There is something nostalgic and refreshing about Nigeria’s past.
A few months ago, the National Assembly went back to the archives, unearthed and revived the national anthem at Independence in 1960.
At Independence, Nigeria had several great leaders. But one stood out for his vision, his works and his achievements can serve as models even today, and his dream for Nigeria as a compass to the future.
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I asked five young educated persons in my Wasimi what they know about Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo. Their response shocked me to the marrow. They know the name, but nothing more.
My humble response to that encounter is this week’s conversation on ‘90 minutes with Mathematical’. It is an entirely academic exercise without an iota of political, ethnic or religious motivation.
His story is of a man that left massive foot prints on the Nigerian landscape.
In sports, he built the first ultra-modern sports complex in West Africa. Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, had a unique under-ground entrance into the main bowl.
3 years later, in 1963, the stadium hosted the first World boxing title fight between Nigeria’s Dick Tiger and America’s Gene Fulmar before a global audience. The feat was achieved by the deployment of WNTV, the first television station in Africa, ahead of many European countries at the time.
Beyond sports, he established many other ‘firsts’ that he is almost deified by his people.
A respected leader of a different ethnicity even once described him as ‘the best President Nigeria never had’.
Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo’s vision and deeds were benchmarks of leadership and development across Nigeria.
Such a rich reservoir of creative thinking, innovation, vision, strategy and leadership at that time must have come from a place that is different from where Nigerian leaders find themselves today, trapped in a conundrum, with legacies lost, and a path to greatness laden with uncertainty.
Are there any lessons to be learnt from the lives of Chief Awolowo and past leaders of his era? Can they become our models of good conduct and exemplary leadership? Can the present and future leaders drink from the fountain of life of Awolowo?
On ‘90 mins with Mathematical’ this Saturday morning we X-ray the life of Chief Awolowo only as a reference to that era.
What works did Awolowo do? What kind of man and leader was he? What was his lifestyle like? What influenced his world view as well as those of his contemporaries? What were his dreams about Nigeria?
How did he see the future of Nigeria?
Beyond politics, what can present-day leaders learn from Chief Awolowo and his colleagues?
These are hypothetical questions.
As we attempt to provide some answers, I am hoping the process will stimulate critical thinking, arouse interest amongst scholars of Nigeria’s history, and help to guide the present generation of leaders into a possible new future.
There are only a handful of people still alive that knew Chief Awolowo well enough in those days to realistically lead us into his mind and his world.
Odia Ofeimun, writer and dramatist, is one of them. The other is Prof Banji Akintoye, foremost scholar on African history. He spent his youthful years under the tutelage of the Sage.
On ‘90 mins with Mathematical’ this Saturday morning, I share the entire time with the erudite Yoruba scholar, Professor Akintoye on Eagle7 Sports Radio 103.7 FM. You can also join us online on the following:
www.youtube.com/@eagle7fm
Direct Media player:
https://eagle7fm.com, and eagle7fm.com
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http://streema.com/radios/play/Eagle7_103.7_FM
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Dr. Olusegun Odegbami MON, OLY, AFNIIA, FNIS.