*ONCE UPON A TIME, ONCE UPON A COUNTRY:*

*1. In 1950 in a place called Lagos, Olorunimbe was the first Mayor of Lagos with Mazi Mbonu Ojike as his Deputy.*

*2. In 1952 a man from Ogwashi Ukwu, by the name of Chief Ekwuiyasi represented Benin West in the Western House of Assembly.*

*3. In 1956 there was a country... whose first Mayor in a place called Enugu was a Fulani man by the name of Mallam Umaru Altine. He was not appointed but elected TWICE as Mayor.*

*4. In 1957 there was a country which has a City called Kano, one Felix Okonkwo, as a special member of the Northern House of Chiefs.*

*5. In 1959 there was a country, a country where when its Eastern House of Chiefs was constituted and a man named Mallam Umaru Yushau, the Sarkin Hausawa or Chief of the Hausas in Onitsha, was elected a member of the Eastern House of Chiefs.*

*6. In 1961, the people of Aba voted Margret Ekpo to represent them and Abakaliki voted Chief Eyo Bassey [father of AK APC Publicity Secretary] both non- Igbos into Parliament.*

*7. Alh.. Ibrahim Abubakar Imam from Maiduguri represented Tiv land Gboko in the House of Representatives.*

*8. There was a country which has a place called Port Harcourt. The people of Port Harcourt elected a man called Chief John Umolu [from Etsako in today's Edo State] to represent its municipality in the Eastern Region House of Assembly.*

*9. Before all these, Obafemi Awolowo led the campaign for Ernest Ikoli, an Ijaw man who defeated Chief Akinsanya in an election in Lagos. Nnamdi Azikiwe led the NCNC to a clean sweep of legislative seats in Lagos.*

*10. A Ghanaian Barrister called Atta Munu practicing in Calabar represented his town of residence in the first legislature in this Country elected by universal adult suffrage.*

To the young people who have always imagined that Nigeria has always been a jungle where lawlessness and tribalism reign, *...this was the way it really was and the way we were.*

*Merit, character and patriotism held sway and the country kept pace with the world.*

*That was our Great Country, Nigeria* *before the vultures took over!*

*HISTORY*.....