the interview panel to ask various questions on various issues from Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The following 30 minutes will be devoted to the audience to ask questions either English language or in Yoruba. And I want to appeal to the audience to keep very quiet throughout the program because this is an important program which we are having today, we want to use the program to get as much information as possible from Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo and to enable us determine who to vote for in the presidential election.

PROGRAMES OF UPN AND QUALIFICATION TO BE PRESIDENT

Well, Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo, our first question, which we are allowing you 30 minutes to answer this question, is to tell the audience and the viewers at home the programs of the Unity Party of Nigeria, and also especially what qualifies Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo to be the next president of this country, taking into consideration our national economy, the nation’s social services, and also the nation’s foreign policy.

(interruption)

What I was saying was that we are giving Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo 10 minutes within which to tell the audience and the viewers at home the programs of the Unity Party of Nigeria, and also especially what qualifies Papa Chief Obafemi Awolowo to be the next president of this great country, taking into consideration the nation’s economy, the nation’s social services, possibly too the nation’s foreign policy, thank you sir.

PROGRAMS OF UPN

AWOLOWO: I thank the moderator for the questions. The programs of the Unity Party of Nigeria are well known, and I have no doubt that all of you are now familiar with them.

There are four cardinal programs on which the UPN embarked in 1979. They are free education at all levels, free medical services- services to include curative and preventive services, integrated rural development which is a very wide program, and also full and gainful employment.

The beauty of our program is that they are programs which embrace every aspect of our desires. All of us want education, we want health services, we want food, we want our rural roads to be developed and we want our rural areas to be developed in the same way as the cities and towns. Under the integrated rural development all these things are included. Of course all of us want to be employed, and gainfully so.

Other important aspect or feature of our program is that it is the first time in all political history as far as I know, that a political party enunciate program which are all embracing, in other words all public problems are summarized and epitomized in our four cardinal programs. Think of anything at all, electricity supply, water supply, anything you can think of - they are all included in our four cardinal programs.

Now most of the programs are things which can only be handled by the states, and the question now is in what way does the federal government help in executing these programs, especially those aspects of them that belong to the states. It is the duty of the federal government which holds the resources of the nation to see that the states are sufficiently supplied in executing these programs.

The outgoing NPN government did not pay enough attention to this aspect of their responsibility, instead they have tried to embark on projects which rarely (...inaudible..) when we get control, we will see to it that enough funds are available for the states. Right now, our 4 cardinal programs are being implemented in only 5 states out of 19, reason, of course is that we are not in control of the remaining 14 states. We hope that at the next elections we will be control of the majority of the 19 states in the country. But whether we are in control of the majority or not, it is the duty of the federal government controlled by the UPN to see to it that every state embarks on the four cardinal programs and implement them for the good of the people.

QUALIFICATION TO BE PRESIDENT

A second question has been asked what qualifies me for the job of president of the federation of Nigeria. Well, I believe that I am qualified, if I don’t believe so, I wouldn’t have applied for the job in the first instance. I always like to tackle any problem that is difficult and challenging.

I was talking to a friend the other day……. power is the greatest motivation of any human being, I said that if it were not so why would anyone want to be at the head of Nigerian government after Shagari shall have relinquished office. He’s leaving behind a huge foreign debt, not to talk of local debt of something like 14 to 16 billion naira. They have failed in every respect, there’s no food, not enough food for our people, not enough of the things that we require in our various houses, the country is depressed, there’s poverty everywhere and there’s hunger and why should anyone want to be the head of that kind of country. But the more difficult situations become, the more I feel like tackling that kind of situation. Because anyone who is able to handle a difficult and intricate complex situation and is able to make a success of it …..write in letters of gold, so to say, in the history of that country.

So I believe that I can handle the situation of Nigeria, I have an ambition, and that is within 4 years and 8 years, to lay a foundation of progress which no rascal, which no other President however rascally he may be, can destroy.

I am determined, for instance, to see that water flows in every part of the country. The states are in charge of water supply, but I will see to it that the states have enough money to supply water in every part of the country. Electricity will be supplied uninterrupted to all our people whether they’re in cities, towns or villages, and so on and so forth. And telephone communications will be available, even in the villages. It will be possible for a person living at Igan Alade, to cite and example or at Odeda, to telephone to Abeokuta to Ibadan to Oyo to any part of the country to Kano and also beyond to Tokyo and London, if not why not.

So I believe I can get these things done and that is why I want you to vote solidly for me my esteemed supporters.

MODERATOR: I now call on Mr Oparadike to ask the first question. Mr. Oparadike.

SUCCESS FACTORS

QUESTION: Many people believe that after so many tries, in the past, you now have a good chance of being the next president of Nigeria. Should that be the outcome in October this year, to what will you attribute such a victory. To the Mitterrand principle under which the people will say you have tried long enough let’s give you a chance to see what you can do or will it be attributed to a better…the people’s better appreciation of what you stand for.

AWOLOWO: Well, I do appeal to the audience to be quiet so I can hear the questions, otherwise I can’t give the correct reply. Well, when by the grace of God I succeed on the 6th of August, I shall attribute that success to the providence of God first of all, and then to perseverance on my part. Many people fall by the wayside, they try the first time they don’t succeed, then they give up or second time or third time. Well one of the things that has sustained me in this world is that I keep on trying. When I know that a goal is good and beneficial to other people I strive to attain that goal come what may.

So I’ll attribute my success to the providence of God, the grace of God, and to perseverance, and also to the fact that after some time however falsehood may prevail in a community, sooner or later truth also shall prevail over falsehood.

When we enunciated our 4 cardinal program in 1979, our opponents did say these things are not possible. One NPN leader said “they’ll be performing magic if they are able to introduce free education and free medical services on first of October 1979”. Most people believed them because they’re unusual….they were never done anywhere before, all we did in the old western region was to free primary education in 1955, but this business of free education at all level is something novel, it’s something strange, and they were not sure whether anyone, any government, could implement them.

Now over the 4 years we have succeeded in implementing them to the satisfaction of all those who have benefitted from them. And the news have spread all over the country, even in the north where people use to say they didn’t want free education, they didn’t want education at all, people now want free education everywhere and that is why they cry in the north “changi changi” all over the place. And they have no doubt in their mind that if that change is to take place I, by the Grace of God, should lead the team that will effect that change. That is the position.

The great Awo. I am lazy.The post was too long.Just had to comment.

Following

The Great Awo

Awo pls if possibld take permission frm God nd com back clear dz mess apc and co av put us in... If possible hire thugs frm hell bcus 9ja politicians are cows they wnt acquisce

A great man.

Haters love to hate.

.

CORRUPTION

QUESTION (Sonala Olumhense): Chief Awolowo, I think it is fairly clear that the two major problems responsible for the failing of government in this country are inability or incompetence of officials to manage the economy and corruption. You have been reported on the campaign ground to have said that when you come to power on October, that you will not probe anybody. I haven’t heard or read of any denial of that statement. If it is actually true that you did make that statement, how is it that you plan to deal with the problem of corruption in this country? Or don’t you have any such plans?

AWOLOWO: The statement referred to is not new, I first made a statement like that, I believe, in 1969 during my convocation address at Ife University. I then demanded to know why the probe was confined to only the western region and parts of the eastern region. The other part of the country, there was no probe in the other part of the country. And then, they were probing civilians, but then soldiers have boldly begun to enter, to enter the area of those who should be probed. And I said, well, some trees have fallen on other trees, and they should start with ones on the top. Which means to probe soldiers, and who will dare to probe soldiers at that time? So I said they should call off the whole business.

And then a decision was taken that those who had stolen money and had died should not be probed, so it is easy for someone who wants to enrich his children to steal as much as possible, then commit suicide so that his children can live in affluence forever. It’s a far fetch illustration, but it can happen. So I said the best thing is to call off the probe. And how much have we earned in the process? How much have we got back? You remember that all the thing that Adebayo got in his own time he returned them on the eve of the 10th anniversary of independent. So there’s no point in continuing the probe, I said it at the time, and I repeated it at Ahmadu Bello University when I was delivering my second convo… address there.

So it’s nothing new, but people don’t border to read some of the things I say, but they go on criticizing me for saying this things. Anyway, I don’t want the UPN to embark on probes, first of all I believe that those who have deliberately stolen public money…we keep on saying government’s money, it’s our money, it’s your money, it’s my money. Those who have deliberately done that would dislodge them sooner or later, that’s the law of nature, it has to happen.

In the bible we are told God says “Vengeance is mine, and I will revenge” and I believe it. Then secondly, when you start probing, where do you begin now? The corruption has gone to a very high scale since the Army took over. They were to be corrective, then they became corruptive, and so on, where do you begin? And with whom? And with which part of the country? Throughout the country? You’ll need a large staff of people to do the probe, and then the probers themselves might be bribed and corrupted in the process, and so we won’t get any genuine report. And then would you also probe members of your own party in addition, because we are not perfect. There must be people who are probable even within UPN, but party pressure will make it absolutely impossible for you to probe anyone within your party.

So why start at all? And what is more, if you probe the past, it’s like going to a grave yard and exhuming the bodies and tried to see what was the cause of the death of each of the copses that you have exhumed. And when you have discovered that so and so who died 10 years ago was killed by …… what do you do then? Do you revive the body? You cannot revive the dead, but in the process you pollute the air, you pollute the air of the place.

Whereas, you can help the living. I’m interested in the living, and don’t forget that I’m 74 years plus now, and I don’t want to waste my years trying to see what happened in the past instead of attending to the problems of all these people in front of me, and millions who are listening to what I say. If they steal they’ll suffer, if they don’t steal, and you never can know all the truth, sometimes they say somebody take a bribe, then find out and see no bribe has been taken, and so on and so forth. As far as I am concerned, the past- that’s from 30th of September 1983 backwards sealed. But from 1st October 1983 onward, open.

There’s a saying, the past is a story told, the future will be rich in gold. And I’ve always said it that the future is like a wet clay. In the hands of a good potter it can produce very fine potteries. But the past is dead you can’t produce anything from it except acrimonies, exacerbation, hatred, and so on and so forth. So I’m not interested in the past, I’m interested in the future.

And you can correct corruption by examples more than by precepts. Many of us can say corruption is bad. Even the most corrupt person will say “corruption is not good”, but then to see what he can do by examples rather than by precepts and I intend, that’s what UPN has been doing, we intend to lead the people out of corruption into honesty and probity by example. That’s what we intend to do. But you must bear in mind; you can never stamp out corruption, you can minimize it considerably. In those days of the western region, in 8 years people will say no corruption, there might be, I didn’t know, but the important thing is that people ought to realize that there’s someone somewhere who must never hear that an act of corruption has taken place.

But when the boss himself is the chairman of the corrupt club, then there’s nothing you can do, like what happened, a simple matter, one member of the ministry of housing asked one of the officials to go and get 200 bundles of roofing sheets. Yes sir! And then he went and collected 2,200 roofing sheets. That’s a fair business, the boss wants 200 and he needs 2000. And the boss can’t pressure on him, on what ground? “You went to go and steal that….”, he’ll say “er master but you asked me to bring you 200…” that’s the trouble. So you get a lot done by example rather than by precepts, and that’s what we intend to do. The future may be rich in gold, like a wet clay in the hands of the good potter.

The national assembly budget for the next 4 years can put fibre optic broadband Internet lines in every home.
The same could have done the same in 2 years under Jonathan's corrupt government.
When they say it cannot be done,
Then they shouldn't be in power.

This is too long na

"The best president Nigeria never had".- Odimegwu Ojukwu

Also add that his hatred for igbo made him commit suicide when he saw he could not bring us down
Awo how is HELL with 20 pounds we have built an empire and I hope u know we are now more EDUCATED than your people
Continue to burn in HELL

mrvitalis:
Also add that his hatred for igbo made him commit suicide when he saw he could not bring us down
Awo how is HELL with 20 pounds we have built an empire and I hope u know we are now more EDUCATED than your people
Continue to burn in HELL

You should be eternally grateful to him.

He saved your broke ass fathers and uncles with that 20pounds (what is equivalent in modern day naira) and he bailed out your war ravaged region with the funds he released that Zik and his cohorts embezzled.

It is Ojukwu that led 3million of you to the offering altar of Amadioha, that will continue to burn in the hottest part of hell.

Super1Star:


You should be eternally grateful to him.

He saved your broke ass fathers and uncles with that 20pounds (what is equivalent in modern day naira) and he bailed out your war ravaged region with the funds he released that Zik and his cohorts embezzled.

It is Ojukwu that led 3million of you to the offering altar of Amadioha, that will continue to burn in the hottest part of hell.

U give me 20 pounds for all the thousands of pounds in our account.. ... ..... Change the currency so that our savings can be used. .. ... Smh
He knows he committed atrocities that's y he killed him self

mrvitalis:

U give me 20 pounds for all the thousands of pounds in our account.. ... ..... Change the currency so that our savings can be used. .. ... Smh
He knows he committed atrocities that's y he killed him self

Why did he drink rat poison sef?

mrvitalis:

U give me 20 pounds for all the thousands of pounds in our account.. ... ..... Change the currency so that our savings can be used. .. ... Smh
He knows he committed atrocities that's y he killed him self

Liar.

Which pounds do you have in the bank in 1966 if Nigeria is still under banked in 2015?

You withdrew your monies in the banks, before travelling to your new country of Biafra. Or did your fathers present their evidence of money in the bank eg passbook and they were not paid?

What happened to our money that your fathers looted in the CBN in Benin, PH, Calabar and Enugu?

How does the change in currency affect biafraudsters? He changed Nigerian Pounds to Naira and not Biafraudster pounds. If you have Nigeran Pounds, will you not have simply changed it to Naira? yeye dey smell.

He died peacefully in sleep at a ripe old age.

Super1Star:


Liar.

Which pounds do you have in the bank in 1966 if Nigeria is still under banked in 2015?

You withdrew your monies in the banks, before travelling to your new country of Biafra. Or did your fathers present their evidence of money in the bank eg passbook and they were not paid?

What happened to our money that your fathers looted in the CBN in Benin, PH, Calabar and Enugu?

How does the change in currency affect biafraudsters? He changed Nigerian Pounds to Naira and not Biafraudster pounds. If you have Nigeran Pounds, will you not have simply changed it to Naira? yeye dey smell.

He died peacefully in sleep at a ripe old age.

@ last sentence, he died peacefully after a healthy dose of rat poison.

OdenigboAroli2:


@ last sentence, he died peacefully after a healthy dose of rat poison.

Better than dying as a vegetable like Ojukwu and Zik, that were drooling on themselves before dying.

Super1Star:


Liar.

Which pounds do you have in the bank in 1966 if Nigeria is still under banked in 2015?

You withdrew your monies in the banks, before travelling to your new country of Biafra. Or did your fathers present their evidence of money in the bank eg passbook and they were not paid?

What happened to our money that your fathers looted in the CBN in Benin, PH, Calabar and Enugu?

How does the change in currency affect biafraudsters? He changed Nigerian Pounds to Naira and not Biafraudster pounds. If you have Nigeran Pounds, will you not have simply changed it to Naira? yeye dey smell.

He died peacefully in sleep at a ripe old age.

Pool u don't even know our corence then was pounds

mrvitalis:

Pool u don't even know our corence then was pounds

It is called currency and not corence.

If the currency was not pounds, what was it? Say it and disgrace yourself further.

mrvitalis:

Pool u don't even know our corence then was pounds

It is called currency and not corence.

If the currency was not biafra pounds, what was it? Say it and disgrace yourself further.

Yiboess...so jealous of Yoruba people....... .....u never ever see Yorubas in their part but they constantly abandon the erosion infested zone ......to come and live with their 'enemies'/masters.....

mrvitalis:

Pool u don't even know our corence then was pounds

Another .......despicable product of biafran education.....

No sensible person is interested in what the traitor had to say.

Long words from Awo the yeye rat poison drinker.

Pls baba kadunasouth, can you give us the concluding parts of this interview. I beg you sir. Pls. Eseun pupo.