“He argued that leadership must be grounded in ethics, morallity of spending resources more carefully without curruption and with compassion for people. Leadership must respect the rule of law and human rights and cannot be based on violence.”

gbogboti:

When some people talk and blame other people for their miseries, I feel like slapping them ten times over. No region is responsible for another regions failure. Lets look at it this way. We both work in an organization that pays all staff salaries. What you do with it is your business. The north receives allocation like the west. What both parties chooses to do with theirs is their business. Does the north control governance in the western part of the country? I have travelled round and round. Apart from Lagos, no western state is better than Kaduna. I am from south-south. But have traveled and live in all parts of naija. I speak seven languages. Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and four others. Tinubu should go and sit down. Honestly, south-west is backward infra structurally and dirty.  

emron1:

awo great as he might have been had a foult and that was short sightedness and ethnic bigotry. Why implement a policy to make a group of people poor in a country which they are a part of forgeting that statistics about poverty and wealth would not spareany region.

gbogboti:

When some people talk and blame other people for their miseries, I feel like slapping them ten times over. No region is responsible for another regions failure. Lets look at it this way. We both work in an organization that pays all staff salaries. What you do with it is your business. The north receives allocation like the west. What both parties chooses to do with theirs is their business. Does the north control governance in the western part of the country? I have travelled round and round. Apart from Lagos, no western state is better than Kaduna. I am from south-south. But have traveled and live in all parts of naija. I speak seven languages. Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and four others. Tinubu should go and sit down. Honestly, south-west is backward infra structurally and dirty.  

Baawaa:

Gathering of rubbers Daniel and co

papatosibe:

Welfare politics . . . way to go.

supereagle:

EMINENT Nigerians yesterday lamented the non-sustenance of the leadership qualities of late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, saying that the north would not have constitued itself as the clog in the wheel of development and unity of the country had Awolowo’s policies been sustained.

They spoke in Lagos at the 2012 Obafemi Awolowo Annual Lecture, convened by Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, OAF.

Those who attended the event from across the six geo-political zones included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, Emir of Zauazau Alhaji Shehu Idris, Obi of Onitsha Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Suru Gambari, King Edmund Daukoru Amyanabo on Nembe, King Dandeson Douglas, Jaja Amyanabo of Opobo, King Mujakpero Orodje of Okpe,

They also included former governors of Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Kaduna States, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Olusegun Osoba,Niyi Adebayo, Gbenga Daniel, and Alhaji Balarebe Musa as well as Prof Ben Nwabueze, Justice Modibo Alfa Belgore, Justice Mohammedu Uwais, Sen Olorunnimbe Mamora, Sen Anthony Adefuye, Chief Ebeneze Babatope, Sen Daisy Danjuma, Sen Jubril Aminu, Alhaji Musilui Smith, Chief Fredrick Fasheun, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, among others.

Speaking at the forum which was titled; Power Politics or Welfare Politics; Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the History of African Nationalist Political Thought, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who chaired the occasion said that Nigeria lost the opportunity of having Awolowo as its president, noting that Awolowo was a credible leader.

Musa said, “Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo is the most qualitatively, outstanding, and memorable legend of Nigerian politics and governance since the 1940s. He is the one whose role in politics and governance can still be a reliable guide for any first-time President of Nigeria even though Nigeria ‘lost the opportunity of having Chief Awolowo as its National President.

North in the way of peace —Musa

“He knew how to be relevant both in government and in opposition. When he ceased to be the Premier of the old Western Region, he became a credible and dependable opposition leader. If his policy of free, qualitative, and functional education, for instance, had been implemented and sustained throughout Nigeria, the 40 -year gap in educational development between the northern and the southern parts, which inevitably makes the North stand more in the way of peace and national unity, would have been avoided; and the result of higher educational advancement would not have been almost absent in Nigeria.

“For the 1983 Presidential Election, even the arch opponents of Chief AwoIowo, the semi-feudal and conservative Northern oligarchy or Kaduna Mafia, as represented by the political group of late Shehu Musa Yar’aduwa, preferred him and went into a principled electoral alliance with the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, the political party he led. However, Nigerians are still hoping for Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s equivalent to emerge.”
Musa’s views were re-echoed by other speakers who called for late Awolowo’s style of leadership in the country. Speaking on the topic of the lecture, the Guest Speaker, Prof. Toyin Falola admonished Nigerian leaders to emulate Awolowo’s prescription for the implementation of welfare politics.

His words: “The most imoportant lesson to take away from Awolowo’s work is his prescription for the implementation of wlafare politics. His legacy to Nigeria , and indeed the world, is the proposal of critical conceptions that must be infused into political leadership.

“He argued that leadership must be grounded in ethics, morallity of spending resources more carefully without curruption and with compassion for people. Leadership must respect the rule of law and human rights and cannot be based on violence.”

Absence of transpernt government——Tinubu

Similarly, former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State regrreted that, “Awolowo’s leadership qualities are not visible today in gorvernance. All his priorities like rural intergration, welfare, priority of education are lacking. We are gradually moving away from the people. What is the menaing of governance if there is no welfare, development, transperency and accountability.’’

Earlier, the Executive Director of OBF, Dr. Olatokunbo Dosumu-Awolowo had there was need to build bridges of understanding across the country to ensure unity in Nigeria.

She said, “This gathering says that inspite of current, seeming evidence to the contrary, there is still an overwhelming desire across the land to build bridges of understanding in order to remain brothers and sisters domicled in one united indivisble Nigeria and that the prospects for consensus building on cvritical national issues are not necessarily far-fetched.

“The presence of some of the most eminent royal fathers across Nigeria as well as this sizeable and high calibre audience, drawn from all sectors of the Nigerian society, leaves me virtually speechless, But it speaks eloquently to the fact that 25 years after his transition, Cheif Awolowo’s trailblazing leadership keeps being aknowledged and celebrated.’’

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/awo-lecture-why-north-is-a-problem-to-national-unity-eminent-nigerians/

supereagle:

EMINENT Nigerians yesterday lamented the non-sustenance of the leadership qualities of late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, saying that the north would not have constitued itself as the clog in the wheel of development and unity of the country had Awolowo’s policies been sustained.

They spoke in Lagos at the 2012 Obafemi Awolowo Annual Lecture, convened by Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, OAF.

Those who attended the event from across the six geo-political zones included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, Emir of Zauazau Alhaji Shehu Idris, Obi of Onitsha Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Suru Gambari, King Edmund Daukoru Amyanabo on Nembe, King Dandeson Douglas, Jaja Amyanabo of Opobo, King Mujakpero Orodje of Okpe,

They also included former governors of Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo and Kaduna States, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Olusegun Osoba,Niyi Adebayo, Gbenga Daniel, and Alhaji Balarebe Musa as well as Prof Ben Nwabueze, Justice Modibo Alfa Belgore, Justice Mohammedu Uwais, Sen Olorunnimbe Mamora, Sen Anthony Adefuye, Chief Ebeneze Babatope, Sen Daisy Danjuma, Sen Jubril Aminu, Alhaji Musilui Smith, Chief Fredrick Fasheun, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, among others.

Speaking at the forum which was titled; Power Politics or Welfare Politics; Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the History of African Nationalist Political Thought, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who chaired the occasion said that Nigeria lost the opportunity of having Awolowo as its president, noting that Awolowo was a credible leader.

Musa said, “Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo is the most qualitatively, outstanding, and memorable legend of Nigerian politics and governance since the 1940s. He is the one whose role in politics and governance can still be a reliable guide for any first-time President of Nigeria even though Nigeria ‘lost the opportunity of having Chief Awolowo as its National President.

North in the way of peace —Musa

“He knew how to be relevant both in government and in opposition. When he ceased to be the Premier of the old Western Region, he became a credible and dependable opposition leader. If his policy of free, qualitative, and functional education, for instance, had been implemented and sustained throughout Nigeria, the 40 -year gap in educational development between the northern and the southern parts, which inevitably makes the North stand more in the way of peace and national unity, would have been avoided; and the result of higher educational advancement would not have been almost absent in Nigeria.

“For the 1983 Presidential Election, even the arch opponents of Chief AwoIowo, the semi-feudal and conservative Northern oligarchy or Kaduna Mafia, as represented by the political group of late Shehu Musa Yar’aduwa, preferred him and went into a principled electoral alliance with the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, the political party he led. However, Nigerians are still hoping for Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s equivalent to emerge.”
Musa’s views were re-echoed by other speakers who called for late Awolowo’s style of leadership in the country. Speaking on the topic of the lecture, the Guest Speaker, Prof. Toyin Falola admonished Nigerian leaders to emulate Awolowo’s prescription for the implementation of welfare politics.

His words: “The most imoportant lesson to take away from Awolowo’s work is his prescription for the implementation of wlafare politics. His legacy to Nigeria , and indeed the world, is the proposal of critical conceptions that must be infused into political leadership.

“He argued that leadership must be grounded in ethics, morallity of spending resources more carefully without curruption and with compassion for people. Leadership must respect the rule of law and human rights and cannot be based on violence.”

Absence of transpernt government——Tinubu

Similarly, former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State regrreted that, “Awolowo’s leadership qualities are not visible today in gorvernance. All his priorities like rural intergration, welfare, priority of education are lacking. We are gradually moving away from the people. What is the menaing of governance if there is no welfare, development, transperency and accountability.’’

Earlier, the Executive Director of OBF, Dr. Olatokunbo Dosumu-Awolowo had there was need to build bridges of understanding across the country to ensure unity in Nigeria.

She said, “This gathering says that inspite of current, seeming evidence to the contrary, there is still an overwhelming desire across the land to build bridges of understanding in order to remain brothers and sisters domicled in one united indivisble Nigeria and that the prospects for consensus building on cvritical national issues are not necessarily far-fetched.

“The presence of some of the most eminent royal fathers across Nigeria as well as this sizeable and high calibre audience, drawn from all sectors of the Nigerian society, leaves me virtually speechless, But it speaks eloquently to the fact that 25 years after his transition, Cheif Awolowo’s trailblazing leadership keeps being aknowledged and celebrated.’’

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/awo-lecture-why-north-is-a-problem-to-national-unity-eminent-nigerians/

Kachi01:

Is it not Awolowo that advice Gowon to block Biafra's source of geting food so that they will surender? All of us are now surfering this illegal mariage of 1914. No complains.

Da infamous:

Awolowo have damaged his reputation in Nigeria he will always go down in history as a tribalist and a bigotry 

skido84:

In my opinion, Lord Lugard is the bane of our development.Yes ,he had good intentions that sadly turned out bad.  If he never married both regions,we would all be living happily ever after. Personally being yoruba ,i would be happy to live in a nation that spoke one language (my language) and shared the same/similar beliefs and i believe the same applies to every other ethnic group. Look at India,China,germany,spain and other developed/developing nations.They speak the same language in a literal and " un-literal" sense. When there's a need to accept a different culture,lifestyle and set of beliefs , it definately causes tension.One man's meat is another man's poison. But if there's a will, ready acceptance , a sort of brotherhood , then there's hope. And thats the case with Nigeria. We are unique because we are not a nation of 2,3,10, different people. We are a nation of over 300 ethnic groups.We've managed to stay together for over 40yrs.There were many opportunities,reasons,excuses to break off but we didnt.Its because God has a plan for this nation.A great one.It may not manifest now , but it will surely.
All this attack on each other,calling Awo a bigotry, insulting the north as backward etc is so not called for.Its all in the past. Are we going to keep looking backward,remembering the hurts,and playing tat-for-tat like our parents? Or are we going to look past it,see a better future and tolerate our differences? Helping each other grow,whether we are 40yrs apart in educational development or not?  Because if we aren't ,God is willing to let a generation pass (remember the isrealites in the wilderness for 40 yrs) in order to fulfill his purpose. Permit me to get biblical.

Dede1:

Political elites from northern region are masters of deceptive political crafts. Alhaji Balarebe Musa should be ashamed of himself for publicly spewing the above crap. The Awolowo’s junk but free education gimmick never saw eastern region of Nigeria. Yet by 1960, arguably eastern region had equaled or surpassed western region in every human endeavor. This same plank of argument brought us quota system and northern region still count peanuts as school leavers. Every government of Nigeria headed by northerner since Nigeria’s independence had wheeled every bit of Nigeria’s economic infrastructures, military depots, businesses and educational apparatus to northern region of Nigeria. The mere backward appearance and assumed problem of northern region is rooted in Islamic religion, culture and tradition.

skido84:

In my opinion, Lord Lugard is the bane of our development.Yes ,he had good intentions that sadly turned out bad.  If he never married both regions,we would all be living happily ever after. Personally being yoruba ,i would be happy to live in a nation that spoke one language (my language) and shared the same/similar beliefs and i believe the same applies to every other ethnic group. Look at India,China,germany,spain and other developed/developing nations.They speak the same language in a literal and " un-literal" sense. When there's a need to accept a different culture,lifestyle and set of beliefs , it definately causes tension.One man's meat is another man's poison. But if there's a will, ready acceptance , a sort of brotherhood , then there's hope. And thats the case with Nigeria. We are unique because we are not a nation of 2,3,10, different people. We are a nation of over 300 ethnic groups.We've managed to stay together for over 40yrs.There were many opportunities,reasons,excuses to break off but we didnt.Its because God has a plan for this nation.A great one.It may not manifest now , but it will surely.
All this attack on each other,calling Awo a bigotry, insulting the north as backward etc is so not called for.Its all in the past. Are we going to keep looking backward,remembering the hurts,and playing tat-for-tat like our parents? Or are we going to look past it,see a better future and tolerate our differences? Helping each other grow,whether we are 40yrs apart in educational development or not?  Because if we aren't ,God is willing to let a generation pass (remember the isrealites in the wilderness for 40 yrs) in order to fulfill his purpose. Permit me to get biblical.

gidiMonsta:

Apart from selling spare parts, importing knock off products, armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killings and drug trafficking in what way has the eastern region surpassed the west?

Are you talking about the same religion of the Saudis, Jordanians, Omanis, Qataris, Emiratis, Malaysians and Indonesians? How come its a problem here and not there? If truly it is, then Christianity is also the reason why people like Ibori steal N4tr?

Da infamous:

they did by statistics in poverty from both regions