Chief Obafemi Awolowo

 
Premier of Western Nigeria
In office
October 1, 1959 – October 1, 1960
Succeeded by Samuel Akintola

Born: March 6, 1909
Ikenne, Ogun State
Died May 9, 1987
Ikenne
Political party Action Group
Profession: Lawyer
Religion : Christian


Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo (March 6, 1909 – May 9, 1987) was a Nigerian politician and leader, a Yoruba and native of Ikenne in Ogun State of Nigeria, who started as a regional political leader like most of his pre-independence contemporaries. He founded many organizations, including Egbe Omo Oduduwa, the Trade Unions Congress of Nigeria and the Action Group political party. He was an active journalist and trade unionist as a young man, editing The Nigerian Worker amongst other publications while also organizing the Nigerian Produce Traders Association and serving as secretary of the Nigerian Motor Transport Union. After earning a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Nigeria, he went to the UK where he earned a law degree from London School of Economics. He was the first indigenous Premier of the Western Region under Nigeria's parliamentary system, from 1952 to 1960, and was the official Leader of the Opposition in the federal parliament to the Balewa government from 1960 to 1963.

Early life

Obafemi Awolowo was born in 1909 in ikenne, present day Ogun State Nigeria[1]. His father was a farmer and sawyer who died when Obafemi was only seven years old. He attended various schools, and then became a teacher Abeokuta, after which he qualified as a shorthand typist. After Which he served as a clerk at the famous Wesley college, as well as a correspondent for the Nigerian Times[2]. It was after this that he embarked on various business ventures to help raise funds to travel to the UK for further studies.


Politics

Chief Obafemi Awolowo was a leader who believed that the state should channel Nigeria's resources into education and state-led infrastructure development[3]. Controversially, and at considerable expense, he introduced free primary education for all in the Western Region, established the first television service in Africa in 1959,he established Oduduwa Group of companies,(landed properties, banking, various companies all incorporated and expanded electrification projects in the region using proceeds from the highly lucrative cocoa export industry.


Crisis in Western Nigeria

Prior to independence, he was persuaded by prominent members of the Action Group to lead the party as Leader of the Opposition at the Federal Parliament, leaving Samuel Ladoke Akintola as the Western Region Premier. Serious disagreement between the Awolowo and Akintola on how to run the western region led the latter to an alliance with the Tafawa Balewa led NPC federal government. A contrived constitutional crisis led to a declaration of a state of emergency in the Western Region, after an election which Awolowo claimed Akintola and his new coalition had lost, but rigged the result of. Revolt began with the Agbekoya attacking all known Akintola sympathisers in what became known in Nigeria political lore as "wetie"(wet it with kerosine/petrol so that it can be set ablaze).

Excluded from National government, the position of Awolowo and his party became increasingly precarious. Some politicians, mostly of Akintola's group, angered at their exclusion from power, formed a break-away party, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), under Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola. Constitutional crisis in the region led the federal parliament to declare a state of emergency in the west, the elected Western Regional Assembly was thus suspended, only to be reconstituted after new elections that brought the NNDP in control. Shortly afterward, in 1964, Awolowo and several others were charged and jailed for conspiring with some Ghanaian authorities under Kwame Nkrumah to overthrow the federal government[5]. The remnants of the Action Group fought the National election of 1965 in alliance with the largely Igbo, and south-eastern NCNC. Amid accusation of fraud by the opposition, the NPC-NNDP won the election. There were violent riots in some parts of the Western region

1966 military coup

In the aftermath of the election there was a military coup on 15 January, 1966, led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzegwu. These majors were highly educated university graduates. Others included Major Ifeajuna and Major Ademoyega. All but one of these young officers were from the then eastern region. They however did not assume power, instead, the highest ranking military officer at the time, Major General Ironsi took over as head of state establishing a National military government. Six months later, a counter-coup on 29 July, 1966 occurred. This was led by mainly northern officers inlucing Lt. Col Murtala Mohammed and Lt.Col Yakubu Gowon and Theophilius Danjuma (rank at the time unknown). Chief Awolowo was pardoned and freed from prison by Lt.Col. Yakubu Gowon, who became the new head of state of Nigeria succeeding General Aguiyi Ironsi after a bloody coup. There has always been debate that the first coup was a tribal coup and the second coup was a revenge coup. No evidence supports that assertion. It is likely that the Majors were just being patriotic citizens, but we will never fully understand this difficult period in Nigeria's history. When the civil war broke out over the secession of the Eastern Region, Awolowo visited the Biafran headquarters and attempted to broker a peace agreement between Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and his Nigerian counterparts. When the negotiation failed, Chief Awolowo was invited to join the Nigerian government as the finance minister. Under Awolowo's leadership, the weak economy became stronger, even grew during the civil war. Under Awolowo, Nigeria fought the war without any external lending or budget deficit.

He went on to resign his position a year after the war ended in preparation for elective office. In 1979, Chief Awolowo founded the Unity Party of Nigeria as a successor to the Action Group, and contested the presidential election that year. He lost to Alhaji Shehu Shagari in a heavily rigged election by about 400 000 votes. In 1983, he again contested the presidential election, this time losing to Shagari by over four million votes, in an election that Awolowo regarded as fraudulent.


Free Universal Primary Health and Education

Obafemi Awolowo first introduced free health care till the age of 18 in the Western Region and also free and mandatory primary education in Western Nigeria, Although, Awolowo failed to win the 1979 and 1983 presidential election, his polices of Free Health and Education were carried out thought out all the states controlled by his party UPN and subsequently all over the country.


Legacy

Awolowo is remembered for building the first stadium, Liberty Statium, Ibadan in West Africa, first television station WNTV in Africa, running the best civil service in Africa at the time (in the Western Region), He would also be credited with coining the name "Naira" for Nigeria's currency (formerly known as the Nigerian Pound) as the Federal Commissioner of Finance under the Military Government of General Yakubu Gowon. Today, he is remembered by many Nigerians and non-Nigerians as the best Nigerian president that never ruled.

He was respected by Kwame Nkrumah, and some politicians in the West continue to invoke his name, his policies, and the popular slogan of his Action Group party—"Life More Abundant"—during campaigns. He was also the author of several publications on the political structure and future prospects of Nigeria. These works include Path to Nigerian Freedom, Thoughts on the Nigerian Constitution, and Strategies and Tactics of the People Republic of Nigeria.

The University of Ife, located in Ife, Nigeria, was re-christened Obafemi Awolowo University as a posthumous honour. His portrait adorns Nigeria's one hundred naira currency note