Why Awo Was A Greater Leader Than Mandela – Ofeimun

aawolowo250Writer and poet, Odia Ofeimun, has rated the late Premier of the old Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, higher than late former South African President, Nelson Mandela.

The public affairs analyst, in an interview granted to Sahara TV which was uploaded to social media video sharing site, YouTube, said although “Mandela was good for the liberation” of his people, Awolowo made far-reaching impacts on the lives of many Nigerians.

Ofeimun, while looking at the achievement of the two leaders side-by-side, said the processes leading to independence in South Africa and Nigeria “followed exactly the same pattern” noting that the liberation struggle championed by Mandela did “not create the end of apartheid”.

He explained that Awolowo negotiated Nigeria’s independence just as Mandela did, adding that it would amount to a “hype” to think that there were differences in what the two leaders essentially fought for in their respective countries to end colonization.

Ofeimun said, “I am too much of an Awolowo man not to see that the process of moving into independence in South Africa and in Nigeria followed exactly the same pattern. It was based on a negotiated settlement. The liberation struggle did not create the end of apartheid. It was a negotiation and Nigerians negotiated exactly the way Mandela negotiated.

“You can hype it if you like, but the pattern was exactly the same. You move from one meeting to the other, discussing politics and economics, and they successfully convinced Mandela to buy the pig in a poke of an economy and they also successfully succeeded in convincing Nigerians to buy the pig in a poke of an economy.

“The only man in Nigeria, who stood up against it, was (Obafemi) Awolowo. He was quickly jailed and all his men scattered across the prisons in Nigeria. Some driven abroad and the educational system that he had put in place was smashed”.

While choosing the late Premier of the old western region above the late anti-apartheid leader, Ofeimun said the philosophical postulations about the workings of a state put forward by Awolowo were superior to those credited to Mandela.

While stressing that Mandela could not be put on the same pedestal with Awolowo, Ofeimun, who was private (political) secretary to the late leader of the then Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, said Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah was the only African leader that could be seen to rival Awolowo.

Even at that, the Edo State born poet argued that Nkrumah’s ideology of pan-Africanism lacked the capacity to “save Africa” when compared to Awolowo’s brand of socialism.

According to him, “People talk about Mandela’s capacity to put various classes (of people) together as theory, but Awolowo ironed it out very clearly, why you don’t need a class struggle, in order to create a society in which all children can go to school; in which everybody can get a job, and in which old age pensions will be paid to people.

“It is not just love and I want to emphasise that. Those who criticise Awolowo’s socialism for wanting in love are obviously basing their argument on his claim that a government should be like a sun that shines on all equally. If it is about a theory of how to bring the people together on the African continent, none is as good as the Awolowo’s and I’m not trying to pretend.

“Bring all their writings, fine phrases, alright, but reduce them to economic terms, and I can tell you that there is only one man who rivals Awolowo in this respect and that is Nkrumah. Unfortunately unlike Awolowo, Nkrumah did not believe in either a democratic or a federal theory. If you want to save Africa, you need those two”.

Asked by the interviewer why he chose Awolowo over Mandela, whose burial last month attracted an unprecedented number of dignitaries from across the globe, Ofeimun said “Yes and I will tell you why, the simple reason is that what needed to be done in South Africa, after apartheid was precisely what Awolowo wanted for Western Region and Nigeria after independence. Which is to say put every child at school, ensure that productivity takes the creativity of the individual citizen into proper focus and build the relationship between people and not on whether they did not love each other? But whether there is justice and equality”.

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  2. Pinchomic,Loop-sided,Limp-Legged journalism. Tribal bigot,you ,ve carried dis ur tribal virus that destroyed Nigeria,sown & Masterminded by ur tribal champion:Awolowo.To cross-pollinate international personalities & Facts with ur local,tribal & myopic champion is ur greatest disservice to urself & humanity at large. Awolowoo was thinking, Talking of a yoruba tribe while Dr.Zik of AFRICA was thinking,Talking & working Out a united AFRICA. Pls go back to school. Stop polluting the media world. U r not Qualified to tell the world Truths about MANDELA,AwolowoO,K Nkruma etc