by Agbonmagbe Kazeem
Fellow Great Nigerian
Look around Nigeria today and you will see a mystery that no one wants to talk about.
The North does not hate Awolowo. The South-South, the Middle Belt, the minorities – they do not hate Awolowo.
Only one group has turned Awolowo and the entire Yoruba nation into a permanent enemy. Why? What did Awolowo do to the Igbo that no one else felt?
The answer is buried in history. And history does not lie.
1952: The First Attempt To Capture Yorubaland
In 1952, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe wanted to rule Yorubaland. His plan was simple – supplant Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his own home, become Premier of the Western Region.
Awolowo said NO. He outsmarted him politically and sent him back to the East. That wound never healed.
That was the beginning.
1954: The Battle For Lagos
In 1954, Azikiwe came again. This time the target was Lagos – the heart and capital of Yorubaland.
He fought to excise Lagos from the West and make it “No Man’s Land” – common property for all Nigerians.
This time, Azikiwe WON.
And that victory would later haunt the Igbos themselves.
1967: The Moment of Truth That Changed Everything
In 1967, Biafra wanted to leave Nigeria. Azikiwe and Ojukwu came to Awolowo with a desperate plea: Lead the Yoruba out too. Let us declare Oduduwa Republic alongside Biafra Republic and break Nigeria together.
Awolowo again said NO!
He believed in a united Nigeria where Yoruba could develop at their own pace. He refused to be dragged into a secession proxy Igbo war.
The Lie of The “Yoruba Army”
Here is what many forget in their anger: these three Southern military governors were the counterparts of Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu during the Nigerian Civil War era:
* David Ejoor — Midwest Region
* Mobolaji Johnson — Lagos State
* Adeyinka Adebayo — Western Region
The historical question is: While Ojukwu led the Eastern Region into Biafra, why did these Southern military governors not join him in a coordinated Southern secession?
They were not even on speaking terms. They did not exchange phone calls, let alone plan a joint secession!
Yet, some naively believed Awolowo had a magic wand to raise a Yoruba army overnight to fight the Federal Government alongside Biafra. How? To fight the North with what?
The Headquarters Irony
The same Lagos that Azikiwe fought to make neutral territory became Gowon’s war headquarters. The weapon Azikiwe forged was turned against his own people.
That is history’s cruel joke.
The Starvation Weapon – The Truth They Won’t Tell You
When the war polarized Nigeria into two camps – Nigeria vs Biafra – Awolowo made a brutal war statement: “You cannot be fighting an opponent and continue to feed him to fight you harder.”
The other side said: “You must feed us to continue fighting you.”
Every war in history uses blockade as a weapon. That was war strategy, not personal hatred.
And the painful question no one asks: Why were only children and old people left behind to be displayed as kwashiorkor victims?
Because their parents abandoned them as burdens and fled to safety – where? To Yorubaland!
The Refuge No One Remembers – AWOLOWO’S TWO SIDES
This is the side they will never tell you:
While the East was burning and uninhabitable, and the North had expelled Igbos after the pogroms of 1966-67, there was only ONE safe zone in Nigeria.
Yorubaland. Awolowo’s domain.
Igbos flooded into Ibadan, Lagos, Abeokuta, Ijebu, Ondo, Oyo as refugees. They lived, traded, schooled, without molestation.
The man they call their enemy gave them refuge. The land they call enemy territory saved their lives.
How do you repay such kindness with CAPITAL HATRED?
Why Yorubas Will Never Stop Loving Him
Because while others were fighting to be Zik of Africa and championing One Nigeria that they themselves would later destroy with secession, Awolowo was busy at home.
Free Education. Free Healthcare. Full Employment. Rural Integrated Development. Cocoa House. Liberty Stadium. First Television in Africa.
He built a nation within a nation for his people. That is why Yorubas love him till tomorrow.
Final Word: Know The Truth
I write not to beg Igbos to stop hating Yorubas. That hatred has endured for nearly a century – it is now part of their political identity.
I write so that when they attack you (my Yoruba brothers and sisters) on social media, in the market, in your school, with insults of “Awolowo starved us,” you will have an answer.
You now have the truth. And the truth shall make you free.
“THE HISTORIAN”
