THE TRUE STORY OF THE ACTION GROUP CRISIS THAT SCHOOLS REFUSE TO TEACH
This story should be in every Nigerian textbook. Every child should know it. It is more important than Mungo Park discovering River Niger. But history was removed from schools, so we became ignorant. Listen, I will tell you the true cause of the Action Group Crisis. Stand to correct me if I am wrong, but don't insult me, if you do, I may have to block you.
Samuel Ladoke Akintola was accused of anti-party activities. Action Group warned him. He refused to change. So, Action Group legally removed him as Premier of Western Region and replaced him with Alhaji Dauda Soroye Adegbenro, a more loyal party man.
Was Action Group wrong?
No. When the case reached the British Privy Council in London - the highest court for all Commonwealth nations, with over 450 members of integrity including Bishops - the Privy Council completely validated Action Group's action. Adegbenro was the legal Premier.
Note this: It was out of spite for Awolowo that Nigeria hurriedly stopped appealing to the Privy Council and hurriedly created the Supreme Court of Nigeria - just to deal with Awolowo. That is the politicised foundation of our Supreme Court.
Now the heart of the story.
MORNING OF 22ND MAY 1962 - THE DAY BALEWA DESTROYED NIGERIA.
Commissioner of Police, Western Region, Emmanuel Olufemi Olufunwa, came to Adegbenro's office to pledge loyalty. As it should be. The Premier must be backed by police authority. Olufunwa did the right thing.
Two hours later, instruction came from Lagos: Commissioner, withdraw your loyalty from Adegbenro immediately. Take no instructions from him.
Who gave the instruction?
Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, through Inspector-General of Police, Sir John Ernest Hodge, a British colonial officer. This was not ignorance. It was deliberate stratagem to cripple Action Group and set Western Region on fire.
See the madness: Commissioner of Police in Ibadan supporting Adegbenro. Inspector-General in Lagos withdrawing support from same Adegbenro. So Western Region had a Premier without police. A car without engine.
At the same time, Akintola gathered ruffians, broke the door of Premier's office, forced himself inside, sat down for few minutes to claim "I am still Premier", spoke to press, and left.
That was it. That was the seed.
In any region, you cannot have TWO PREMIERS on same territory without anarchy, riots, bloodshed, and endless civil war. It was Tafawa Balewa who used POLICE FORCE to create TWO PREMIERS in Western Region and ignited the so-called Action Group Crisis.
This action violated the Federal Constitution.
On 21st May 1953, exactly 9 years earlier, Secretary of State for Colonies, Oliver Lyttelton, announced in House of Commons:
"The Nigerian Constitution would have to be redrawn so as to provide GREATER REGIONAL AUTONOMY and for the removal of powers of intervention by the centre in matters which could, without detriment to other regions, be placed entirely within regional competence."
Changing Premier from Akintola to Adegbenro caused no detriment to Northern or Eastern Region. It was private affair of Western Region. It should have been left to Western Region to manage.
But Balewa poked nose. He refused to DEY HIS DEY.
What a quiet Nigeria we would have if every leader respected PRIVACY and BOUNDARIES of regional autonomy!
If the sea keeps its place, we have no flood. If Balewa had kept his place, we would have no flood of crisis that drowned First Republic.
All Western Region was telling Federal Government was: "Balewa, mind your business, this does not concern you." But Balewa insisted on poking nose.
And from that one poke-nosing came endless chain: Rigged election to impose Akintola against majority wish, jailing Awolowo and 17 AG leaders, destroying Action Group, Operation Wetie, January coup 1966 that killed Balewa himself, counter-coup July, Araba secession, Biafra secession, Civil War, stupid NYSC, long night of military rule, murders, assassinations, and the wretched 1999 unitary constitution we still suffer today.
One man poked nose on 22nd May 1962, and Nigeria has never recovered.
LESSON: FEDERALISM IS DEY YOUR DEY, I DEY MY DEY, DON'T POKE NOSE INSIDE MY PRIVACY.
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#DidBalewaDestroyFirstRepublic #ActionGroupCrisisTruth #22ndMay1962 #PrivyCouncilVindicatedAG #OlufunwaVsHodge #LytteltonConstitution #GreaterRegionalAutonomy #DeyYourDey #FixNigeria
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