Chief Ọbáfẹ́mi Jeremiah Awólọ́wọ̀, GCFR (March 6, 1909 – May 9, 1987) remains the greatest Nigerian political leader since the Amalgamation of Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria in January 1914 and no wonder the Lion of Biafra, the great Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (November 4, 1933 – November 26, 2011) called him the best President Nigeria never had. He knew that Nigeria would have become a greater nation if Chief Awólọ́wọ̀ had been head of state even for only four years. Awó as most people call him remains the first individual in the modern era to be named "Asiwaju Omo Oodua", Leader of the Yoruba race. He remains also the most prolific erudite political leader of Nigeria as the author of over 12 books and laid the foundation for the contemporary Yoruba nation. Scholars say he was Nigeria's foremost federalist and his "Path to Nigerian Freedom (1947) is the first systematic federalist manifesto by a Nigerian politician. President Goodluck would fare better if he takes time to read it.
If not for Awó's leadership of the Yorubas during the bloody internecine civil war, Nigeria would have lost to Biafra and in fact, Nigeria lost more soldiers in combat than Biafra. But thanks to the political leadership of Awó, he marshaled the country out of the economic and political imbroglio as Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice-President of the Federal Executive Council of the Nigerian government. And he continued his heroic service to Nigeria even though he lost in presidential elections, because of political betrayal and corruption of the ruling oligarchy and western powers who were afraid of his socialist philosophy. The foundation of the economic and political leadership of Awó has made the Yorubas the most powerful political power bloc in the history of modern Nigeria.
The Yorubas have remained more faithful to the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria than the other tribes whose allegiance to the nation is for their selfish interests in the mineral resources and not in the unity of the federation. And the Hausa-Fulanis have always exploited the rivalry between the Yorubas and Igbos in the political leadership of Nigeria. They used the Yoruas against the Igbos during the civil war and then used the Igbos against the Yorubas during the transition to civil rule in 1979 when Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato was elected as the President of Nigeria’s Second Republic (1979–1983) with thanks to Gen. Olusẹgun Mathew Okikiọla Arẹmu Ọbasanjọ, GCFR who never wanted Awó to become President of Nigeria. And in return, the Hausa Fulanis rewarded him by helping him to become President of Nigeria on May 29, 1999. But Obasanjo will never become the "Asiwaju Omo Oodua" of the Yorubas.
Without the Yourbas political power bloc, President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON, would not have won the presidential election on April 16, 2011, with 59% of the votes. Look at the picture of the final result, showing the states won by Gooodluck Jonathan (in green), Muhammad Buhari (red), and Nuhu Ribadu (blue). You can see that if the Yoruba states did not vote for President Jonathan, he would have lost to Buhari. And he won, because the ruling party and oligarchy made a deal with the new "Asiwaju" of the Yorubas, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
And as we approach the date for the next presidential election in 2015, the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) is more scared than in 2011, because of the political metamorphosis of the political leadership of the Yorubas that led to the alliance of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a fraction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) on February 6, 2013, the biggest and largest opposition party in the political history of Nigeria and Africa. And made Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the most powerful opposition leader in Nigeria. And if he will not betray the APC, the party will win the presidential election in 2015. That is why the ruling party has been using all Machiavellian political tactics and tricks to sabotage the allegiance of the Yorubas to the APC, by using notable Yoruba leaders in the PDP and luring others from opposing parties to join forces with the PDP. And these political chameleons without conscience and without shame are willing tools and will sell their votes to the highest bidders in political bribery.
What of the Igbo political power bloc?
The Igbos don't have any credible political power bloc, because of their failure in the political leadership of Nigeria since the end of the civil war.
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, P.C. (November 16, 1904 – May 11, 1996), the head of state of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966, the second and last Governor-General from 1960 to 1963 and the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966, holding the presidency throughout the Nigerian First Republic was the political leader of the Igbos before the military coup on January 15, 1966 led by Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, (1937–1967). But he lost the leadership to Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who led the Igbo Republic of Biafra during the civil war. And both great men never liked each other. And since the transition of the great Lion of Biafra, Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Igbo political bloc is now fragmented due to political elite polarization and popular polarization of Igbos in contemporary political leadership in Nigeria with the collapse of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). And the widow of Ikemba Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu has failed to maintain the leadership of their party. Therefore, politically the Igbos are like a sheep without a shepherd and will flock to wherever they can find greener pastures. The Igbos are their own worst enemies, because they have betrayed themselves more than any other tribe in the political leadership of Nigeria and that was why they lost the civil war and also lost to the Yorubas and are not even sure of ever winning a presidential election in Nigeria until when both the Hausas and Yorubas decide to permit them. Moreover, the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan has been using them in his political chess against both the Yorubas and Hausas and will do so again in the next presidential election in 2015.
~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, aka "Orikinla Osinachi", Publisher/Editor of Nigerians Report Online, author of Children of Heaven, Scarlet Tears of London,The Language of True Love, Bye, Bye Zimbabwe, In the House of Dogs, The Prophet Lied, Diary of the Memory Keeper, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® and other books in print and electronic versions distributed by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Lulu, Tower Books and other booksellers worldwide. He has been a former aide in the publicity department of the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur's Presidential Campaign in 1990 and now coordinating the Transform Nigeria Network in the social media.
Bestselling Books by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, aka "Orikinla Osinachi"
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