Obafemi Awolowo

Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (Yoruba: Ọbafẹ́mi Oyèníyì 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. The son of a Yoruba farmer, he was one of the truly self-made men among his contemporaries in Nigeria.

Quotes

• Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical expression. There are no 'Nigerians' in the same sense as there are 'English,' 'Welsh,' or 'French'. The word 'Nigerian' is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who do not.
  • Path to Nigerian Freedom (1947), as quoted by Martin Meredith, The State of Africa: A History of the Continent Since Independence (2011).

• If the Eastern Region is allowed by acts of omission or commission to secede from or opt out of Nigeria, then the Western Region and Lagos must also stay out of the Federation.
  • Chief Awolowo's Speech to Western leaders of thought In Ibadan, May 1 1967, as quoted by Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo, (1967).

External links

Encyclopedic article on Obafemi Awolowo on Wikipedia