1) When Awo give you an assignment, he still put his ''eyes'' into it to ensure that the job is done properly. It was a tradition for him to come to agodi(Premier's residence) virtually every weekend to check on Akintola's work for the week on arrival from Federal(Lagos). Mrs Akintola(Mama Ladi) do NOT like this at all.

2) It was reported that Mama Ladi and HID were into distributorship business which clashed along the way.




To be continued

@Tunnytox

I will check my house to look for titles on that subject and post it here.

@Akolawole

thanks

Akolawole,

We ran this topic extensively last year and posted on Homepage, I am not sure Mods would do same again.

But worth giving a try.

I am from Ogbomosho and my grandmother comes from the same Agbo-ile as Akintola.

tunnytox:

How come I didn't see this thead for such a long time?
BRB

Same here.

This is the best thread I have read on Nairaland and I read every post patiently with associated sources and linkages. This is very informative and devoid of tribal and immature rantings that tend to derail many promising threads.

Awolowo was sound politically and understood the terrains of his time. The AG (just like Fashola's ACN before before 2011 elections) also performed creditably because there was powerful opposition, real and imaginary,  and cost of failure would have spelled doom for the entire western region as each region virtually competed to dominate the affairs of Nigeria. Awo's speech to the federal parliament warning against declaration of state of emergency was one of the finest speeches of the era.

The politics of the West has not changed much and the powerful bloc of the proponents of "detribalised" Nigerians in the west are bunch of hypocrites who are only interested in lining their pockets just as the proponents in the sixties. We need to go back to true federalism. Let each region or state manages what's in her domain. This country has to be restructured to reflect our diversity and differences.

@Dayo

I see. You will be biased then.

For decades after that melee, ogbomosho people hardly vote for anything Awolowo. They became conservative elements.

Awo's view is i will work HARD to make South West a model, then i will launch to federal.

SLA's view was 'lets be realistic, our votes cannot match up with their votes, we better be their friends NOW ''

Akolawole:

@Dayo

I see. You will be biased then.

For decades after that melee, ogbomosho people hardly vote for anything Awolowo. They became conservative elements.

Awo's view is i will work HARD to make South West a model, then i will launch to federal.

SLA's view was 'lets be realistic, our votes cannot match up with their votes, we better be their friends NOW ''

that more or less sum the whole issue up!

T9ksy:

Okay o, "professor", I concor. I know nothing of the deal between banjo and ojukwu save for the letter Ojukwu wrote to banjo which you of course have discredited here on this forum.

Can i then safely assume that you were in on this marvellous deal between the two and would therefore be in the position to enlighten us more of its details. And i hope you will be able to back your  assertions up with irrefutable evidence/s. I do not want another "I believe. . . . . . . . . . . . ,  ." or " am of the school of thought. . . . . . . . ." as was your response on another thread where you claimed Zik and the NCNC won the regional election in western Nigeria in 1951 but when asked to provide the proof, you started oscillating- ducking & diving like houdini. At the end of it all and till date, you have been unable to produce the election result that made you and your lying compatriots persist with your dissemination of falsehoods about Awo in particular and the yorubas in general.

Quote from: dayokanu
How can Adedibu a member of the AG be a lieutenant of Akintola in the NNDP? Is this part of the demonise Akintola propaganda? While Akintola was alive, Adedibu was never a member of NNDP.

Rotimi Williams was barred from court for what reason? definitely there is a legal explanation for it. If Rotimi Williams was barred he as a lawyer should seek redress in court instead of the AG instigating their Adedibu supporters to "wetie"

I am from Oyo State. And point to any of my statements that biased.
Balewa appointed Akintola? I thought he was made premier by the AG and when he had problems within the party sought redress from the court and won

So was balewa the leader of the AG who made him Premier or Balewa was the Judge who gave a decision in his favour.

A.G thugs carried out what can be termed as the will of the upper echelon. Akintola never encouraged any of such.

In the cross carpetting issue, why didnt the Akintola led A.G tell people to go wettie of NCNC members? Rather they sought a constitutional way of getting the upper hand instead of Arson that the party resorted to after Akintola left it.

Quote from: Katsumoto

The cross-carpeting issue happened in 1951, well before Akintola was Premier. Besides, Akintola was never leader of the AG. Its obvious that you are not too conversant with the events of that era.

After Akintola was sacked by Sir Aderemi and Adegbenro appointed, Akintola called Balewa. A state of emergency was declared, Adegbenro was sacked as premier and Aderemi was sacked as governor and Dr Majekodunmi was appointed as administrator. Awo was then sent to prison on trumped up charges. Akintola subsequently won the case in court.

Please stop being naive about this issue. The NPC controlled govt did everything possible to hold onto power. The cencus in 62 was so flawed that it was cancelled. The election in 1965 was equally rigged in Akintola's favour.


Please read above posts by Yoruba peeps. I guess they knew few things about carpet-crossing that happened on the floor of western regional house of assembly in 1951.

http://www.dawodu.com/agbe1.htm

Very informative article! (Thanks DK for this link)

Below is a quote from the link:

The N.C.N.C. accepted the suit of the N.P.C. and
received as dowry the right to consume Western
Nigeria's share of the national cake even though it
did not represent the people of Western Nigeria in the
federal parliament. The N.C.N.C. discovered after
Awolowo's political incapacitation that Chief S.L.
Akintola was a tougher nut to crack than Chief Awolowo
and decided to make the West ungovernable for him.

The assassination attempt on Professor Biobaku was in
line with the operation wetie" mayhem going on all
over Western Nigeria in which human beings were being
doused with petrol and set ablaze. Those dastardly
acts were being perpetrated by Yorubas, but the
perpetrators, their organizers and co-ordinators were
being funded by the government of Eastern Nigeria
under Dr. Michael Okpara, according to intelligence
reports available to the Western Nigerian government.

Laid bare:


It was a period of political jostling and juggling
that tasked the assiduity of every top politician in
the country and the N.C.N.C. was having the worse of
it; then the army struck.

The pattern of killings left nobody in any doubt that
the coup was meant to give the Ibo tribe the supremacy
over the rest of Nigeria which their politicians had
been unable to achieve in the political arena. It was
trumpeted that the army stepped in to remove corrupt
politicians but nobody has been able to explain how
army officers like Brigadier Ademulegun, Brigadier
Maimalari, Colonel Shodeinde, Col. Largema, Col. Pam
etc could pass for corrupt politicians. As for the
murdered politicians, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa, Chief S. L. Akintola and Chief F. S.
Okotie-Eboh, I present this article as a challenge to
anybody to catalogue sins exclusive to them which
could not be found in any Ibo politician, none of whom
lost a single hair of their head.

Any doubt as to the intention of the coup was laid to
rest when Ibos trooped out on the streets in the North
singing war songs jubilating over the death of the
Sarduana and praising their sons who committed the
murders; that tactless behaviour led to the massacre
of hundreds of them in the streets of Kano and other
Northern cities.

and even more:

The Public Service Commission refused to reverse
itself on that matter but was displeased at Ekwensi
for misleading and using it as an instrument of
personal vendetta, hence the order that he proceed on
leave and not return as Director of Information but to
go to the Old Secretariat as Librarian. I was robbed
of my promotion, but I walked tall in the knowledge
that notice had been served that the Yorubaman had
arrived and could no longer be kicked around like a
football; that was Akintola's legacy.

Like other Nigerians, I regarded every Yoruba person
as an Awoist and stayed clear of them until Chief S.
L. Akintola and his men came to prove that one could
be a good Yoruba man without being an Awoist.

So what was the Awolowo legacy? Chief Awolowo*s
policies resulted in a chain reaction that led to the
military overthrow of civilian governance in Nigeria,
the civil war and the eventual emergence of a latter
day Northerner who was arrogant, domineering and
greedy. The Hausa leaders whom the military boys
butchered in January 1966 were humble, principled,
cultured and very pleasant. It is a great pity that
they did not live to impart their noble qualities on
those who eventually succeeded them.

At Independence, Nigeria was a tripod comprising the
Hausas, the Igbos and the Yorubas. Chief Awolowo's
refusal to allow the Yorubas take their rightful place
at the center because he was not made Prime Minister
amounted to knocking off one leg of the tripod.
Nature never tolerates a vacuum so the N C N C rushed
in to fill the gap created by the Action Group's
absence in the central government.

Good fences, they say, make good neighbours. if you
don't fence your property your neighbour could
encroach on it and it would take a fight to drive him
off When Chief Awolowo refused to lead the Yorubas to
their rightful place at the centre, the N.C.N.C. moved
in to fill the void that he created. When Chief
Akintola went in to reclaim what rightfully belonged
to his people, it created bad blood which could not
have arisen if Chief Awolowo had not created a vacuum
that sucked in the trespassers.

One legacy of Chief Awolowo that I can attest to, is
the like of a man who sacrificed and lost everything
because of his steadfast support for Chief Awolowo.

My assignment with Chief Ayo Rosiji brought me in
contact with the different players in the politics of
Yoruba land among whom was Alhaji S.D. Adegbenro, whom
Chief Awolowo chose to replace Chief Akintola as
Premier of Western Nigeria. Alhaji Adegbenro put up a
good fight but was overwhelmed by a much stronger and
superior opponent.


I enjoy reading every bit of that article

Dayo,

You have done a great dis-service to Akintola by using this forum and your antagonistic style against Awo to further sink Akintola's virtues into the mud.

I read where you said you are related to him. . . . and I wonder what your purpose is for this post. Is it to reveal your own bloodline or is it to re-situate Akintola's legacy in our memory and consciense?

If I were you, instead of seeking a front page placement for this post I woul ask that it is locked up and blocked from further responses and tarnishing of Akintola.

Dede1:


Quote from: dayokanu
How can Adedibu a member of the AG be a lieutenant of Akintola in the NNDP? Is this part of the demonise Akintola propaganda? While Akintola was alive, Adedibu was never a member of NNDP.

Rotimi Williams was barred from court for what reason? definitely there is a legal explanation for it. If Rotimi Williams was barred he as a lawyer should seek redress in court instead of the AG instigating their Adedibu supporters to "wetie"

I am from Oyo State. And point to any of my statements that biased.
Balewa appointed Akintola? I thought he was made premier by the AG and when he had problems within the party sought redress from the court and won

So was balewa the leader of the AG who made him Premier or Balewa was the Judge who gave a decision in his favour.

A.G thugs carried out what can be termed as the will of the upper echelon. Akintola never encouraged any of such.

In the cross carpetting issue, why didnt the Akintola led A.G tell people to go wettie of NCNC members? Rather they sought a constitutional way of getting the upper hand instead of Arson that the party resorted to after Akintola left it.

Quote from: Katsumoto

The cross-carpeting issue happened in 1951, well before Akintola was Premier. Besides, Akintola was never leader of the AG. Its obvious that you are not too conversant with the events of that era.

After Akintola was sacked by Sir Aderemi and Adegbenro appointed, Akintola called Balewa. A state of emergency was declared, Adegbenro was sacked as premier and Aderemi was sacked as governor and Dr Majekodunmi was appointed as administrator. Awo was then sent to prison on trumped up charges. Akintola subsequently won the case in court.

Please stop being naive about this issue. The NPC controlled govt did everything possible to hold onto power. The cencus in 62 was so flawed that it was cancelled. The election in 1965 was equally rigged in Akintola's favour.


Please read above posts by Yoruba peeps. I guess they knew few things about carpet-crossing that happened on the floor of western regional house of assembly in 1951.

Dede1,

Let me clear up that post. We were discussing the feud between Akintola and Awolowo and I didn't se the need to provide a detailed breakdown of that incident. But since you quoted me, I have no option to but to clear that up. BTW, I don't remember any discussion or debate where I stated I was Yoruba or Yoruba. 

The Western house had 80 seats in total and any party with a 41 majority would have formed the government.

There were three elections for the 80 seats:
Western region elections on 24th September 1951 – 72 seats
Lagos elections on the 20th November 1951 – 5 seats (all won by NCNC)
Benin elections on the 6th of December 1951 – 3 seats (all won by Etu Edo)

Breakdown of 72 seats
AG won 38 seats including 3 won by its secretaries (Adegbenro, Hassan, and Osuntokun) who contested as independents.
Mabolaje Grand Alliance MBA (aka Ibadan Peoples Party) won 6 seats – Akinloye, Lanlehin, Akinbiyi, Akinyemi, Adelabu, and Aboderin
NCNC won 18 seats plus 7 Independent seats making 25
Ondo Improvement League won 2 seats
Adeola Odutola – Independent candidate representing Ijebu-Ode

At the end of the night on the 24th of September, 5 of the 6 MGA had declared for the AG while Adelabu declared for NCNC. Awosika of the Ondo improvement league and Adeola Odutola had both declared for the AG giving the AG 45 seats.

See official results below

http://books.google.ca/books?id=Oi0aVR4YkmUC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=1956+election+NCNC&source=bl&ots=xlo8I8O_iF&sig=jmQDabaMysM0SG7MMZI3yFZ49dg&hl=en&ei=004zTvWKL4OnsALHmdTtCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=1956%20election%20NCNC&f=false

Of the three seats in Benin won by Etu Edo, Ighodaro declared for AG while Omo-Osagie and Ekuyasi declared for NCNC.

At the end of December 1951, seats were as follows
AG – 46
NCNC/Independents 34

The Western house was inaugurated on the 7th of January 1952 and elections to the Federal House were held on the 10th of January 1952. Three members of the NCNC crossed over to the AG and these were Kessington-Momoh, Ako, and Awodi Orisaremi (all representing Urhobo/Kukuruku division in the Mid-west). None of them was Yoruba and that clearly defeats the lame and ridiculous lies that the AG, and by extension Awolowo, introduced tribal politics in Nigeria. These three crossed over because they needed AG votes to get into the Federal House.  Ako and Kessington-Momoh were elected but Orisaremi lost and returned to the NCNC. These three crossed when the AG had a clear majority and had to pay fees to join the AG.

The real reason Zik resigned was because he lost that election to the Federal House. NCNC had five seats from the West and Zik couldn’t gain any of these seats losing to other NCNC members such as Fadahunsi, Olorunnimbe, Oputa-Otutu, Denis Osadebey, and Adeleke Adedoyin.


Dede1
It is time you provide facts and stop inundating the forum with fairy tales started by Zik, Mbu, and Mbadiwe. The results on the night of the election are still in the Nigerian National archives; only a lazy scholar would continue to regurgitate lies perpetuated by those who had to lie to save face from being beaten soundly. T8ksy has been asking you to produce the 'results' which gave NCNC the required majority to lead the Western House for months, yet no answer from you. Why am I not surprised?

I've learnt a lot from this thread .Thanks Dayo and Kat for those indepth analysis and insight .
Thanks also to our igbo broda for not derailin this thread !

Katsumoto:

Dede1,

Let me clear up that post. We were discussing the feud between Akintola and Awolowo and I didn't se the need to provide a detailed breakdown of that incident. But since you quoted me, I have no option to but to clear that up. BTW, I don't remember any discussion or debate where I stated I was Yoruba or Yoruba.

The Western house had 80 seats in total and any party with a 41 majority would have formed the government.

There were three elections for the 80 seats:
Western region elections on 24th September 1951 – 72 seats
Lagos elections on the 20th November 1951 – 5 seats (all won by NCNC)
Benin elections on the 6th of December 1951 – 3 seats (all won by Etu Edo)

Breakdown of 72 seats
AG won 38 seats including 3 won by its secretaries (Adegbenro, Hassan, and Osuntokun) who contested as independents.
Mabolaje Grand Alliance MBA (aka Ibadan Peoples Party) won 6 seats – Akinloye, Lanlehin, Akinbiyi, Akinyemi, Adelabu, and Aboderin
NCNC won 18 seats plus 7 Independent seats making 25
Ondo Improvement League won 2 seats
Adeola Odutola – Independent candidate representing Ijebu-Ode

At the end of the night on the 24th of September, 5 of the 6 MGA had declared for the AG while Adelabu declared for NCNC. Awosika of the Ondo improvement league and Adeola Odutola had both declared for the AG giving the AG 45 seats.

See official results below

http://books.google.ca/books?id=Oi0aVR4YkmUC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=1956+election+NCNC&source=bl&ots=xlo8I8O_iF&sig=jmQDabaMysM0SG7MMZI3yFZ49dg&hl=en&ei=004zTvWKL4OnsALHmdTtCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=1956%20election%20NCNC&f=false

Of the three seats in Benin won by Etu Edo, Ighodaro declared for AG while Omo-Osagie and Ekuyasi declared for NCNC.

At the end of December 1951, seats were as follows
AG – 46
NCNC/Independents 34

The Western house was inaugurated on the 7th of January 1952 and elections to the Federal House were held on the 10th of January 1952. Three members of the NCNC crossed over to the AG and these were Kessington-Momoh, Ako, and Awodi Orisaremi (all representing Urhobo/Kukuruku division in the Mid-west). None of them was Yoruba and that clearly defeats the lame and ridiculous lies that the AG, and by extension Awolowo, introduced tribal politics in Nigeria. These three crossed over because they needed AG votes to get into the Federal House. Ako and Kessington-Momoh were elected but Orisaremi lost and returned to the NCNC. These three crossed when the AG had a clear majority and had to pay fees to join the AG.

The real reason Zik resigned was because he lost that election to the Federal House. NCNC had five seats from the West and Zik couldn’t gain any of these seats losing to other NCNC members such as Fadahunsi, Olorunnimbe, Oputa-Otutu, Denis Osadebey, and Adeleke Adedoyin.


Dede1
It is time you provide facts and stop inundating the forum with fairy tales started by Zik, Mbu, and Mbadiwe. The results on the night of the election are still in the Nigerian National archives; only a lazy scholar would continue to regurgitate lies perpetuated by those who had to lie to save face from being beaten soundly. T8ksy has been asking you to produce the 'results' which gave NCNC the required majority to lead the Western House for months, yet no answer from you. Why am I not surprised?

The products of hack writers are in such a high demand today because of individuals such as you. Contrary to the copy and paste junk you stood up, there were no independent candidates during the era in discuss. There were major political parties with nation-wide spread and local parties with city-wide spread. Before the electioneering campaigns, the local parties were allowed to contest unless under alliance with and run on the platform of major politcal parties.

Local parties such as Otu Edo, IPP, Leagues, Farmers Union, Omo Parapos etc contested election under the platform of major political parties with agreement to form a ruling government.

However, this arrangement did not take into consideration the act of carpet-crossing and injection of tribal politics after the election. For example, Chief S O. Ighodaro was offered either the position of regional ministers or speaker to cross over to AG. It must recall that Edo people swore that Chief Ighodaro shall never win any electable office in Edo till today.

Dede1:


The products of hack writers are in such a high demand today because of individuals such as you. Contrary to the copy and paste junk you stood up, there were no independent candidates during the era in discuss. There were major political parties with nation-wide spread and local parties with city-wide spread. Before the electioneering campaigns, the local parties were allowed to contest unless under alliance with and run on the platform of major politcal parties.

Local parties such as Otu Edo, IPP, Leagues, Farmers Union, Omo Parapos etc contested election under the platform of major political parties with agreement to form a ruling government.

However, this arrangement did not take into consideration the act of carpet-crossing and injection of tribal politics after the election. For example, Chief S O. Ighodaro was offered either the position of regional ministers or speaker to cross over to AG. It must recall that Edo people swore that Chief Ighodaro shall never win any electable office in Edo till today.

Every writer is a hack writer as long as they do not support your views. When are you going to start quoting writers who support your arguments?

Please provide the election results that supports your position of cross-carperting and is at odds with the results quoted in Richard Sklar's book.

What kind of political arrangement is that where there are local parties and major parties? The smaller parties in any political setting usually form alliances with bigger parties for relevance and favour. But they can also decide to stay on their won. I have provided a breakdown of the election results in 1951 and the alliances formed before the inauguartion on the 7th of January 1952. Can you at least provide your own results and the breakdown to go with it?

Also, can you explain how 5 of the seats won by Mabolaje Grand Alliance ended with AG and how one of the seats ended with NCNC if small parties contest under a 'major' party?

Awolowo is a great man so also was Akintola.

i find the issue interesting. I hope the discussion continues and more facts are revealed. I am convinced that there is a lot to learn from the life and times of past leaders of Nigeria especially the immediate post independent ones.

Katsumoto:

Now that explains it better.
Akintola rallied politicians who were not reckoned with in the West. Tell us, how many elections did TOS Benson, Akinloye, Akinjide, Fani-Kayode, Rosiji win in the West? After the 66 coup, how many of these people were even heard of again? I knew you had to biased for a reason, now I know what that reason is. Some of the articles that you posted were written by Yomi Akintola, Ladipo Akintola, and Fazil Ope-Agbe, an Akintola leuitenant.

And for your information TOS Benson joined NNDP after having disagreements with Michael Okpara in NCNC.

TOS Benson defends himself against Fazil Ope-Agbe distortions of history. Enjoy it.
RIGHT OF REPLY: The Akintola controversy


Friday, November 14, 2003

Ope-Agbe’s distortions of history, by Otunba TOS Benson

MY reputation as a politician of note in the first republic has been brutally bruised with untruths, and avoidable distortions of history, by Fazil Ope-Agbe in an article in the Vanguard, titled: Akintola Fought For The Yoruba People. The piece ran for two days from August 8. Ope-Agbe’s version of the history of the politics of the first republic was heavily jaundiced. The references made about me assaulted my values, as a politician, with good principles. I write to set the record straight, about the tainted roles, he ascribed to me. My name was mentioned at least eight times in the said article. I cannot therefore, ignore the unwholesome role of prospective arsonist or anarchist, which he claimed falsely, that I offered to play.

Protracted in-fighting between the AG and the breakaway NNDP of S. L. Akintola led to a break down of law and order, the second time in Western Nigeria. The first time was in 1962 when a state of emergency was declared for six months and Chief M. A. Majekodunnii was appointed the Administrator for Western region. The 1965 state of lawlessness in the region was dubbed: "Operation Wetie". People and property were doused with gasoline and set on fire. The AG Secretariat in Ibadan, was torched. I had quit the NCNC in a dispute with Okpara when the party failed to nominate me to compete in Federal Elections in December 1964. Ayo Rosiji a leading member of the party was also, a former star of the AG. The big lie is that Ope-Agbe wrote that I proposed that the NNDP should organize its own operation wetie in my Lagos constituency to hit back at the "NCNC" — which was accused, I believe, wrongly, of organizing the Mayhem. In fighting between the members of the AG and NNDP, was responsible for the operation wetie crisis in the West. The NCNC which was the opposition party in the West, only cashed in on the crisis, on the side of the NNDP.

I categorically state that I did not make any proposal to torch AG offices in Lagos, which the author said was rejected — as counter productive - by both Rosiji and Akintola. The only witnesses to this bit of Ope - Agbe’s history, which has not hitherto been reproduced in print, are dead. I have never read nor heard of the author’s charge before now. It is a puzzle that it took him about forty years to invent his story, which associated me with thuggery. Its purpose must have been to counter the equally false postulations in glory of Awo by Ganiyu Dawodu in a book, titled:

"Who Won The 1951 Western Nigeria Election - Zik or Awo?’ True Awoists will not find comfort with the writings of Ope-Agbe on SLA and what he did for the Yoruba. For the author clothed SLA as the political angel who dragged the Yoruba — through partnership with the North - into the mainstream of national politics.

Ope Agbe says that Awo was rigid and uncompromising to the extent of putting his own whims and interests above the general interests, and needs of the Yorubas. He saw no good at all in Chief Awolowo’s desires and principles, and believes that Awo’s extreme regionalism crippled his own ambition for national leadership. On the other hand, SLA was the man for outreach to the North and South-East. His article generally was a disservice to be sought after unity of the Yoruba race. The wounds of the Awo- SLA conflict persist in some form. Afenifere and (Igbimo Omo Yoruba) Yoruba Council of Elders, remain two political poles apart. My wish is to see Yoruba fly a united political and cultural flag, within the context of one Nigeria. I believe that the author wrote in bad faith as a surviving agent of satanic politics in Yorubaland.

In 1954, I led the campaign in the Western Region against Action Group and NCNC won the majority. The people appointed ministers from Western Region were Okotie Eboh from the Mid-West, Kola Balogun and Adegoke Adelabu from Yoruba area of Western Region. Although, I was the Chairman and Leader of NCNC Western Working Committee (Lagos — Asaba) but I was not appointed a minister because there was no provision in the constitution to that effect, hence I was appointed Federal Government Chief Whip. When Adelabu was removed as a minister in 1955, he was replaced with J. M. J. from Ibadan constituency. In 1959, none of the three parties; NPC, the NCNC and AG won the overall majority hence the NCNC had an alliance with the NPC to form the Government at the Center. Okotie Eboh was again appointed a minister from the Mid-West while from the Yoruba Area of the West, JMJ and Akinfosile and myself, T. 0. S. Benson from Lagos, were appointed Ministers. The snag in the constitution against the appointment of ministers from Lagos was removed in 1957 London Constitutional Conference.

It amounts to living in a dream world for Ope-Agbe to posit that ... Chief T. 0. S. Benson of Ikorodu, Chief Olu Akinfosile of Okitipupa and J.M. Johnson of Ibadan who were in charge of federal portfolios that belonged to the West were not true and legitimate representatives of that region. It is naively for him to so postulate. The NPC/NCNC alliance of 1954 to 1959 continued to 1964. The author blames Awo whom he wrote "was obsessed" with leading the nation, for not opening up to the stretched hands of the North for partnership in a coalition — which SLA did. Let me state that Awo made attempts at forging an alliance with the North contrary to the position of Ope Agbe. But in his attempt at forging this alliance, the AG played a double political game when the party sent Rosiji to the Sardauna to negotiate NPC/AG alliance and at the same time sent Gbadamosi to Zik for NCNC/AG alliance. The end of the road came for the AG when Sardauna phoned Zik to find out NCNC’s readiness for the alliance following AG’s overtures to the NPC and Zik replied to him that the Action Group was also negotiating with him. At this point the Sardauna was annoyed with the AG’s double deal and dismissed further discussions with the AG hence the NPC/NCNC alliance was sealed. This clarification is for Ope-Agbe to note.

It is not correct, as Ope-Agbe wrote, that "... Chief T. 0. S. Benson the NCNC’s mainstay in Lagos had quit the party in high dungeon over the open support of the Eastern House of Assembly for Boniface Ofokaja’s rebellion; and open defiance of the minister over the appointment of Mr. Segun Smith as News Editor of the NTA. Ofokaja’s shattered ambition had nothing to do with my exit from the party. I was the Third Vice President of the NCNC. My relationship with the President of the party after Zik, and Premier of the Eastern region, Dr. Michael Okpara, was uneasy and full of friction. I should, at this stage, tell the story of the final straw that severed the political bond between Okpara and I. I was in USA with my consort on medical grounds; when Okpara fixed a date of the start of the NCNC Campaign in Western Nigeria. He appointed me to lead the campaign. I replied in a cable, that I could not make it on the prescribed date. We were undergoing a series of medical tests. Okpara concluded that I did not want the party to win in the West and that I was playing games. Another incidence was during our campaign tour when Okpara and I were on our way to Ogbomosho and Okpara expressed his wish to become the Prime Minister in 1964. I told him that it was not possible because we formed UPGA in order to bring Awo from prison and make him the Prime Minister as was the case in Ghana where Nkrumah emerged from prison. Because of this and particularly my objection to his ambition of becoming prime minister in 1964, he led a campaign for the party to substitute me with Maduagwu Moronu, an Oba man from the East, who was one of my constituency secretaries, as candidate for my Yaba Federal seat.

Okpara appointed Ogunsanya, my town’s man to head my nomination committee, but Ogunsanya, not wanting to be seen to be opposing me appointed Akinyemi Obe whom though I sponsored to become a lawyer, carried out Okpara’s plan. At the close of nominations, two contestants emerged. So, I boycotted the nomination committee and quit the party to contest as independent UPGA and I won the election. In essence, Moronu was not fair to me as his leader. He betrayed me politically by allowing himself to be used by Okpara to achieve his plot to unseat me. I took care of Moronu, I was nice to him and even bought him a car worth 300 pounds at BEWAC. From the foregoing, Ope-Agbe can better understand that he was wrong to accuse me of not allowing Moronu to contest the election.

The case of Boniface Ofokaja and Segun Smith was entirely, another Kettle of fish. What Ope-Agbe has done is to weave it into his text in such a manner, as to confirm his theme that NCNC Yoruba Ministers did little for their Kinsmen. At best they were Satellite of Igbo colleagues. Not so. His general theme is that only SLA genuinely cared and catered for the welfare of Yorubas in the West; while those of Yoruba ministers who "appropriated" the cabinet seats meant for heartland Yorubas, did little for the West. Again, it is not true.

I was accused by the group led by my parliamentary secretary, Chief Mbazulike Amechi and R.B.K. Okafor, of promoting only the interests of the Yorubas in the various arms of my ministry. I denied the charge but made the same accusation against Dr. Okechukwu lkejiani, Chairman of board of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Nzegwu, the General Manager and Raymond Njoku the Minister of Transport in charge of the railways. I said specially that they had loaded the Railway hospital and offices in the railway generally with Ibos to the exclusion of Yorubas and other tribes. There was an internal party tribunal on the matter. I was not the loser, when the verdict was pronounced. The matter of Boniface Ofokaja losing the post of NTA News Editor to Segun Smith was one of the matters I disposed of. My Ministry of Information even published a pamphlet on the Matter titled: Is Benson Igbophobist? I still have a copy. Ofokaja was a brilliant news- reader with a sonorous and firm voice that was richly loud. But his rank was that of News Assistant. Smith was already a News Editor in the NBC, which managed the newly established TV station. When the contract of the American GM of the NTA expired, he recommended Ofokaja who was much junior in the organization to the post of News Editor. Other staff in the organization, ranked after Smith, were all Easterners - mainly Igbos — and very senior to Ofokaja. They were Philip Okereke, Edet Charles, Ochi Ogbuaku, Rex Eleazor, Godwin Ironkwe, Charles Emerue, and West Camerounian, Sony Dikpoko, and Yebovi. Late Dr. K. 0. Mbadiwe campaigned for Ofokaja. The premier of the East later gave him a high post in the Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting Service in Enugu. They made politics out of nothing and it is most unfortunate that Ope-Agbe is bringing up this matter at this time, but however, I have no choice but to reply to him.

They however, failed to tarnish my image, as a detribalized nationalist. Ope - Agbe obviously concocted the ugly story about Cyprain Ekwensi, Director of Information, and roped me in, in bad light. He claimed that Ekwensi jumped over him for promotion to Higher Information Officer.

Instead of him, Ekwensi had recommended two junior staff Moses Ihonde and Azeez Garuba. According to him ..... with Chief T. 0. S. Benson, an NCNC as Minister of Information, Ekwensi had been able to throw his weight around to the extent of treating the Permanent Secretary, Mr. F. I. Ajuniogobia, as his subordinate".

That was plain mischief The inference is that he, a Yorubaman, would not get justice from me a Yoruba minister, because my party was anti-Yoruba. He never complained to me nor his permanent secretary; for my action, about his alleged running battles with his Director (Ekwensi), whom he said suppressed him as an act of vengeance; for his refusal to join him in reporting Mr. Ajuinogobia to me, as Minister, for interfering with publicity. He claimed that Ekwensi "could toy with me" because I was an NCNC. I do not know how possible it is for the Public Service Commission to make promotions without an input by the permanent secretary of any particular ministry. Ope -Agbe, as a Yoruba man and a Grammarian never complained to me, or to his permanent secretary for us to put things right. Being an Akintola man, he was afraid of his own shadow. He had to wait until Rosiji came on board as minister, to raise the issue of his succession. Yet, the Commission, as he admitted, refused to reverse itself In my days as minister, no staff of my ministry would dare to toy with me for political or ethnic reasons. I did not tolerate nonsense. I was not a tribal leader. I have remained detribalized, as every one knows; and I was a senior member of a national party.

I consider the article which I complained of as an irritating piece of worthless propaganda that gave praise only to the Akintola faction, of what used to be the AG; which was torn apart after the Schism that was nurtured at the conference of the party in 1961, which exploded in 1962. All the pieces in Ope-Agbe’s rambling history were designed to show SLA’s NNDP in a federal outlook, while the rump of the AG under Awo and Adegbenro was regionally based, although Awo wanted badly to rule the Federation. In the process of stitching his story together, Ope-Agbe maligned both the living and the dead. I cannot call Dr. K. 0. Mbadiwe to witness because he is dead. He accused Dr. Mbadiwe of plotting to displace Chief Festus Okotie Eboh as minister of Finance. But Professor Ben Nwabueze is alive. He devastated him with false projections about the tussle between him and Professor S. Biobaku in the political battles that resulted from attempts to fill the Chair of VC. of the University of Lagos, which was vacated on transfer by Professor Eni Njoku. I must recall that during that struggle, Adams starved Prof Biobaku. Nwabueze and Ekwensi must speak out in their cause, and not allow the taleteller to get away with fiction. Moses lhonde, one of the two men claimed to have superseded Ope-Agbe is alive. He has produced three books on the politics and personalities of the first republic. He should not allow the spin yarns of Ope-Agbe to stand, unchallenged.

Akinloye is entitled to his own version of the statement about the January/February 1952 Carpet crossing affairs at Ibadan. But the fact is that Ibadan NCNC Mabolaje allies contested with the AG and won six seats in Ibadan. Five of them led by Akinloye and Aboderin crossed to the Action Group (AG), but Adelabu remained with the NCNC. In 1954, Adelabu cleared the whole six seats in Ibadan during the election to the Federal House of Representatives thus showing his supremacy over Akinloye and Aboderin in Ibadan.

In 1959, Chief Adisa Adeoye, a lawyer who stepped into Adelabu’s shoes in Ibadan cleared the whole eight seats in Ibadan for the NCNC and he is still alive. I am saying this categorically because I led the campaign for these two elections. Adelabu had died on the 23rd of March 1958.

This country does not require spin writers of history. We want works that will advance the cause of healing the political wounds of the Yorubas in the past half a century. The article shows that these wounds are still bleeding. For the sake of decency, I will not like to say that Ope Agbe is a liar, but suffice it to say that he is a composer, fabricator and manufacturer of untrue stories.

Of late spin authors have been active on the pages of the Vanguard. The most prominent is Taiwo Akintola, who is a staff of the BBC. He reopened old political wounds with his article titled: "Awolowo/Akintola: The Tango Between Vision And Compromise". The article ran in the Vanguard of August 15 and 18. He is obviously an Awo man. He says SLA made grievous mistakes but did not elaborate. He also criticized Chief Okotie-Eboh for the break up of Western Nigeria, to create the Mid-West region. Okotie Eboh’s children have replied to him. I do not think that tit-bits about past politics will help us. Lagos was the center of political gravity before Abuja. So, I would rather urge the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan and Ahmadu Bello University to consult together and undertake omnibus works separately about the politics of the first republic. They should share out spheres, which each will deal with. Let us hear three sides of the same story, so that the complete truth will be out. I recently had to give my own version of events in the West in 1951 in reply to a book by Ganiyu Dawodu.

The Deputy Political Editor of Vanguard, Bolade Omonijo - thinks that sometimes I exaggerate my importance - Political Notes; Vanguard of September 26. For somebody who was 2nd Vice-President of the NCNC, Chairman of NCNC Western Working Committee, a Councilor in Ikorodu Town Council 1955 to 1958, Councilor and Deputy Mayor of Lagos 1950 to 1953, Leader of the Opposition in Western House of Assembly, Member of the Lagos Executive Development Board - 1951 - 1959, Member of the House of Representatives for Lagos, and Nigeria’s lst Minister of Information, my status at the time, speaks for me. I do not need to exaggerate any thing. This is why I have advocated that more books be written of the era.

http://news.biafranigeriaworld.com/archive/2003/nov/14/0275.html

Rest in Peace sir

50yrs after

I must say that I have enjoyed this discussion so much even though it's an old thread. Kudos to both Dayo and Kat, as well as others that have contributed.

I agree with the summation of many here, Chief Akintola I have no doubt has his own good qualities, but in the end , as it relates to what transpired between himself and Awo and the AG, he was a traitor- not necessarily to Awo alone but also to both the party which was founded on the philosophy of democratic socialism as well as to the Yoruba masses who had embraced this political philosophy wholeheartedly.

The diverse views aired on this form though has given me more clarity on the events of those days, growing up with a father that was a staunch Awoist, I never heard anything positive about Akintola but this thread has done a lot to at least show some positive sides to the man. Nonetheless, he was still in the wrong and shouldn't have tried to subvert the party's policy on favor of his.

My dad used to quote Akintola as having said in those days that , " it's not proper for the children of the poor to have the same educational privilege as those of the rich such that they become indistinguishable based on their level of education ", I don't know if he actually said those words because it sounds farfetched that he would actually say something like that, though everything I've read about his political ideologies and anti free education campaign lends credence to it

One of the most educative threads I’ve read on Nairaland. A must read for yoruba!