BY SUNDAY EZEANA
NIGERIA we hail thee. Our own dear native land, though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand, The people are proud to serve our sovereign motherland. Our flag shall be a symbol. O God of all our creation grant us this our one request, help us to build a nation, where no man is oppressed. And so with peace and plenty Nigeria may be blessed.
This article is one of Geo-polity and Geo-journalism. That is geo-politics as it is geo-journalistic. It is like Ajala that had travelled all over the world. This is global.
Nigeria had, her independence on 1st October 1960, she became a republic on October 1st 1963. On that fateful and faithful dates and days. Nigerian boiled rice and stew for her school children. The Nation gave them rubber plastic cups draw on it map of Nigeria, along with the flag-green, white, green to match. The sovereign-sovereignty of Nigeria had started. The founding fathers took their oaths of office and went into action. The first of them was DR. NNAMDI AZIKIWE, the first constitutional president of the federal republic of Nigeria and commander in chief of the federal armed forces. Seconded by Sir Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa the humble noble prime minister of the first republic. Others in the region were sir Alhaji Ahamadu Bello, the sarduana of Sokoto and the premiere of the Northern region. The Eastern region had Dr Micheal. I. Opara as its premier. The western region had got our daddy pa Obafemi Awolowo as the first premier of the western region come 1963 the mid-western- region was created. Which had Sir Dennis Osadebay as the first premier of the region? That was the only region created by the Federal house of assembly. Honour should also be made to the three main political parties that brought the federal republic of Nigeria to bear fruit and into existence and livelihood.
The NPC-Northern People’s Congress, otherwise known as Jamil Mutaneum Arewa, as led by the premier of the North, sir Ahmadu Bello. The N.C .N.C led by DR Nnamdi Azikiwe called the National Convention for Nigeria Citizens, no Longer for Nigeria and Cameroun.Then would have come the A.G (Action Group) as led by PA Awolowo Obafemi.The second republic was marred by several assassinations, we lost the Ogbomosho radical Samuel Ladoke Akintola who would have become the second premier of the western region. However, the first premier was accused of treasonable felony that took him to Opobo.
This essay is partially a globe trotter, so wandering through the nook and crannies of west Arica, brook and creeks and thick and thin of what could be found in other countries that had become independent before and after Nigeria.
The Republic of Benin and Togo are already independent, so are now enjoying sovereignty cum governance otherwise republicanism. Togo of Eyadema as president who was almost a life president, yet good for his country since it did not complain, we remember him as a good man that hosted for so long our lady musician Mariam Makeba from Aparthaid South Africa.
Ghana was one other republic that had independence in March 1957. The first president was DR Kwame Nkrumah from GA Ethnic group in Ghana, then Gold Coast. He led the opposition party-convention peoples party that produced independence for Ghana from 1957-1964 when he was over thrown on his trip to Vietnam by lt Gen Achampong as intended by the U.NO (united Nations organization) of the time. His two able men were sir Komla Gbedema minister for finance and sir Arku Korsah, his attorney general respectively.
Here would have come the ivory coast now Cote-De-ivoire as manned by Houpheut Boigny whose wealthy father did buy the country from their French colonial masters, well he was nearly a life president. The Guinea Conakry and Guinea Bissau were on the line of independences in 1957 Guinea Conakry started first as it had its independence in 1957. The first president Sir Sekou Toure did also defied the assimilation policy of his colonial masters and secure sovereignty for Guinea Conakry. The Guinea Bissau did also likewise. Liberia which had got independence since 1847, to Sierra Leone which had also been very sovereign, that is fast republicanising, though Liberia had got some military interference while Sierra Leone had had DR. Saka Stevens and DR. Margal as the first two prime ministers the country had produced.
