Obafemi Awolowo
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Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909-1987) was a Yoruba political leader from Nigeria. He founded many organizations, including Egbe Omo Oduduwa, the Trade Unions Congress of Nigeria and the Action Group political party. He was also the author of several publications. He was the first Prime Minister of the Western Region under Nigeria's federal system, from 1952 to 1960, and led the federal opposition to the Balewa government from 1963.
Awolowo was a progressivist leader who believed that the state should channel Nigeria's resources into Education and state-led infrastructure development. Controversially, and at considerable expense, he introduced free primary education for all in the Western Region, and established radio, television and electrification projects. Although popular in the Yoruba west of Nigeria, his left-leaning politics made him unpopular with the nation's largest political bloc - the northern, Muslim-conservative, and Hausa-dominated, Nigerian People's Congress (NPC).
Excluded from National government, the position of Awolowo and his party became increasingly precarious. Conservative Yoruba elements, angered at their exclusion from power, formed a break-away party, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), under Chief Ladoke Akintola. With central government support, and following orchestrated disturbances, the elected Western Regional Assembly was suspended, only to be reconstituted with the pro-government NNDP in control. Shortly afterward, in 1964, Awolowo was jailed for 15 years on trumped up treason charges.
The remnants of the Action Group fought the National election of 1965 in alliance with the largely Igbo, and south-eastern NCNC. Amid widespread allegations of blatant fraud, the government parties of the NPC-NNDP won the election by a large margin. There were violent riots across the Western region as centres of AG strength discovered that they had supposedly elected NNDP candidates.
In the aftermath of the election there were two military coups, establishing National military governments. Chief Awolowo was freed from prison and exonerated of treason. When the civil war broke out, over eastern secession, Awolowo was invited into the government as finance minister. However he resigned his position at the end of the war when the government chose to allow limited foreign exchange to be used for luxury imports rather than reserved for development and social projects.
In 1979, he 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 by about 400 000 votes. In 1983, he again contested the presidential election, this time losing to Alhaji Shehu Shagari by over four million votes, in an election that was widely regarded as fraudulent.
Chief Awolowo would be remembered for building the first stadium in Africa, the first owned University, first television station in Africa and introduction of free education at all levels.