AWOLOWO, Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi

Born March 6, 1909
in

Ikenne

Chief

AWOLOWO

Obafemi

Jeremiah Oyeniyi
Awolowo was a Nigerian nationalist, a political leader, and a principal participant in the struggle for Nigerian independence,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. As a young man he was an active journalist, editing publications such as the Nigerian worker, on top of others as well. After receiving his bachelors of commerce degree in Nigeria, he traveled to London to pursue his degree in law.Obafemi Awolowo was the first premier of the Western Region and later federal commissioner for finance, and vice chairman of the Federal Executive Council during the Nigerian Civil War. He was thrice a major contender for his country's highest office.[1] A native of Ikenne in Ogun State of south-western Nigeria, he started his career, like some of his well-known contemporaries, as a nationalist in the Nigerian Youth Movement in which he rose to become Western Provincial Secretary. Awolowo was responsible for much of the progressive social legislation that has made Nigeria a modern nation.[2] Awolowo was the first Leader of Government Business and Minister of Local Government and Finance, and first Premier of the Western Region under Nigeria's parliamentary system, from 1952 to 1959. He was the official Leader of the Opposition in the federal parliament to the Balewa government from 1959 to 1963. In 1963 he was imprisoned under the accusations of sedition and was not pardoned by the government until 1966, after which he assumed the role as Minister of Finance. In recognition of all these, Awolowo was the first individual in the modern era to be named Leader of the Yorubas (Yoruba: Asiwaju Awon Yoruba or Asiwaju Omo Oodua).
Gender: Male
Marital Status
  • Married
Name of Spouse Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo
State of Origin: Ogun
Father's Name
Father's Status N/A
Mother's Name
Mother's Status N/A

Tola Oyediran, Ayodele Soyode, Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, Oluwole Awolowo, Segun Awolowo

Profession Journalist , Author , Legal Practitioner , Politician , Public Servant , Elder statesman
Working Experience clerk at the Wesley College Ibadan, , correspondent for the Nigerian Times. , founder the Nigerian Tribune
Baptist Boys' High School (BBHS), Abeokuta; Wesley College, Ibadan,University of London
Tertiary
N/A

Asiwaju Awon Yoruba or Asiwaju Omo Oodua

91 Park Lane, P.O. Box 632, Apapa

started life as a teacher, 1928-29, stenographer 1930-34, his ambition of becoming a journalist, lawyer and politician began to materialise when in 1934 he joined the Staff of the Daily Times as a reporter-in-training; on leaving the Daily times, he became a freelance journalist, engaged in motor transport and produce buying, 1936-44; it was during this period that he passed the Bachelor of Commerce degree of London Univer sity B. Com (Hons) (Lond.) as an external candidate; passed the LL.B. degree and the Bar examinations in 1946, was called to the Barthe same vear; returned to Nigeria in 1946 and became a legal practitioner 1946- 51; co-founder and first General Secretary of Egbe Omo Oduduwa, a Yoruba cultural movement in 1949, started the Nigerian Tribune, a daily newspaper which later became the organ of his party, the Action Group of Nigeria which was inaugurated as a political party on April 28,1951; was elected the party’s first president — the same year was elected into the then Western House of Assembly; in 1952, became Leader of Govern ment Business and Minister of Local Government and Finance, two years later, (October 1954), assumed office as the first premier of the Western Region; was re-appointed Premier. 1956 but in 1959 resigned this post to become Leader, of the Oppositiofl in the Federal Parliament; during the political crisis in the Western Region, 1962, was placed under house arrest and was later charged along with others for plotting to overthrow the Federal Government, Nov. 1982, at the subsequent trial, was found guilty and sentenced to a ten-year term of imprisonment, wasreleased from prf son and granted full pardon inAugust 1966 when Yakubu Gowon (then Lt.-Col.) took over as Head of the Federal Military Government’ in May 1967, was appointed first ChancoRor of Ife University; appointed FederaJ Commissioner for Finance and Vie* President of the Federal Executive Council June 1967 a post he held un til his resignation at the end of June 1971; led the’Western delegation tothe Lagos Ad-Hoc Constitutional Confer ence and served on that Ad-Hoc Commitee charged with finding a workable constitution for the nation; awarded Hon. LL.D. (Nsukka), Hon. D.9e. Econ. (Ife), Hon. D.Litt;, (Lagos), Hon. LL.D (Ibadan); holds chlefn taincy titles: Ashiwaju of Ijebu* Remo, Losi of Ikenne, Lisa of Ijeun, Apasin of Oshogbo, Odole of Ife, Ajagunla of Ado Ekiti, Odofln of Owo and Ohong Ikpa Isong of Ibibioland; has published many works including “Path to Nigerian Freedom”

Died
May 9, 1987
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