By Dahiru Ali, Abuja | Monday, November 17, 2025
Former Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has said that Nigeria’s founding father, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, made critical political compromises that preserved the country’s unity and prevented its early disintegration.
Aliyu made this remark at the 6th Annual Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Award Lecture held in Abuja to mark Azikiwe’s 121st posthumous birthday.
The lecture, themed “The Power of Pan-African Unity: Strengthening Nigeria’s Role in African Integration and Development,” drew scholars, statesmen, and diplomats.
Aliyu, who chaired the National Planning Committee for the event, noted that the early post-independence years were fraught with ethnic tension and political uncertainty, but Azikiwe’s pragmatic leadership helped stabilize the nation.
“Zik was a Nigerian even before Nigeria gained its independence. He was at the forefront of the struggle. As a realist, he made necessary compromises to ensure the survival of the nation,” Aliyu said.
He recalled that before the 1966 coup, Azikiwe entered a political alliance with the NPC, becoming Nigeria’s first ceremonial president. Similarly, during the Second Republic, Azikiwe’s NPP formed an alliance with the NPN, again promoting unity across party and regional divides.
“Anyone who loves this country must do so regardless of the challenges,” Aliyu said.
“If we were to choose where to be born, many might not choose Nigeria. But since it was not our choice, we must love the country where our Creator placed us.”
Aliyu said Azikiwe’s patriotism remains a moral lesson, adding that all faiths teach love of one’s country as a virtue.
His comments come amid renewed calls for Pan-African revival across the continent.
Recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, speaking at a summit in Accra, Ghana, urged African leaders to revisit the ideals of Azikiwe and Kwame Nkrumah, lamenting that “Africa has lost the spirit of unity that once inspired its liberation movements.”
Umar-Kogo Calls for Moral Rebirth
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Mainasara Umar-Kogo, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), called for a moral rebirth and a return to Pan-African values.
He lamented that despite the foundation laid by figures like Azikiwe, Nkrumah, and Nelson Mandela, Africa remains trapped in corruption, disunity, and leadership failures.
“Let us be honest with ourselves,” Umar-Kogo said. “What kind of house have we built after Zik? A house divided by ethnic strife cannot endure. A house corroded by corruption cannot inspire.”
He added:
“A house without justice cannot lead. If Nigeria must be the cornerstone of Africa, its own house must be in order. A divided, corrupt, or lawless Nigeria cannot unify or inspire Africa.”
Umar-Kogo stressed that Pan-Africanism was not just an economic project but a moral and political mission, calling for leaders who embody integrity, courage, justice, and service.
In a related development, the African Union (AU) announced plans to honour Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe at its 2026 Summit in Addis Ababa for his “extraordinary contribution to continental unity and liberation struggles.”
The honour will coincide with the AU’s Year of African Renaissance, aimed at celebrating post-independence visionaries who championed African cooperation and identity.
Call to Immortalise Zik’s Legacy
Chief Chineme Onyeke, Director-General of the annual lecture series, said the event was established to ensure that nations not only remember their heroes but sustain the dreams they inspired.
He disclosed that the organisers plan to establish the Zik Centre for Leadership and African Studies — a research and training institution to nurture ethical and visionary leaders.
“We appeal to the Federal Government, through the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to support this vision by allocating land for the project,” Onyeke said.
“History does not remember us by our titles or speeches, but by the values we uphold and the institutions we build.”
His remarks align with a recent Federal Ministry of Education announcement that the lives and philosophies of Nigeria’s founding fathers — Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, and Obafemi Awolowo — will be included in the revised Civic and History Curriculum for secondary schools.
According to the ministry, the goal is to “restore historical awareness and civic pride among young Nigerians.”
Zik’s Widow Urges Preservation of History
Prof. Uche Azikiwe, widow of the late statesman, commended the organisers for keeping her husband’s ideals alive.
She called for more efforts to document Nigeria’s political history and the contributions of its founding fathers.
“Most of our problems stem from the fact that we do not know what happened in the past,” she said.
“Even as Zik’s wife, I learned new things here today. If we truly knew our history and the foundation of this country, Nigeria would have been something entirely different.”
Prof. Azikiwe urged the inclusion of accurate historical accounts in schools, saying a nation without a clear memory of its past risks losing direction and identity.
📰
