The mish-mash of Nigeria’s post-war history has permitted many sad revisions which in turn has made Nigerian historical studies and its statements therefrom to be lopsided, ethnic, and gnarled. We have tended in Nigeria to celebrate the worst of us, and have confined Nigeria’s true national heroes to the dustbin. Today, only in a place like Nigeria, with its twisted ethos, can a man like Ahmadu Bello for instance, have greater pride of place in the National rolls than Akweke Abyssinia Nwafor Orizu, one of the great spirits of the anti-colonial Nationalist movement. While the likes of Nwafor-Orizu were in the trenches fighting for Nigerian independence, and pushing the British out, and in turn being blackmailed and jailed, the likes of Ahmadu Bello known collaborator with British colonialism and its neo-colonial aims n Nigeria, were vociferous against the independence movement, and the emergence of Nigeria as a free and United nation. Here of course is not the place or the occasion to tell this story or do that analysis fully of events between 1945 and 1947 that continue to have implications for Nigeria even today. But as the future unveils the archives of colonial Nigeria, and as those invested in the “single story” of Nigerian history begin to finally and fully exit from the stage, and down the line, as a true national history begins to shape with the solid formation of Nigeria, those coming in the future will see the true texture of that story; who did what, and who didn’t do what. Who did what, from the end of the 2nd World War in 1945, to free Africans in general and Nigeria in particular from the clutches of colonialism, and who collaborated with the colonialists to destroy the possibilities of political and economic freedom and independence. Of course, those who are afraid of Nigeria’s true history have decreed that history be neither thought, nor even taught in our schools, but history ultimately has a way of freeing itself, because frankly, true history is like the moon shining, no palm can cover it from the face of the sky. It is important to let a new generation of Nigerians know their history. We must tell the story of Nigeria, from its colonial struggles, to its postcolonial situation. Among those who have been strategically eliminated, or bowdlerized from the pages of Nigerian history is Akweke Abyssinia Nwafor-Orizu, President of the Senate of Nigeria from November 1963-October 1965, and President of Nigeria from October 1965-Jan. 16, 1966. For three months Nwafor Orizu was Acting President of Nigeria, and in that capacity suspended Parliament sine die during the military coup, and handed emergency power temporarily to the military in a move that signified the temporary end of the republic. This should be a matter of public record. Dr. Nwafor Orizu should therefore be counted among the Heads of State of Nigeria, and accorded his due place in the National Hall of Fame. The mere fact of taking the oath of the office of President, even in the acting role, places Nwafor Orizu legally as President and Head of State of the Federal Republic, and in that wise, of a higher status and capacity over Ernest Shonekan, who served as Head of the interim Government for three months, and who has been accorded all the rights due a former Head of state of Nigeria. If Ernest Shonekan could be regarded as Head of State, what disqualifies Nwafor Orizu, who had a higher status in the republic, and whose position guaranteed under the law of an elected parliament of the republic gives him significant cache? This is the question that should have long occupied legal historians, political historians, theorists of Nigerian jurisprudence, and scholars of the public system. But the circumstance of Nwafor Orizu’s presidency has often countermanded his position. Nwafor Orizu was acting President of Nigeria in a particularly difficult situation. When Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, then president of the republic took his extended vacation in October 1965, he wrote to Parliament to swear Orizu in as President in situ, which legally transferred albeit in the interim, every power, obligation, and rights of office accorded to the president of Nigeria, to President Orizu. This should be reflected in the official annals of the Republic, and an acknowledgement of his official status as the President of Nigeria, albeit for a very brief and dangerous period, indemnified. Nwafor-Orizu deserves to be so considered for the clear reason that it is his constitutional right, and it is a historical fact, that he piloted the affairs of Nigeria legally as president for at least three months. Now, why has this not been done? Why has this bare fact of Nigeria’s political history not been reflected in its official national narrative and observances? Well, I suspect because Nwafor-Orizu was an Igbo from Nnewi. The circumstance of his presidency – his ceding of authority to General Ironsi has also often been regarded as quite controversial, and whatever is done to obscure his contributions to Nigerian history has been framed in the context of his Igbo identity, and the national pastime of erasing powerful Igbo footprints in the making of Nigeria’s National History; and it is complicated by the fact that under his watch, power was transferred to the Army. For those who do not know, Nwafor Orizu was among the great leaders of the Nationalist movement, who challenged imperialism both as students in the United States and as political activists in Nigeria. His story is actually quite remarkable. Orizu was one of those nationalists whom Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe specially recruited from 1935 on his return to the continent, to be trained in America, and to form the backbone of his liberation movement in West Africa. Among those included Dr. Kwame Nkrumah whom he sent to Lincoln, his alma mater in 1935, followed Ako Adjei, who later became Ghana’s Foreign Minister under Nkrumah, K.A.B Jones-Quartey, who later became Azikiwe’s biographer and Professor at Legon, from Ghana. From Nigeria sailed those Zik called the “Argonauts” in 1938, and these included Nwafor Orizu, Ojike, Mbadiwe, Ikejiani, Chukwuemeka, and Okongwu, and people like I.U. Akpabio, who had been inspired by Zik to seek the “golden fleece” in America… These men became the critical vanguard of the West African movement for decolonization and political independence. They all met at Lincoln and at Columbia – where Zik himself had been educated. Nwafor Orizu studied Political Science at the Ohio state University in Columbus, and earned an MA in Politics from the University of Columbia, New York. Orizu formed the Africa Students Association in America, which elected Nkrumah its first president, and Ojike after him in 1942. From that year, Orizu was active in America, writing in American newspapers, going on speaking tours, and making numerous radio broadcasts and giving interviews; speaking out powerfully for decolonization in West Africa, and circulating Azikiwe’s message of Freedom. He founded the American Council of African Education, a move through which he secured thousands of scholarships for African students to be educated in America, rather than going to Britain, to receive what he called, “vertical education” which in effect compromised their minds and methods. He was jailed by the colonial authorities because of that on charges of fraud. In 1944/45, these “Argonauts” led the charge for the campaign for the re-interpretation of the Atlantic charter, circulating Azikiwe’s memorandum in the United States against Churchill’s attempts to exclude the colonies from its interpretation. While Ojike was in San Francisco campaigning for the African voice to be heard at the first meetings founding the new United Nations, Orizu, Mbadiwe, Okongwu, I.U. Akpabio were in New York, Pittsburg, Philadephia, mobilizing critical American public opinion. Orizu was on record to have threatened that West Africans will have no alternative than to resort to armed struggle, if they were excluded from the coverage of the Atlantic charter, and if no efforts were made to begin the transition towards independence. “We will enter the bushes and fight” he proclaimed. These sustained campaigns attracted the attention of the US government, and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the activist first lady of the United States, who invited them – Orizu, Ojike and Mbadiwe – to the White House, brokered through Ralph Bunche, Azikiwe’s friend and former Professor at Howard who had been recruited into the Roosevelt administration as Under Secretary of State for African Affairs, to help the Roosevelt administration outline the American policy in response to Churchill’s stance on the Atlantic charter and on decolonization. That meeting was ultimately crucial because subsequently, President Roosevelt took the stance that American policy will not support Great Britain in the continued colonization of the colonies; and in that situation, affirmed the interpretation of the Atlantic charter to include not only what he termed the “Four Freedoms,” but the human rights basis of the charter as circulated by Zik’s own memorandum in 1944, and as propagated by his acolytes in the United States. The settlement of the issue of decolonization by 1946/47 was largely the work of these men, whose agitations pressured the new global super-power to back the decolonization of Africa. In effect the decision to grant independence to Nigeria was fully taken by early 1947, everything else that followed, was Britain supervising the division of the meat of the great elephant, to cover its strategic interests from 1947-1957. Orizu founded the militant Zikist movement, and theorized “Zikism” as the philosophy of African liberation. He was a thorough Nationalist, and a true soldier, among the party that fought Great Britain for the freedom of the African continent. He was President of the Nigerian senate, and for three months, the last President of Nigeria, in the first republic. He should be fully acknowledged and given his due as a Nationalist politician, but above all, as President of the Nigerian federation. That is the just and realistic thing to do. Happy Christmas to Nigerians.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/12/nwafor-orizu-was-president-of-nigeria/

Thats the truth

Hmmmmm,

This means Dr nwafor, being from the southeast, handed over power to a military man from the southeast. Yes, he deserves "commendation"

Enlightening

Where are the political scientists?

HOPE HIS FAMILY RECEIVES CARS AND PENSION LIKE OTHER EX-PRESIDENT. EVEN TREASONABLE FELONS LIKE BUHARI, IBB RECEIVES PENSION, IF HE DOESN'T THEN IGBOS SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT IF THEY REALLY SHOULD BE PART OF NIGERIA.

Ok

For three months Nwafor Orizu was Acting President of Nigeria, and in that capacity suspended Parliament sine die during the military coup, and handed emergency power temporarily to the military in a move that signified the temporary end of the republic.

@OP Orizu Nwafor was NEVER President but acting President when Nnamdi Azikiwe left Nigeria for Euroipe on holiday. Ideally, the Senate President act as ceremonial president while the PM still control the government. Nwafor was NEVER President, Zik was at that period. There cant be two Presidents at the same time. Acting don't count as he was still Senate President. Many Deputy Governors in Nigeria have acted when their bosses wasn't around, it doesn't make them 'Governor'. Even the former Speaker of Adamawa state House acted when Nyako and Deputy were impeached, it doesn't made him a former Governor. When Bush was President, Dick Chiney acted when he went on surgery, it doesn't make Chiney a former President.

Nwafor after the coup was supposed to have sworn in Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima as acting Prime Minister when Balewa was killed(having been nominated by other ministers). Instead, he "handed" power "voluntarily" to his kinsman Gen Ironsi when no such was backed by the constitution. Nwafor's action made him complicit in the coup.

He's not worth celebrating!

South East organised a coup to kill the leaders of other regions eg Tafawa Balewa, Akintola, Ahmadu Bello


The south eastern president of then refused to come back from his medical check up and vacation trip to UK and carribeans weeks before the coup.

The south eastern president of the parliament refused to swear in Dipcharima that was nominated by members of the cabinet to take over govt, after learning of the demise of Balewa.

Instead, the south eastern leader of the parliament chose to hand over to another south easterner, a military man in the nam of Aguiyi Ironsi.

We should honor a man that derailed our nascent democracy of then, by refusing to swear in another civilian prime minister, but rather chose to hand over to a military man from his ethnicity!!!! Wonders shall never end!!!!! These people always think others are as daft as them.

Infact his name should be blotted from the annals of history for his unpatriotic role he played in the history of this country. Just like Arthur Nzeribe and Daniel Kanu.

We can all see through their devilish machinations to hijack power instead of working for it.

In the corporate world and civil service, put a south easterner in charge of any unit, within a year he will flood everywhere with his kinsmen. If there is a change of leadership afterwards and those that were recruited through the back door are sacked, they will be crying their voice hoax about marginalisation and ethnic cleansing which they never saw when they were packing themselves alone into the department of such ministry.

OP, your Orizu was holding forte because the President in person of Zik was still alive somewhere in the carribeans rocking fresh booties while the country was on the edge. There cannot be 2 presidents at the same time.

Bunch of jokers

TonyeBarcanista:

@OP Orizu Nwafor was NEVER President but acting President when Nnamdi Azikiwe left Nigeria for Euroipe on holiday. Ideally, the Senate President act as ceremonial president while the PM still control the government. Nwafor was NEVER President, Zik was at that period. There cant be two Presidents at the same time. Acting don't count as he was still Senate President. Many Deputy Governors in Nigeria have acted when their bosses wasn't around, it doesn't make them 'Governor'. Even the former Speaker of Adamawa state House acted when Nyako and Deputy were impeached, it doesn't made him a former Governor. When Bush was President, Dick Chiney acted when he went on surgery, it doesn't make Chiney a former President.

Nwafor after the coup was supposed to have sworn in Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima as acting Prime Minister when Balewa was killed(having been nominated by other ministers). Instead, he "handed" power "voluntarily" to his kinsman Gen Ironsi when no such was backed by the constitution. Nwafor's action made him complicit in the coup.

He's not worth celebrating!

WHY DID SHAGARI HAND OVER TO BUHARI HIS KINSMAN WHEN NO SUCH IS BACKED BY THE CONSTITUTION.

Vulu:


WHY DID SHAGARI HAND OVER TO BUHARI HIS KINSMAN WHEN NO SUCH IS BACKED BY THE CONSTITUTION.

That's because when it's done by a Northerners, it's normal but when it involves an Igbo person, it's tribalism. I wonder if SHAGARI was also complicit in the coup.

Vulu:


WHY DID SHAGARI HAND OVER TO BUHARI HIS KINSMAN WHEN NO SUCH IS BACKED BY THE CONSTITUTION.

Buhari or Shagari did not kill the leaders of other regions in.their bid to hijack power and subsequently hand over power to their kinsmen.

Afam4eva:

That's because when it's done by a Northerners, it's normal but when it involves an Igbo person, it's tribalism. I wonder if SHAGARI was also complicit in the coup.

DON'T BOTHER, I'M EXPECTING HIS REPLY. I'M SURE HE'S FIGDGETING TO GIVE A REPLY.

Our brother from the east always plays the victim cards, nwafor orizu was acting president that later handed power to another brother of his from the military.

Vulu:


WHY DID SHAGARI HAND OVER TO BUHARI HIS KINSMAN WHEN NO SUCH IS BACKED BY THE CONSTITUTION.

Shagari didn't handover power to Buhari, he was forcefully kicked out. This can't be said of Orizu Nwafor that did a live broadcast to announce surrendering power to the military even when cabinet ministers had elected an interim prime minister.

superstar1:


Buhari or Shagari did not kill the leaders of other regions in.their bid to hijack power and subsequently hand over power to their kinsmen.

SO IN ORDER WORDS, BLOODLESS COUPS ARE CONSTITUTIONAL, BLOODY ONES ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL. CONTINUU!

superstar1:


Buhari or Shagari did not kill the leaders of other regions in.their bid to hijack power and subsequently hand over power to their kinsmen.

Shagari didn't handover power to Buhari, he was kicked out by Buhari and his boys. This isn't the case of Nwafor that announced voluntary surrender of power when he wasn't even the prime minister. It would have been different if gun was pointed at him at that time.

Vulu:


SO IN ORDER WORDS, BLOODLESS COUPS ARE CONSTITUTIONAL, BLOODY ONES ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL. CONTINUU!

The scenarios are totally different.

TonyeBarcanista:

@OP Orizu Nwafor was NEVER President but acting President when Nnamdi Azikiwe left Nigeria for Euroipe on holiday. Ideally, the Senate President act as ceremonial president while the PM still control the government. Nwafor was NEVER President, Zik was at that period. There cant be two Presidents at the same time. Acting don't count as he was still Senate President. Many Deputy Governors in Nigeria have acted when their bosses wasn't around, it doesn't make them 'Governor'. Even the former Speaker of Adamawa state House acted when Nyako and Deputy were impeached, it doesn't made him a former Governor. When Bush was President, Dick Chiney acted when he went on surgery, it doesn't make Chiney a former President.

Nwafor after the coup was supposed to have sworn in Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima as acting Prime Minister when Balewa was killed(having been nominated by other ministers). Instead, he "handed" power "voluntarily" to his kinsman Gen Ironsi when no such was backed by the constitution. Nwafor's action made him complicit in the coup.

He's not worth celebrating!

His selfishness and shortsightedness should be remembered as a lesson for generations to come.
The unintended consequences of his actions gave room to the July 1966 counter coup that accelerated northern dominance of our country that MAY be irreversible.

We moved from two semi-autonomous regions yielding 17 states while one region yielded 19
Military dictators also removed whatever autonomy the federations regions had to siphon oil money from the Niger Delta to effectively kill other sectors- agric, manufacturing, education, research etc that diminished the middle class over time
He should be remembered as Adolf Hitler is remembered.

superstar1:


The scenarios are totally different.

Do you care to explain? I'm about to get a lesson on the different kind of coup.

TonyeBarcanista:

Shagari didn't handover power to Buhari, he was forcefully kicked out. This can't be said of Orizu Nwafor that did a live broadcast to announce surrendering power to the military even when cabinet ministers had elected an interim prime minister.

AFTER THE 2 COUP SCENARIO THERE WERE TRANSFER OF POWER FROM CIVILIANS TO MILITARY JACKBOOTERS WHO HAD GUNS. ARE YOU SAYING THAT A BROADCAST EITHER BY GUNPOINT OR NOT, LEGITIMIZES OR DELIGITIMIZES A COUP?

SO ORIZU SHOULD HAVE RESISTED EVEN IF IRONSI HAD A GUN ON HIS HEAD BUT SHAGARI IS GIVEN "A PASS" BECAUSE HE WAS KICKED OUT BY BUHARI BUT ORIZU WASN'T?

IGBO PEOPLE UNA HEAR? IF YOU HAVE A GUN ON HEAD, YOU MUST DO THE RIGHT CONSTITUTIONAL THING , BUT IF A FULANI LEADER HAS THE SAME GUN ON HIS HEAD, HE HAS THE RIGHT TO SAVE HIS LIFE FIRST AND FORGET THE CONSTITUTION.

Why is he not worth celebrating? You sux!

TonyeBarcanista:

@OP Orizu Nwafor was NEVER President but acting President when Nnamdi Azikiwe left Nigeria for Euroipe on holiday. Ideally, the Senate President act as ceremonial president while the PM still control the government. Nwafor was NEVER President, Zik was at that period. There cant be two Presidents at the same time. Acting don't count as he was still Senate President. Many Deputy Governors in Nigeria have acted when their bosses wasn't around, it doesn't make them 'Governor'. Even the former Speaker of Adamawa state House acted when Nyako and Deputy were impeached, it doesn't made him a former Governor. When Bush was President, Dick Chiney acted when he went on surgery, it doesn't make Chiney a former President.

Nwafor after the coup was supposed to have sworn in Alhaji Zanna Dipcharima as acting Prime Minister when Balewa was killed(having been nominated by other ministers). Instead, he "handed" power "voluntarily" to his kinsman Gen Ironsi when no such was backed by the constitution. Nwafor's action made him complicit in the coup.

He's not worth celebrating!

Afam4eva:

Do you care to explain? I'm about to get a lesson on the different kind of coup.

Very funny.

Were the leaders of other regions killed in Shagari's case?

Was the Senate president asked to hand over to nominated person by the cabinet?

Power was taken from the sitting president directly in a palace coup.

Buhari worked for his coup and he should benefit from work of his hands.

In the case of Orizu, he had the tim and opportunity to hand over to Dipcharima before he chose to hand over to his kinsmen. If he handed over to Dipcharima and Ironsi decided to arrest all of them and take over power, it would have been a different tall game entirely and Orizu would have been seen as a national hero.

He is an unpatriotic ethnic bigot. Period.

anonimi:


His selfishness and shortsightedness should be remembered as a lesson for generations to come.
The unintended consequences of his actions gave room to the July 1966 counter coup that accelerated northern dominance of our country that MAY be irreversible.
We moved from two semi-autonomous regions yielding 17 states while one region yielded 19 Military dictators also removed whatever autonomy the federations regions had to siphon oil money from the Niger Delta to effectively kill other sectors- agric, manufacturing, education, research etc that diminished the middle class over time
He should be remembered as Adolf Hitler is remembered.

Rightly said! Will you blame the northern elite? No! Why? If Orizu Nwafor had sworn in the nominated prime minister, there wouldn't have been the need for counter coup and polgrom, as nobody will see the coup as "igbo coup"(I'm not saying it is o). If Ironsi hadn't abolished regional system of government for unitary system, we won't be crying lopsidedness. At best we would have grown into different regions and states. Power wouldn't have been in the centre and there would have been no Abacha, Buhari, IBB, Murtala coups, neither would there have been the civil war.

The action of Nwafor reversed whatever slight progress we made as a country and was the foundation upon which our present predicament was built.

superstar1:


The scenarios are totally different.

WHAT DIFFERENCE. ORIZU AND SHAGARI BOTH HAD IRONSI AND BUHARI STANDING BEHIND THEM WITH GUNS BUT ORIZU SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADAMANT AND POSSIBLY FACED DEATH DEFENDING YOUR CONSTITUTION BUT SHAGARI SHOULDN'T HAVE. AGAIN CONTINUE EEEEE!

Would it have been a different scenario if Orizu had handed over to a Northerner instead of Irons?

EASTSIDAZ:
Why is he not worth celebrating? You sux!

Please see below. Thanks.

anonimi:
His selfishness and shortsightedness should be remembered as a lesson for generations to come.
The unintended consequences of his actions gave room to the July 1966 counter coup that accelerated northern dominance of our country that MAY be irreversible.

We moved from two semi-autonomous regions yielding 17 states while one region yielded 19
Military dictators also removed whatever autonomy the federations regions had to siphon oil money from the Niger Delta to effectively kill other sectors- agric, manufacturing, education, research etc that diminished the middle class over time
He should be remembered as Adolf Hitler is remembered.

superstar1:


Very funny.

Were the leaders of other regions killed in Shagari's case?

Was the Senate president asked to hand over to nominated person by the cabinet?

Power was taken from the sitting president directly in a palace coup.

Buhari worked for his coup and he should benefit from work of his hands.

In the case of Orizu, he had the tim and opportunity to hand over to Dipcharima before he chose to hand over to his kinsmen. If he handed over to Dipcharima and Ironsi decided to arrest all of them and take over power, it would have been a different tall game entirely and Orizu would have been seen as a national hero.

He is an unpatriotic ethnic bigot. Period.

And what if he handed over to Ironsi in duress? Do you think Buhari couldn't have made SHAGARI to hand over power to him on National TV if he wanted?

anonimi:


His selfishness and shortsightedness should be remembered as a lesson for generations to come.
The unintended consequences of his actions gave room to the July 1966 counter coup that accelerated northern dominance of our country that MAY be irreversible.

We moved from two semi-autonomous regions yielding 17 states while one region yielded 19
Military dictators also removed whatever autonomy the federations regions had to siphon oil money from the Niger Delta to effectively kill other sectors- agric, manufacturing, education, research etc that diminished the middle class over time
He should be remembered as Adolf Hitler is remembered.

The second coup

I know a lot of people will bring emotions into everything but will never cross check facts.

Honestly the man didn't take the oath of office but he presided over the country even if it was done illegally, most coups are illegal.



This is from Wikipedia. A president is the leader of a country or a division or part of a country, typically a republic, a democracy, or a dictatorship. The title "president" is sometimes used by extension for leaders of other groups, including corporate entities.