Independence

October 1st

The 5 Most Important People Who Fought For Nigeria’s Independence

 Nigeria attained her independence from Britain October 1st 1960, and became republic 1963. This year 2020, Nigeria is celebrating 60 years of Independence.  Before the attainment of independence, there were heroes among her citizens that fought for self governance.  Looking back in time and following the path of history, here is a list of five important Nigerians who helped fight for Nigeria’s independence.

© RJI 2020 2. He is considered the Herbert Macaulay founder of Nigerian nationalism as the 3. He started the 1. Born in 1864, Herbert movement was under his nationalist Macaulay was the grandson influence in the 1920s. movement of Bishop Ajayi Crowther because of the and he was trained as an belief that the engineer. people of different backgrounds He became the first national president of 7. living in the the National Council of Nigeria he co- British colony of founded with Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1944. Nigeria needed Macaulay’s political activities were limited to to come together Lagos affairs until the end of his life, he was as one. on a campaign when he was taken ill and died on May 7, 1946 in Kano.

4. He returned to Nigeria in 6. He founded the Lagos 5. He joined the colonial civil He founded the Lagos Daily News 1893 after completing his Daily News to promote the service and this exposed him to promote the nationalist studies in London as the first nationalist movement. He to the ills and irregularities of movement. He was the first Nigerian to be sponsored by the was the first Nigerian to the colonial government Nigerian to establish a political colonial government for a establish a political party in which led him to get involved party in 1922, the Nigerian professional course abroad. National1922, the Democratic Nigerian Party with politics to fight for the National (NNDP).Democratic Party rights of Nigerians. (NNDP). © RJI 2020 Herbert Macaulay  Herbert Macaulay in London in 1920

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn7UqF1mJo8

© RJI 2020 Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe: 2. He became the first president of 1. Born on the 16th of Nigeria after Nigeria got her November, 1904 in Niger state, independence from the United Benjamin Nnamdi Azikwe was at Kingdom. While working as the editor the fore-front in the fight for for the African Morning Post, a daily Nigeria’s Independence. He was newspaper in Ghana, he promoted fondly referred to as “Zik”. the pro-African nationalist agenda. 3. Upon his return to Nigeria in 1937, he founded the West 6. With Nigeria African Pilot which was a tool becoming a republic used to promote the cause of in 1962, he became Nigerian nationalism. her first president. He died on May 11, 1996 in Enugu following a 4. He was made the secretary- 5. He was the first protracted illness. general of the National Council Nigerian to be in 1946. He was later elected to named to the Privy Legislative Council of Nigeria Council f the United the following year. Kingdom and he also became the Governor General on the same day. © RJI 2020 Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe  This is a very old clip of him talking

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfPnQ0X5Lxw

© RJI 2020 Chief Obafemi Awolowo: 1. Chief Obafemi Awolowo 2. After completing his education abroad, he returned to Nigeria in was born on March 6, 1909 1947 and took up practice as a barrister. However while he had been in Ogun state. He was also in London, he wrote his first book “Path to Nigerian Freedom” in one of the pioneer leaders which he criticized the British administration and advocated for self governance. that fought for Nigeria’s independence and he He also helped to found the introduced free education in 3. the western region in 1955. Egbe Omo Oduduwa (Society of the Descendants of Oduduwa, the mythical ancestor of the Yoruba-speaking peoples), an 6. He resigned his position organization devoted to the as commissioner of study and preservation of finance and vice chairman Yoruba culture. of the Federal Executive Council in 1971 to protest 5. During his lifetime the government’s 4. He was also the founder he wrote several books continuation of military of the political party Action such as “Thoughts on rule. He died on May 9, Group in 1950, a party that the Nigerian 1987 and was buried on called for the termination of Constitution”, “The June 6, 1987. British rule in Nigeria. In People’s Republic,” 1954, he became the first “The Strategy and premier of the Western Tactics of the People’s Region. © RJI 2020 Republic of Nigeria.” Chief Obafemi Awolowo  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFyUhRqNUzQ

© RJI 2020 Sir Ahmadu Bello: 2. He alongside Abubakar Tafawa Balewa took active roles in the struggle 1. Born on June 12, 1910, Sir Ahmadu for an independent Nigeria. Upon his Bello was the 1st President of the return from England, he got a Northern Peoples Party (NPP) in 1951 nomination to represent Sokoto in the and he was the first and only premier regional House of Assembly. of Northern region. 3. He used his position there to promote the development of 6. He was the northern emirates such as assassinated in a Kano, Bornu and Sokoto. He coup on January 15, became the first Premier of 1966 while still Northern Nigeria in 1954 and in serving as premier of 1959 independence elections, Northern Nigeria. his party NPC won a plurality of the parliamentary seats.

5. He was also responsible 4. His party later formed an alliance with for the modernization and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NCNC to form unification of the diverse Nigeria’s first indigenous federal people of the North government which led to independence from the British colonial masters.

1. Chief Anthony Enahoro was 2. He became Nigeria’s youngest born on 22 July, 1923 and was editor ever at the age of 21 when he one of Nigeria’s foremost anti- became the editor of Dr. Nnamdi colonial and pro-democracy Azikiwe’s newspaper, the Southern activists. Nigerian Defender, Ibadan, in 1944.

3. Chief Enahoro joined the He died 5. struggle for Nigeria’s on independence in the early December 1940s acting as a student 15, 2010. leader and leading protests. He was on two occasions jailed by the colonial government for sedition and writing satiric articles. 4.In 1953, he became the first to move the motion for Nigeria’s independence and is usually referred to as the father of “Nigeria State.” His motion was however rejected and a successful motion did not come till 1958, the motion was made by Chief Remi Fani-Kayode.