Among all the leaders Nigeria ever had at all level, who is the most generally respected of them?

Quite a very big question.
But I think E.A. Adeboye of RCCG has no match yet in term of the most respected person in our Nation

Maybe Chief Awolowo, love him or hate him. At least his name is mentioned side by side with development and good works. It says a lot for a man who died more than 20 years ago. His personal brand is everything positive.

gani or anyaoku

nnamdi azikiwe

Apart from Zik of Africa, I will go for Buhari or Ojukwu.

Nnamdi Azikiwe.

To me I would say Zik. But others like Awolowo, Balewa, Gowon, Gani, Saro wiwa and Nzeogwu could also make the list. I like Murtala and Buhari, but their stance on other ethnic tribes and religion(christianity) disturbs me. The reason why I would always hold Balewa in high esteem  is the statement he made at the commissioning of K.O Mbadiwe's country home, when he said, "If this life is forever, then there would be need for the material things we chase, if not there is no need for it". I believe that the late sarduana of Sokoto Alj. Amadu Bello through his preachings of a one (united) north, contributed to the breaking of the entity called Nigeria. He saw himself as a northern Nigerian, whereas Balewa saw himself as a Nigerian.
I'm also filled with disgust on the path of the present Sultan of Sokoto. He is not worthy to be a Nigerian leader.
  We've talked about the heroes, now the zeroes.
1. Babangida
2.Abacha
3.Anini
4.Abdulmutalab Farouk and so on,
  enough can't be said of them.
But the man Obasanjo is someone I cannot fit in good or bad, hero or zero. He is so controversial.

[center]MOST RESPECTED [/center]
[center]Akanu Ibiam (NUMBER 1)

Tam David west

Wole Soyinka

Olu Falae

Ebitu Ukiwe

Alvan Ikoku

Bola Ige

Chinua Achebe

Muhammadu Buhari

Col Umar

Nnamdi Owelle Azikiwe

Solomon Lar

Tafewa Balewa[/center]

[center]MOST DISRESPECTED[/center]

[center]Aremu Mattew Obasanjo
Arthur Nzeribe
Maurice Iwu
Sani Abacha
IBB
Earnest Shonekan
[/center]

^Nice list you have there Aloy, cheers!

Fela Anikulapo kuti

Raskimono


Alhaji Musa Dankwairo

Alhaji Adamu Dan maraya Jos


Oliver D'

Abdulrazak Ayinde

i would go for

1. Buhari

2. Awolowo

3. Fela

Pastor William F. Kumuyi, for his stand on righteousness

Abu-Maryam:

Fela Anikulapo kuti

Raskimono


Alhaji Musa Dankwairo

Alhaji Adamu Dan maraya Jos


Oliver D'

Abdulrazak Ayinde

Most of these are musicians rather than statesmen, haba! 

I can listen to Alhaji Adamu Dan maraya Jos all day long, he is sooooo talented. I love to play molo myself.

nzeogwu

i would go for Chinua Achebe, for his strong stance against bad and illegitimate governments in Nigeria, also Azikwe and Buhari

almost everyone is mentioning buhari and just a few months ago we had the chnance to make him president to move nogeria forward but unano gree now the gej una vote don dey mess up.When will NiGERIA get the revolution thats been due long time ago?

Idiagbon for me!

Ahmadu Bello
Obafemi Awolowo
Nnamdi azikwe
Muhammadu Buhari
Enahoro
Jack Gowon
Abraham Adesanya

Between Balewa, Azikiwe & Awolowo, in no particular order. This trinity is embossed in gold in the history of Nigerian public affairs. we cannot neglect Achebe's stance against misrule in Nigeria since before the civil war, Amino Kano's stance against Elitism as a prerequisite to political power, Gani's ordeal in the hands of abacha, Jaja of opobo's fight against the damned british thieves,
they say 'truth is the daughter if time' & 'History is a very harsh judge'

obasanjo
for successfully introducing democracy and wiping out the millitant odi village. successfully disabling past military presidents from taking over the throne again - babangida and buhari.

GEJ - for presenting true democracy at the expense of PDPs life as a monster party. for refusing to arrest buhari just to keep one nigeria despite the sponsored bomb blasts and inciteful statements.

chief jeremiah obafemi awolowo

Orji Uzor Kalu  

Did i hear you say GEJ?

Thatdave:

[b]obasanjo[\b]
for successfully introducing democracy and [b]wiping out the millitant odi village[\b]. successfully disabling past military presidents from taking over the throne again - babangida and buhari.

GEJ - for presenting true democracy at the expense of PDPs life as a monster party. for refusing to arrest buhari just to keep one nigeria despite the sponsored bomb blasts and inciteful statements.

mugu, which militant did he wipe out, he ended up almost wiping out an entire village in the name of fighting militant, nonsense

Awolowo,Akintola nd Zik

This thread is interesting. First, as usual with NLer people chose according to ethnic and religion line. Imagine somebody condemning Murtala as religion bigot. Secondly, it also shows our hypocrisy about Buhari, as at the last count over 7 people has mention his name, yet when we have the chance to give him the mantle of leadership we decline. To Obj, as usual we keep condemning him, i've no problem with that but let look inward  there is something about this day, why is the international community still revers him?

I dey laugh. Nobody called jonathanm. Hehehe but they voted for him. Myopic bunch. Zik n obj still remain nigerias best. Awolowo was nigerias pioneer triblist so he remains yorubas best leader not Nigeria.if otherwise then sam mbakwe would be included

Its a pity that we can not pin-point on a particular person and for sure say 'he or she ' is our hero and statesman. We are a nation in search of a hero, cos we havent got none. The likes of Martin Luther King, and etc are not to be found. My answer is "None". OBJ had a great opportunity of re-writing his wrongs to the nation but he messed it up somehow. Believe it or not, he is the closest to that statemanship. Abdusalam Abubakar is a great man but he did all he had to do. NONE again i said.

My list

Obasanjo
Atiku
Anini
Fani Kayode
IGP Tafa Balagun
Bode George
Aandoka
Turai
Ibori
Dangote