16 November 1904 - 11 May 1996

“No matter how old an individual may be, no matter if he is young or old, if he thinks in accordance with the times he is immortal.”

Early Life

Nnamdi Azikiwe was born in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria, on November 16, 1904.

Azikiwe was born Benjamin Azikiwe but legally changed his name to Nnamdi. His father was Obededom Chukwuemeka Azikiwe, who worked as a clerical officer for the British Administrator of Eastern Nigeria and his mother was Racheal Chinwe Azikiwe. Both of his parents were Igbo, and his maternal grandfather was an Igbo chief. Azikiwe began his education in 1912 at the Church Missionary Society (CMS). At his father's request, he would also switch between CMS and Wesley Boys High School in Lagos. By the time he completed his secondary education in 1921, he was fluent in the languages of Nigeria's three major ethnic groups—the Hausas, the Igbos, and the Yorubas. This would be an advantageous tool for Azikiwe in advancing Nigerian nationalism in the future. Azikiwe worked as a clerk in the Nigerian treasury from 1921 to 1924 after passing his civil servant exam.

Education and American Experience

Azikiwe immigrated to the United States in 1925 and enrolled at Storer College, a two-year preparatory school in West Virginia. He then attended Howard University and then Lincoln University, both of which are located in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Lincoln in 1931 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Master's degree in religion in 1932. By 1933, Azikiwe had also earned two master's degrees from Lincoln University and the University of Pennsylvania in Arts and Science. Among his contemporaries at Lincoln were the future President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and Thurgood Marshall. Azikiwe supported himself while attending these universities through a variety of jobs, including car washing and kitchen assistance. He frequently faced racial discrimination during his time in America. His overall American experience, however, laid the groundwork for his Pan-Africanism. Between 1932 and 1934, Azikiwe taught political science at Lincoln University and began writing seriously, expressing his Pan-African ideology in works such as the Renascent African.

Newspaper Career

In 1934, Azikiwe accepted to edit a new daily newspaper in Accra, Ghana called the African Morning Post. Through the newspaper, he promoted African nationalism and African independence. Additionally, he mentored Kwame Nkrumah during his time in Ghana, who would later become the country's first president. Azikiwe returned to Lagos in 1937 to found the West African Pilot, which was described as "a fire-eating and aggressive nationalist newspaper of the highest order." Azikiwe controlled six daily newspapers in Nigeria for the next decade. Two were located in Lagos, while four were strategically located in Ibadan, Onitsha, Port Harcourt, and Kano. These strategic placements were instrumental in the development of Nigerian nationalism.

Pre-Independence

After his success in journalism, Azikiwe ventured into the world of politics joining the Nigerian Youth Movement in 1937, which he later left for the Nigerian National Democratic Party in 1941. In 1944, Azikiwe co-founded the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) alongside Herbert Macaulay, who served as the first president. The NCNC was founded to "weld the heterogeneous masses of Nigeria into one solid block." Azikiwe was elected the council's general secretary and in 1946 its president.

The NCNC was the dominant Igbo party in eastern Nigeria. The Hausa and Fulani tribes dominated the north, with Ahmadu Bello's Northern Peoples Congress as the leading party. In the west, the Yoruba tribe, led by Obafemi Awolowo's Action Group. Azikiwe was appointed Premier of Nigeria's Eastern Region in 1954, and in 1955, he enacted legislation that led to the establishment of the University of Nigeria in 1960, inviting British and American advisers to assist with the new institution's emergence. Azikiwe, along with Bello and Awolowo, was a member of the delegation to the London Constitutional talks in 1957 and 1958. Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960, and a coalition of the NCP and the NCNC won the national election, electing Azikiwe as the country's first indigenous Governor-General.

Presidency and Civil War

Nigeria was declared a republic on 1 October 1963, and Azikiwe was elected president, sharing power with the elected prime minister, Abubakar Balewa. Azikiwe faced numerous obstacles during his presidency from 1963 to 1966, including opposition from the Action Group and strained relations between Balewa and him. Azikiwe was also accused of fraud and corruption, which resulted in riots and demonstrations that left the country in a state of instability. On January 15, 1966, officers from Azikiwe's Igbo-West region staged a coup, deposing him. Nigeria would experience civil war and would not regain democracy until 1993. Azikiwe served as Chancellor of Lagos University from 1972 to 1976 following the war. He also became a member of the Nigerian People's Party in 1978, making unsuccessful presidential bids in 1979 and 1983. Azikiwe died on May 11, 1996, in Enugu, Enugu State, at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, following a protracted illness.

Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe is widely regarded as one of Nigeria's fathers, having been instrumental in establishing, growing, and nurturing the country's nationalist spirit, without which independence would not have been achieved. Azikiwe was an avid Pan-Africanist who believed that Africans should be liberated from colonial rule.

 “The realization of New Africa can only be possible by the African cultivating spiritual balance, which leads to the practicalization of social regeneration, to realizing economic determination, becoming mentally emancipated, and ushering in a political resurgence.”

– Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe

References

Faal, C. (2009) Benjamin Nnamdi “Zik” Azikiwe (1904-1996), Blackpast.org. Available at: https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/azikiwe-benjamin- nnamdi-zik-1904-1996/ (Accessed: 31 December 2020).

Nnamdi Azikiwe (2021). Available at: https://biography.yourdictionary.com/nnamdi- azikiwe (Accessed: 1 January 2021).

Nnamdi Azikiwe | president of Nigeria (2020). Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nnamdi-Azikiwe (Accessed: 31 December 2020).

Svoboda, M. (2021) Nnamdi Azikiwe quotes (5 quotes) | Quotes of famous people, Quotepark.com. Available at: https://quotepark.com/authors/nnamdi-azikiwe/ (Accessed: 1 January 2021).

TOP 9 QUOTES BY NNAMDI AZIKIWE | A-Z Quotes (2021). Available at: https://www.azquotes.com/author/700-Nnamdi_Azikiwe (Accessed: 31 December 2020).

View of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, 1904-1966, First President of Nigeria: A Force in Library Development in Nigeria | World Libraries (2021). Available at: https://worldlibraries.dom.edu/index.php/worldlib/article/view/199/154 (Accessed: 1 January 2021).

(1962) Nnamdi Azikiwe, “The Future of Pan Africanism” (2009). Available at: https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/1962-nnamdi-azikiwe-future-pan- africanism/ (Accessed: 1 January 2021).

(2021) Nigerianscholars.com. Available at: https://nigerianscholars.com/tutorials/nigerian-party-politics/national-council-of- nigerians-and-the-cameroons/ (Accessed: 1 January 2021).