He Died 34years Ago Today (Saturday, March 6, 1909 – Saturday, May 9, 1987) .
Today, the 9th of May 2016, is a remarkable day in Yoruba history as we celebrate the life and times of Chief Obafemi Awolowo (A Nationalist, A Statesman and Former Premier of Western Nigeria).
On this day, 34 years ago, Nigeria’s political landscape shook to its roots, when the unexpected happened. The earth-shaking occurrence was the transition to glory of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. With such a massive blow, Nigeria lost her most priced and valued possession, the man whom Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu called, “The Best President Nigeria Never Had”. Chief Obafemi Awolowo was born in Ikenne, Remo Division of Ogun State in Southwest Nigeria on March 6, 1909. He was actively involved in politics from 1947 – 1987 (40yrs).
Obafemi Awolowo was born to Chief David Sopolu Awolowo and his wife Mary Efunyela Awolowo in Ikenne, Remo, (now Ogun State of Nigeria. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, leader of the banned Action Group and leader of the Yorubas of western Nigeria, was a son of a farmer and was a self- made man. He was the leader of the Yorubas of Western Nigeria.
Chief Awolowo was educated at Anglican and Methodist schools in Ikenne, his home town, and at Baptist Boys’ High School in Abeokuta, Western Nigeria. His had hiccups with his education due to lack of money. As a result of this, Chief Awolowo worked as a pupil teacher at the age of 17 (in 1926) and then went to Wesley College in Ibadan, the then capital city of Western Nigeria, to attend a course in teacher training. Leaving Wesley College, he studied shorthand and typing, and after working for a while in Lagos, returned to Wesley College in 1932 as a clerk. Two years later, he became a trader and a newspaper reporter. He organized in the late ’30s the Nigerian Produce Traders Association and became secretary of the Nigerian Motor Transport Union.
Awo was not satisfied with his level of education so he decided to take up part-time studies and, after matriculation in 1939, went on to obtain a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1944; in that year he was also editing the now defunct Nigerian Worker. In June 1940, he became secretary of the Ibadan branch of the Nigerian Youth Movement ( NYM ) and, in this position , led the agitation for the reform of the Ibadan Native Authority Advisory Board in 1942. He was co-founder of the Trade Union Congress Of Nigeria in 1943. The following year, he went to London to study law and founded the Egbe Omo Oduduwa, a Yoruba tribal society. After qualifying in 1947, he returned to Nigeria to set up legal practice and continued to work for the Egbe Omo Oduduwa, becoming general secretary in 1948. Two years later he became the moving spirit in organizing with other Yoruba leaders the Action Group, which won the then Western Region elections in 1951.
Chief Awolowo was a leader of Government Business and Minister of Local Government from 1951-1954 when, with the introduction of the new constitution; he became the first Premier of Western Nigeria. Chief Awolowo, who was highly competent, full of initiative, original in thought, practical and very often single-minded when he was convinced about something, built the Action Group into what was then described as ‘the best political party south of the Sahara’.
Chief Awolowo led an able and efficient team, both in Government and in making the Western Region the admiration of the rest of the Federation of Nigeria. He resigned the premiership of Western Nigeria in 1959 to contest the Federal elections but, failing to win, became the leader of the opposition in the Federal House Of Representatives .
Chief Awolowo led his party’s delegation to the London Constitutional conferences in 1953 and 1954, and to a later conference in Lagos in 1958. So excellent was the administration of the Western Nigeria during Chief Awolowo’s tenure in Office as Premier that when in 1953 the British Government announced its intention to grant self-government in 1956 to any Region desiring it, the Action Group Leader asked for and secured it in the same year. He was chosen by the Yoruba elite as their political leader or, formally, Leader of the 10,500,000 Yorubas, during the peak goodwill period following his release from imprisonment for about three years (he was released on August 3, 1966 with a state pardon) on the charge of plotting to overthrow the national government, and was later appointed Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council in Yakubu Gowon’s Federal Military Government during the Civil War.
He was also leader of the Western delegation to the All Nigerian Conference on the future association of Nigeria. In those capacities, he played a major role in preserving the Nigerian federation. As chairman and Presidential candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria, which contested the elections of 1979 and 1983 on a social welfarist platform, Awolowo polled the second highest number of votes. He retired from politics on the termination of the Second Republic in 1983.
Chief Awolowo was an unyielding advocate of a federal constitution for Nigeria. He is also a strong antagonist of any form of feudalism or feudal system and its spread to other parts of Nigeria; an advocate of the creation of more states in Nigeria.
Awo brought the first television network to Africa in 1959 before quitting office voluntarily. In all his forty years in Nigerian politics, Awo remained the same – a man magnificently gifted, charismatic, competent and a “visioner par excellence”. He was indeed a statesman
Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo, GCFR (Yoruba: Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987), was a Nigerian nationalist and statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement, the First and Second Republics and the Civil War.
He was the first premier of the Western Region and later federal commissioner for finance, and vice chairman of the Federal Executive Council during the Civil War. He was thrice a major contender for his country's highest office.
A native of Ikenne in Ogun State of south-western Nigeria, he started his career, like some of his well-known contemporaries, as a nationalist in the Nigerian Youth Movement in which he rose to become Western Provincial Secretary. Awolowo was responsible for much of the progressive social legislation that has made Nigeria a modern nation.
He was the first Leader of Government Business and Minister of Local Government and Finance, and first Premier of the Western Region under Nigeria's parliamentary system, from 1952 to 1959.
He was the official Leader of the Opposition in the federal parliament to the Balewa government from 1959 to 1963. In recognition of all these, Awolowo was the first individual in the modern era to be named Leader of the Yorubas (Yoruba: Asiwaju Awon Yoruba or Asiwaju Omo Oodua).
Infoexpert24: Infoexpert24 reports that Sani made the submission in Kaduna at a meeting organised by the Association of Eze-Ndigbo in Diaspora on Saturday, He described the marginalisation as a “collective punishment”.
He described the marginalisation as a “collective punishment” from Nigerians.
Sheu Sani should learn to separate facts from rumors.
"Collective punishment" from Hausa/Fulani people not Nigerians
Infoexpert24: Sani recalled that prior to the civil war, a Fulani man, Faruq Altine was elected a mayor in the south-east.
Let's be setting facts straight abeq. The Mayor was only the head of his Hausa /fulani community, where they are high in numbers Not in a place where majority of Igbos live in.
Infoexpert24: Shehu Sani, former senator representing Kaduna central, says the Igbo have been systematically marginalised since the civil war.
Infoexpert24 reports that Sani made the submission in Kaduna at a meeting organised by the Association of Eze-Ndigbo in Diaspora on Saturday, He described the marginalisation as a “collective punishment”.
The civil war took place between 1967 and 1970.
The former senator said the injustice faced by the Igbo affects them in terms of how they are represented in politics.
He added that the marginalisation has affected the political fortunes of the region but the Igbos have proven to be dependable and patriotic.
He described the marginalisation as a “collective punishment” from Nigerians.
“There has been a systemic exclusion and marginalisation of your people, stemming from the historical Biafra war — this is a collective punishment,” he said.
Sani recalled that prior to the civil war, a Fulani man, Faruq Altine was elected a mayor in the south-east.
“That act alone (appointment of a Fulani man as mayor) sends a message to Nigeria that whatever happens subsequently is not the fault of Igbos,” he said.
“Today, Igbos are being seen as unNigerian, unpatriotic, forgetting the feat Altine achieved in the region.
“Most of those who want to divide this country aren’t picking their reasons from the sky. They are building their reasons on injustice and inequity meted to them. The only way to defeat a secessionist who doesn’t believe in one Nigeria is by giving justice to them.
saphiere: Did her previous bf made her leave school or put her in a family way?
Good, why she left her previous boyfriend is what I want to know since he didn't make her leave school Was she forced to leave school and follow him? What evidence do you have?
Lol, even davido self went for NYSC BTW ,we have ODL everywhere now
saphiere: E go choke David if he doesn't marry Chioma
Meanwhile, I just stumbled on a video on YouTube. The video shows the compound and the shallow grave where INI Obong the job seeker in Akwa Ibom was raped and buried.
Three other victims were also exhumed from the place. The building is an uncompleted building. Its surrounding has graves of victims. May God help us all. Watch the video below
BluntCrazeMan: The best era of Electronic-Voting would be the time when we can vote remotely with our phones without physically having to go to the Polling-units.. And that is: starting with the scanning of the bar-codes on our Voter's Card with our phones, then do fingerprint identification and authentication with our phones, and then vote with our phones too, and submit our votes online too with our phones.. That would be the only time that Nigerian Elections can have turnouts as high as 98%, because this method will avail a lot of citizens the opportunity to vote from home.
BluntCrazeMan: For those that would be saying that Hackers would hack the servers and change the results,,, I want to know why those hackers have not hacked the Banks servers all these while, or you think those hackers don't need money? That means, it is only the votes (and maybe perhaps, only the Election Results) that they are interested in?? (as if it concerns them sef)
Lol, Oga this this Nigeria, know your country men. It is very possible for some states results not to come out or make e hang (Because they belong to one party or the other).
udemzyudex: I tell my guy say na 2-0 em team go chop he no believe me.
It's annoying how some people think Madrid will come to Chelsea home and win, I mean what sort of over confidence is that?
The team with one of the best defense in Europe, playing the best football? naa it is impossible and to those shouting Manchester City will win believe me Pep was praying to meet Madrid in final not Chelsea because Madrid will be a walk over for him but unfortunately Chelsea is here, I already predicted Chelsea vs Manchester City for ucl final.
helinues: So if you guys were to represent Southern Nigeria in a debate, that would have been your line of argument.
Chisos...
Have you forgotten that in the house, majority carries the vote. And Both the upper chamber and lower chamber. The North has upper hands, more population.
And Yes, restructuring is the way to go. Each state or region should do it according to their own will not needing permission from Abuja Whatsoever
helinues: Is that the excuse they have been telling you... You have sunk so much of Politicians lies aswear..
If Northerners need Southerners to get their bill passed, how are the Northerners been able to negotiate with the Southerners in the house that Southerners can't negotiate with Northern reps to get their bill passed?
Please clear me out...
The north has more representatives in the house than the south
Idiko1: You hit a wrong wave on the side of Biafra. The following countries did not support Biafra: France, China, West Germany, Republic of South Africa, Rhodesia ( was not a country), Czechoslovakia, Spain, Portugal and Israel (was fighting war against Arab countries for its survival) in 1967. Zambia (which was independent country and formerly Northern Rhodesia) recognized Biafra so do Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania and Gabon. Please be mindful that recognition does not equal military support.
West Germany supplied all G3 assault rifles and Mercedes Benz trucks used by Nigerian army. All the Ak-47 used by Nigerian army was variant of Chinese made Ak-47. Austria supplied Nigeria army with Steyr trucks. Government of France, Portugal, Spain and Czechoslovakia did not support Biafra in any form because British lobbied them to stay away from the internal conflict in its former territory. However individual groups and persons from the aforementioned countries helped Biafra and some paid the ultimate prize. The greatest supplier of arms and ammunitions to Biafra was Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Politics › Re: On This Day, We Lost Chief Obafemi Awolowo. by Sammy07(op): 11:47am On May 09, 2021
