Obafemi Awolowo (1909–1987), widely known as Awo, was a Nigerian nationalist, lawyer and statesman. He founded the Action Group, served as the first Premier of the Western Region, and introduced free primary education there in 1955. Celebrated for his ideas on federalism and social welfare, he remains one of the most influential political thinkers in Nigerian history.
Early life and family
Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo was born on 6 March 1909 in Ikenne, in the Remo area of present-day Ogun State. His father, David Shopolu Awolowo, was a farmer and sawyer, and his mother was Mary Efunyela Awolowo. His father died when he was still a boy, and the family’s modest circumstances meant that Awolowo had to work hard to pay for his own education.
Education
Awolowo attended Baptist Boys’ High School in Abeokuta and Wesley College, Ibadan. While working, he studied as an external student of the University of London and earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree. In 1944 he travelled to London to study law, and he was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in November 1946. He returned to Nigeria and practised as a lawyer in Ibadan.
Early career
Before becoming a lawyer, Awolowo worked as a teacher, a clerk at Wesley College, a shorthand typist, a newspaper reporter and a trader. He was also active in trade unionism and in the Nigerian Youth Movement. These experiences gave him first-hand knowledge of the economic hardships ordinary Nigerians faced, which later shaped his welfare policies.
In 1947 he published Path to Nigerian Freedom, in which he argued that Nigeria’s many nationalities would be best held together by a federal system. In 1949 he founded the Nigerian Tribune, which is still published today.
Political career
Egbe Omo Oduduwa and the Action Group
While studying in London, Awolowo helped found Egbe Omo Oduduwa, a Yoruba cultural organisation. In 1951 he founded the Action Group, a political party with its base in the Western Region, which he led until 1966.
Premier of the Western Region
Awolowo became Leader of Government Business in the Western Region in 1952 and its first Premier in 1954. His government is best remembered for introducing free primary education in January 1955, which dramatically increased school enrolment, as well as free health care for children. During his administration the Western Region also launched WNTV in 1959, the first television station in Africa.
Leader of the Opposition
In 1959 Awolowo moved into federal politics. After the Action Group lost the federal election, he became Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives. A bitter split within the Action Group followed, leading to a crisis in the Western Region in 1962.
Treason trial and imprisonment
In 1962 Awolowo and several associates were arrested and charged with plotting to overthrow the federal government. In 1963 he was convicted of treasonable felony and sentenced to ten years in prison. He was released in 1966, after the military came to power, and was welcomed by large crowds in the West.
Federal Commissioner for Finance
During the Nigerian Civil War, Awolowo served as Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice-Chairman of the Federal Executive Council from 1967 to 1971. He managed the country’s finances during the war without heavy foreign borrowing and is credited with giving Nigeria’s currency the name “naira”.
The Unity Party of Nigeria
When civilian politics resumed, Awolowo founded the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1978 and ran for president in 1979 and 1983. He lost both elections to Shehu Shagari and unsuccessfully challenged the 1979 result at the Supreme Court.
Personal life
Awolowo married Hannah Idowu Dideolu Adelana on 26 December 1937. Known as HID Awolowo, she was a businesswoman and a close political partner throughout his career. The couple had five children.
Death and legacy
Obafemi Awolowo died at his home in Ikenne on 9 May 1987, aged 78. His legacy lives on in the Western Region’s free education programme, which many Nigerians credit for the educational lead of the South-West. His portrait appears on the 100-naira note, and Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife is named after him. His books, including Path to Nigerian Freedom, Awo: The Autobiography of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Thoughts on the Nigerian Constitution, are still widely read.
