Obafemi Awolowo
( March 6, 1909 — May 9, 1987 )
Chief Awolowo, a lawyer, publisher and politician, served as Premier of the self-governing Western region from 1954 until Nigeria achieved full independence from Britain in 1960. He played a major role in the constitutional conferences in London and Lagos that paved the way for independence.
Chief Awolowo was opposition leader in the first post-independence Parliament and came to be regarded as leader of the Yoruba tribe. The Yorubas are one of the West African nation's three major ethnic groups and live mainly in the south and west.
In 1979 and 1983, Chief Awolowo was the Unity Party's presidential candidate, losing to the northern-based National Party of Shehu Shagari. When the Shagari Government was overthrown by a military coup Dec. 31, 1983, Chief Awolowo returned to private life.---The New York Times.
Encyclopedia of World Biography on Obafemi Awolowo, Chief
Obafemi Awolowo:
Selected Speeches:
Awo Project: Nigerian Muse
The Autobiography of Awo:
An Amendment Opposing Tafawa Balewa
Premier of the Western Region
|
