₦airaland Forum

pazienza:
AZIKIWE and AWOLOWO: who did more for Nigeria's education?


The problem with writing skewered history is that it equally misinforms its target: Kayode Esho was a great jurist, but Akunne Oputa was the "Socrates" of the Supreme court.
Enahoro was a young editor, but Azikiwe made him that young editor with Osita Agwuna as his assistant, at his paper, the Southern Nigerian Defender in Ibadan, where my own father incidentally started as a rookie before shortly abandoning journalism for the stable berth of the civil service.

The myth of Awolowo as building the first this and that does not match the documented economic history of the period. Between 1954 and 1964, Eastern Nigeria was described as "the fastest growing economy in the world," by the Harvard Review; faster than China, faster than Singapore, and all the so-called "Asian Tigers." Awolowo is often credited with "free education". But no one yet has pointed out any surviving school buildings of the period built by Awo.

But all over the East there were quality schools built by the various communities using the Town Development Unions from 1954, and acessing the matching grants of the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation. And this was the East with the poorest revenue resources of any of the regions. The Mbaise secondary school exists, the National High School Okigwe exists, the Ngwa High school exists, the Enyiogugu Grammar School exists, etc. These were solid schools built all over the East with matching goverment grants. But where are the buildings of the Modern schools in Western Nigeria? They do not exist.

They were makeshift. The Catholic church forced the Azikiwe government from its scholarship program, but it is also on record, that the Eastern government was the only government in the world that invested 45% of its revenues in education. The East had the highest number of schools; the highest school enrollment; the broadest penetration of medical services; and the best modern road network in west Africa. Indeed if we look carefully, the only public hospitals and most of the schools still standing in the East today, at various stages of run down are the schools and hospitals built by Azikiwe/Okpara.

Every division of the East had a Joint Hospital as part of the Eastern Medical services. So it is often claimed Awo built the first television station; the first sky scraper, and the first Sports stadium, the liberty stadium in Ibadan. Well, these are prestige or white elephant investments. First, the Eastern Outlook, the government paper of Eastern Nigeria was the first newspaper established by any government in Nigeria, and it was of such quality and impact that the literacy level of Easterners, and the depth of public information retailed by Outlook was without compare. This is besides the fact that Western Nigerian Broadcast Services, WNBS-TV founded in 1958 only preceded the ENBC-TV founded in 1959, by only seven months. But Outlook preceded Sketch by about 15 years. Now Azikiwe built the Onitsha Modern market, the first modern mall or trade emporium in West Africa.

Onitsha was effectively Dubai before Dubai. People traveled all over Africa, from as far as the Congo and Sudan and Egypt, to come and buy and trade in Onitsha. The economic impact of this was humonguos. So, give me the vast Onitsha modern market over Cocoa House in Ibadan. Azikiwe built the first Nigerian University at Nsukka with the first School of Law, the first School of Engineering, the first Business School; the first school of journalism, and the first school of music and performance, etc.

By the time its first graduates took the Nigerian civil service exams in 1963, everybody began to raise the cry of "Igbo domination" starting with Akintola and Ayo Rosiji. Give me UNN over Liberty stadium. Azikiwe began the first modern library system in West Africa. The East had a system of city libraries starting with the very modern Ziks Library in Enugu.

I Literally grew up in the Umuahia Divisional Library. These libraries were built all over the East. Schools in the East were built with libraries. Moreover the Eastern Nigerian Library Board had a sysem of rural amd mobile libraries. There was nothing like it anywhere else in Nigeria: kids having library cards and able to borrow or order books from the public library. Give me the the first library over the first TV. I do not by this mean that Awolowo did not make his contributions, but the regular skewering of the facts, and angling of contemporary national narratives often makes it seem these days like the greatest contributor to the founding of Nigeria and its development is Awolowo and the Yoruba, when the actual facts speak differently.

The great Ibadan historian, Tekena Tamuno, was unambiguous in stating once at NIPPS, Jos, that "the Igbos are the makers of moderm Nigeria. When they abandoned their project, Nigeria collapsed." We must remind Nigerians, particularly Igbo children, daily of these fact, to achieve what Achebe called " a balance of stories." And that also means we must read beyond the surface of things. Babarinsa's Guardian essay is angled carefully to maintain a revisionist narrative. And that is to be always challenged, however innocent it might seem. Even today, most Yoruba think that Awolowo founded the Universities of Ibadan and Lagos. No one has reminded them that it took Azikiwe's pressures for a university for Nigeria, in his meeting with Arthur Richards in 1946, that led to the cobstitution of the Eliot commision and subsequently the founding of the University College, Ibadan. This fact is even clearly conveyed in Michael Crowder's eponymous book, The Story of Nigeria. Nsukka was Azikiwe's critique of what he felt to be the conceptual limitations of Ibadan.


The University of Lagos was the result of NCNC's ideological contributions to the federal policy during the ill fated coalition government with the NPC. UNILAG was an NCNC project, shepherded by Aja Wachukwu as minister for education. Even the great UNILAG in her 50th anniversary failed to mention Prof Eni Njoku as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the university, a man that layed the solid foundation of what made Unilag is today.
These facts must be made known and put as forcefully accross as possible. Again, until the lion tells his own story, the story of the hunt will belong to the hunter. Kabissa!


- Anonymous

Mynd44 lalasticlala oam4j dominique justwise
Rule 3

Seerade029:
Then why is it that Igbos controlled it? In Nigeria.

Pope is the head of Catholic church and he controls Catholic church.
He is not some sort of Daddy GO or pastoral private jet owner.

Juliusmalema:
Pope is the head of Catholic church and he controls Catholic church.

He is not some sort of Daddy GO or pastoral private jet owner.

You don't understand.

Ever since I've been born.
In all the South West state.
Igbos head the Catholic Church there, why is it so?

Seerade029:
You don't understand.
Ever since I've been born. In all the South West state. Igbos head the Catholic Church there, why is it so?

Drop the names of the bishops let's see the ever you were born...

Not some kind of Lagos-ibadan express propaganda.

Juliusmalema:
Drop the names of the bishops let's see the ever you were born...


Not some kind of Lagos-ibadan express propaganda.

Nah wa oooo.
You expect me to go to each church and be asking them the names of their father

It's something everyone know here, whenever we do association meetings, conference meetings, CAN meetings, revivals etc.
You'll see them.

Seerade029:
Nah wa oooo.
You expect me to go to each church and be asking them the names of their father

It's something everyone know here, whenever we do association meetings, revivals etc.
You'll see them.

Leave propaganda oga....

Drop the names of the bishops let's see the ever you were born...
Not some kind of Lagos-ibadan express propaganda.

Juliusmalema:
Leave propaganda oga....

Drop the names of the bishops let's see the ever you were born...
Not some kind of Lagos-ibadan express propaganda.

Never mind, ain't talking about bishop.
I'm talking about the Rev fr of each Catholic Church.

Anyways, never mind

Seerade029:
Never mind, ain't talking about bishop. I'm talking about the Rev fr of each Catholic Church.
Anyways, never mind

Same you..said..same you said I shouldn't mind.
Well thanks u defeated ur own argument.

Amarabae:
social media is a great equaliser to the print media propaganda machinery once dominated by them.
Igbos are standing up to them on social media and squashing their aged lies.
we are winning.
ride on pazienza
lol.
BTW I love awolowo style of leadership I must confess.

You are standing up to nobody

We supply you facts....you respond with embellished and doctored reports.

We stand erect, you stand crooked!

Amarabae:
social media is a great equaliser to the print media propaganda machinery once dominated by them.
Igbos are standing up to them on social media and squashing their aged lies.
we are winning.
ride on pazienza
lol.
BTW I love awolowo style of leadership I must confess.

Amara, I wanna ask one question. Aren't Anioma people Igbo?

andrewtosin:
Amara, I wanna ask one question. Aren't Anioma people Igbo?

I am not from Anioma, they can be whatever they want to be,

pazienza:
Coal is exclusive to the East

Thats true. Coal is exclusive to East.

You should call Amarabae's attention to your point.

Ibos generally didnt know that Coal in East was used to develop PortHarcourt Port.

Proceeds of Palm Oil, Cotton in West was used to develop Lagos port.

This is included in a thread that busted the myths that Lagos ports was developed by Delta oil. This revelation was produced from colonial records and presented by Yoruba.

Yoruba produce facts, Ibo rely on hearsay and conjectures that go nowhere.

pazienza:
The willink report showed Yorubas to be oppressive and intolerant of non Yorubas, while it exonerated Ndiigbo of such.

Looking at how Ndiigbo handled Eastern region with equity and fairness.
Your rantings above only proves how bitter and hypocritical Yorubas are. Always looking to paint people black while hyping up your selves.

Please bring the wilink report where this is said. Show us.

Amarabae:
I am not from Anioma, they can be whatever they want to be,

just asking for friends ni jare

Apawicked:
Facts

My goodness, I'm beginning to have the impression that afonjas contributed to Nigeria's decay more than any other group. It has become clear that the only reason why history learning was stopped in Nigeria was to erase the massive exploits and contributions to the growth of Nigeria and to replace it with blatant lies and propaganda which they have continued to churn out unabashedly, the most recent being the ridiculous nonsense Yeye Kale produced from his smelly ass and presented to the public as statistics!

Even as far back as the 1960's, the Igbos were already ahead of the afonjas in school enrollment yet they kept telling the indomie generation how the afonjas are the most educated tribe in Nigeria. The only time they were ahead was immediately after the white men first arrived established schools in Lagos and Abeokuta but the moment they crossed the Niger, we took over (read Achebe's Trouble with Nigeria for more emphasis) and it has remained like that till today (university enrollment figures, JAMB and WAEC figures proves that).

The British system only supported merit and that was why Igbos occupied majority of posts in the country and that was the golden years of Nigeria until the civil war and the afonjas and abo.kis took over to destroy everything. Since then it has remained a free fall to the abyss and that is why we want out from this suicide mission called Nigeria.

Apawicked:
Facts

When people said that in Biafra, Africa died, they know what they were saying! Each time I look at how developed we would have been today considering our very high development indices prior to the civil war, I just feel like crying.

These guys have finnally reduced us to their level of primitivity. They have dragged us down yo their level of debauchery.

We Igbos must do everything possible to leave this sh!thole for the barbarians because we simply do not belong here!

MetaPhysical:
Here are commodity exports and Nigeria's foreign Exchange Earnings by product.

Point to your contribution here. Freak!

I don't know what your point is with this table you presented. If it is to show that cocoa was the main income earner for the country during the period under review, then it shows you either didn't understand it fully or you want to decieve people.

The data even proves that palm oil and kernels from the East contributed more than cocoa or groundnut!

mamaafrik:
When you ask an average Yoruba man that went to school before 80s ,95℅ will tell you It was through Awolowo.

I do tell people if Easterners were to have been in North shoe,they would have been a more worse devil in Nepotism and favouritism than Hausas abd Fulanis.
Ironsi situation is there for all to see,check Diamond banks and many whose MDs are ibos.

They are bunch of hypocrites who practice what they can't preach and if you doubt me check parastatals led by Ibos.

Understanding your destiny matters for growth in live,they often times think they are more smart and intelligent but that is not the case in reality.




I sell foreign( long grain) Rice at #25,000, #24000 ,#21000 (local) per bag(50kg) .(discount if you are buying more than 20 bags.

Pork at 1,500 per kilogram.

High quality Benin republic palm oil at 35,000 Naira per drum(212litres) .
If you are interested(serious buyers only) reach me on 08137297425.
We can help you deliver at an affordable price within lagos and environment.

Lol, you are selling food stuff yet you put unfounded lies in the same post with the goods you're supposedly selling?

I wonder who will take the risk to transact with someone who is lacking in integrity and honesty.

Wisdom is profitable to direct.

proeast:
I don't know what your point is with this table you presented. If it is to show that cocoa was the main income earner for the country during the period under review, then it shows you either didn't understand it fully or you want to decieve people.

The data even proves that palm oil and kernels from the East contributed more than cocoa or groundnut!

Palm oil and kernels is produced all over South including West. It is not exclusive to East.

proeast:
When people said that in Biafra, Africa died, they know what they were saying! Each time I look at how developed we would have been today considering our very high development indices prior to the civil war, I just feel like crying.

These guys have finnally reduced us to their level of primitivity. They have dragged us down yo their level of debauchery.

We Igbos must do everything possible to leave this sh!thole for the barbarians because we simply do not belong here!

Youve always been primitive. White man opened your eyes.

MetaPhysical:
Palm oil and kernels is produced all over South including West. It is not exclusive to East.

Same applies to cocoa, it is equally produced all over the South including a small area in the North. It is not exclusive to the West.

MetaPhysical:
Youve always been primitive. White man opened your eyes.

Of course, Europe was the most advanced region during that period and they assisted other regions too. They opened America, Africa, Asia and Australia as well, so what does that has to do with anything?

proeast:
Same applies to cocoa, it is equally produced all over the South including a small area in the North. It is not exclusive to the West.

Only Akwaibom and Benin produces cocoa apart from west.

proeast:
My goodness, I'm beginning to have the impression that afonjas contributed to Nigeria's decay more than any other group. It has become clear that the only reason why history learning was stopped in Nigeria was to erase the massive exploits and contributions to the growth of Nigeria and to replace it with blatant lies and propaganda which they have continued to churn out unabashedly, the most recent being the ridiculous nonsense Yeye Kale produced from his smelly ass and presented to the public as statistics!

Even as far back as the 1960's, the Igbos were already ahead of the afonjas in school enrollment yet they kept telling the indomie generation how the afonjas are the most educated tribe in Nigeria. The only time they were ahead was immediately after the white men first arrived established schools in Lagos and Abeokuta but the moment they crossed the Niger, we took over (read Achebe's Trouble with Nigeria for more emphasis) and it has remained like that till today (university enrollment figures, JAMB and WAEC figures proves that).

The British system only supported merit and that was why Igbos occupied majority of posts in the country and that was the golden years of Nigeria until the civil war and the afonjas and abo.kis took over to destroy everything. Since then it has remained a free fall to the abyss and that is why we want out from this suicide mission called Nigeria.

Read this report.

You guys can't beat it in 60s

proeast:
Lol, you are selling food stuff yet you put unfounded lies in the same post with the goods you're supposedly selling?

I wonder who will take the risk to transact with someone who is lacking in integrity and honesty.

Wisdom is profitable to direct.

hahaha,na lie abi,let your conscience imprison you

proeast:
Of course, Europe was the most advanced region during that period and they assisted other regions too. They opened America, Africa, Asia and Australia as well, so what does that has to with anything?

We are not discussing the world.
We are talking about Western Nigeria and Eastern Nigeria.

Focus...

Seerade029:
Only Akwaibom and Benin produces cocoa apart from west.

Thats now....in the 60s and prior it was only Yorubaland. In Yorubaland Ondo was the top producer.

proeast:
Same applies to cocoa, it is equally produced all over the South including a small area in the North. It is not exclusive to the West.

Cocoa was an exclusive of Yorubaland in the time period in reference.

Seerade029:
Read this report.

You guys can't beat it in 60s

I have read the report and it doesn't disprove the fact that the West was lagging behind the East in terms of school enrollment and other development indices during the 1950's and 1960's prior to the civil war.

Bring a comparative analysis for confirmation and not a data that proves nothing!

Seerade029:
Only Akwaibom and Benin produces cocoa apart from west.

Fallacy, Michael Okpara established cocoa farm settlements in present day Abia, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.

andrewtosin:
just asking for friends ni jare

OK my durling

Seerade029:
Only Akwaibom and Benin produces cocoa apart from west.

Bende, and Arochukwu produced Cocoa too.
ENDC was looking to catch up Western region in Cocoa production by expanding it's cocoa plantations before Nzeogwu struck