Nigeria celebrates its Independence Day on October 1. It is typically a celebration of conflicting emotions. Nigeria obtained independence from its British colonial overlords in 1960.
As the country commemorates its 64th anniversary, many Nigerians are dissatisfied with the degree of growth and development achieved thus far despite abundant natural and mineral resources. Some believe that the country’s population is growing geometrically, whereas physical or economic development is growing arithmetically.
Some also argued that the country, at 64, has not fared better in the hands of those who have controlled or are still leading it because major complaints over the years, such as epileptic power supply, fuel scarcity, corporate or public corruption, and poor infrastructure, among others, persist.
However, the work of warriors who battled tirelessly for the country’s independence must not be forgotten. They believed so strongly in Nigeria’s existence and rule by Nigerians that they gave up practically everything to achieve the country’s independence.
As Nigeria commemorates its 64th anniversary, WITHIN NIGERIA spotlights notable figures/legends that helped pave the way for independence in 1960.
From Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s first prime minister, to Nnamdi Azikiwe, the country’s first elected president, to Obafemi Awolowo, a regional leader who believed in the ‘Nigeria’ vision, they all carved out a statue of honor for themselves as they guided Nigeria to independence.
HERBERT OLAYINKA MACAULAY
Macaulay was born on November 14th, 1864. He was a Nigerian nationalist, surveyor, and politician. Macaulay, usually regarded as the founder of Nigerian nationalism, was the grandson of Ajayi Crowther, the first African Anglican Bishop of West Africa.
According to historical records, he was a political leader who actively fought and pushed against colonial policies in Nigeria. In 1923, he established Nigeria’s first political party, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP). Macaulay co-founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) with Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1944 and served as its president.
The NCNC was a patriotic group that brought together Nigerians of all backgrounds to desire independence. In 1946, Macaulay became ill in Kano and died in Lagos. He made significant contributions to Nigeria’s march to independence.
ABUBAKAR TAFAWA BALEWA
Balewa was born in December of 1912. He was a Nigerian politician who became Nigeria’s first and only prime minister after the country gained independence. He defended Northern interests and advocated for Nigerian reform and unification.
In 1946, he was elected to the Northern House of Assembly, followed by the Legislative Council in 1947. He supported the North’s reluctance to declare independence, arguing that the north and south regions were not on equal footing.
Balewa, as prime minister, played a vital part in the continent’s early indigenous rule. He played an essential role in establishing the Organisation of African Unity and developing cooperative relationships with French-speaking African countries.
In the 1950s, he was actively involved in the fight for indigenous authority and constitutional change, which eventually resulted in independence in 1960.
OBAFEMI JEREMIAH AWOLOWO
Awolowo was born on March 6, 1909. He was a Nigerian nationalist, lawyer, and politician who was instrumental in Nigeria’s independence campaign from 1957 to 1960.
He formed the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe Omo Oduduwa and served as the first Leader of Government Business, Minister of Local Government and Finance, and Premier of Nigeria’s Western Region under the legislative system from 1952 to 1959. From 1959 until 1963, he was the official opposition leader in the federal parliament under the Balewa regime.
Awolowo also penned the Influential Path to Nigerian Freedom (1947), in which he argued for the importance of a federal form of government in an independent Nigeria to protect the interests of each ethnic nationality and region while also establishing a long-term basis for Nigerian unity. As leader of the Action Group, he spearheaded calls for a federal constitution, which were included in the 1954 Lyttleton Constitution.
The Action Group (AG) was a Nigerian nationalist political party established in Ibadan on 21 March 1951, by Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
NNAMDI BENJAMIN AZIKIWE
Azikiwe was born on the 16th of November, 1904. He was a Nigerian politician and revolutionary leader who served as Nigeria’s third and first black governor general from 1960 to 1963. He was also Nigeria’s first president during the First Nigerian Republic, which lasted from 1963 to 1966.
He is widely considered as the father of Nigerian nationalism, as well as one of the primary motivators for the country’s independence in 1960. He was instrumental in promoting nationalist emotions through his writings and speeches. He promoted nationalism and a pro-African ideology through his newspaper chain, the West African Pilot being the first.
Before completely entering politics, Azikiwe joined the Nigerian Youth Movement and was an active member of the country’s first nationalist group.
Following his resignation from the NYM, he co-founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), a political party that advocated for independence and self-government. In 1996, he died in Enugu at the age of 91.
AHMADU IBRAHIM BELLO
Bello was born on the 12th of June 1910. He was well-known as Sardauna of Sokoto. He was a conservative Nigerian statesman who was one of the main northern politicians in 1960, serving as the region’s first Premier.
He was a leader of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). He led the party to a majority win in the 1959 pre-independence parliamentary elections. He was a formidable force behind the throne and widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most influential men.
The historic 1959 general election, which effectively ushered in Nigeria’s independence in 1960, saw the NPC under Bello form an alliance with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), led by Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Bello elected to remain the Premier of Northern Nigeria and has always wanted to be among his people in the north. His tenure ended in January 1966, when he was slain by Chukwuma Nzeogwu in a coup that overthrew Nigeria’s post-independence administration.
ANTHONY EROMOSELE ENAHORO
Enahoro was born on July 22nd, 1923. He was one of Nigeria’s most prominent anti-colonial and pro-democracy activists.
Anthony Enahoro initiated the self-government proposal in the Western House of Assembly in 1953, which led to Nigeria’s independence on October 1, 1960. In 1953, at the age of 30, he introduced a motion for Nigerian independence.
He also followed through by serving as a delegate to the majority of the constitutional discussions that led to Nigeria’s independence, despite ongoing pressure from other activists and nationalists. In December 2012, he died in Benin City at the age of 87.
ERNEST OKOLI
Okoli was the Daily Times’ first editor, devoting his skills and efforts to the independence cause. He was a pioneering figure in Nigerian solution journalism.
The findings revealed that Okoli co-founded the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) in 1934 to campaign for self-government and independence from British colonial control.
Okoli’s New Nigeria Movement emphasized Nigerian welfare and self-rule. With its ardent independence activities, the political group played an important part in Nigeria’s nationalist movement.
In his writings, he highlighted the problems that Nigerians suffered under colonial authority and advocated for changes and independence. He died in 1960.
FUNMILAYO RANSOME-KUTI
Funmilayo was born on October 25, 1900 in Abeokuta, which is now the capital of Ogun state. She was a Nigerian feminist and political activist who was the primary campaigner for women’s rights in her country throughout the first part of the twentieth century.
After being dismissed from the Council of Nigeria and Cameroons, Ransome-Kuti founded the Commoner’s People’s Party in 1959 to oppose the colonial rule.
She led the movement for extending the right to vote to women while also championing Nigeria’s independence, which arrived in 1960.