THE HISTORY OF NIGERIA SOCIETY FROM COLONIAL TO POST COLONIAL

In Memory of Gen Muhammad Buhari GCFR, I reposted this my summary. The book ended when Buhari took over from Shagari on 31 12 1983.

JUST BEFORE DAWN BY Prof KOLE OMOTOSO PUBLISHED IN 1988

summarized by Davidson Ayoade Ojeniyi, FCA 13 07 2025

1. The book summarized Nigeria in the 1st 100 years up to  31 December,  1983.

2. The book  started with the ruling of Murtala Mohammed,  who appeared to be in a hurry using the  words like: With  Immediate Effect, Promptly,  With Dispatch,  Without  Delay,  In Double Quick Time etc. Murtala  was assassinated  by Dimka on 13 02 1976.  Dimka  was arrested  at a checkpoint  in  Afikpo,  Abakaliki Road trying to  escape to Cameroun. 39 Coup plotters  were executed.  Obasanjo,  popularly  called  Uncle Sege  succeeded  Murtala. 

3. Zik,  Ahmadu Bello and Awo  short history  told. The formation of the first set of parties told. Indirect Rule/Colonial Rule Explained. This rule was easier both in the North and The West but very difficult in the East bc the East had no kings. To understand this area,  please  read  Things  Fall Apart by Achebe. 

Aba Women Riot History was run in a moving  commentary.  Will God ever forgive  Oyinbos for the massacre of the Aba women? 

4. History of the End of  Slavery told.  The history of  Bishop Ajayi Crowther said. 

5. Sokoto was  defeated by the  British in March  1903.

6. Kano was defeated by the British  in 1906.

7. History of  initial army recruitments up North told. Maimalari  and Lawan Umar  were  recruited. 

8. History of  Lord Lugard and other Colonial  Governors told.  Lord Lugard  was angry with  the Southern  elites for always opposing him.  Few Northern elites were available then,  never opposed  Lugard probably due to the Islamic Injuctions that everything was permitted by Allah.  Lugard made up his mind to  guide the North against the  South. 

9. The Educated  Northerners  complained of the Emirs  and called for reforms.

10. The history of  1914 Amalgamation  was  told in full. To punish the South,  the  Benue and Taraba area moved from the  South to the North. Those areas were initially part of the  Southern  protectorate. But Oyinbos refused to move the Kwara and Kogi area to the  South. 

11. Chiefs were created for the  Igbos.  Unfortunately,  Igbo towns nominated lazy men or slaves instead of their best hands. 

12. History of  Herbert Macaulay told. The formation of  NCNC told in detail.  Zik joined NCNC on returning from abroad and established a chain of newspaper empires of which the most popular was West African Pilot. 

13. Full Details of how NPC was formed by Aminu Kano was told. Aminu Kano was  later edged out by  Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna of Sokoto who made Tafawa Balewa, a minority from Bauchi, his Deputy.  Aminu Kano later formed another party called NEPU. 

14. Ahmadu Bello jailed for 2 years by the colonial rulers based on the  accusations by the Sultan of Sokoto, who was afraid of Sardauna's popularity. Sardauna's main objective in life was to become the  Sultan of Sokoto.  Awo dispatched  Bode Thomas to rescue the Sardauna from jail. The witnesses  could not  withstand the cross examinations of Bode Thomas.  Bode Thomas made mince meat of the witnesses in the court. The Sultan left Sardauna alone but hated the young man  Awo. 

15. AG and Tribune formed.  AG was formed with the main brains being Bode Thomas,  Awo,  Rotimi Williams, Akinsanya,  SLA Akintola. HO Davies refused to lead the group, afraid of the Oyinbos. Awo accepted to be the leader. 

16. History of  Tafawa Balewa and Arthur  Richards told.  They were best of friends. Arthur Richards helped the North against the South. Arthur Richards was the Governor General. 

17. Zikists arrested and tried in Jan 1950 for declaring  a Revolution Now against the Oyinbos. Prominent among the Zikists  were Abiola Aloba,  Anthony Enahoro,  Kola Balogun  etc.  Zik disowned them bc he was afraid to go to jail. On coming out of  jail Anthony Enahoro moved to AG. 

18. Mr Foot,  Chief Secretary of the Colonial Government was stabbed to death by a Zikist called  Ugokwu and was jailed for life  on 18 02 1952.

19. Nonsense talks of Igbo leaders in 1951 of their  superiority in Africa listed on page 170. Even Zik!!! 

20. Details of elections of  1952 were told.  There was nothing like cross carpeting  but great  alliances in the Western Region  House. Awo became the leader of Govt  Business.  Zik went to the  East to oust Eyo  Ita. Page 174.

21. Constitutional talks in Lancaster.  Zik wanted a Unitary Govt,  Awo and Ahmadu Bello wanted Regional and Federal Government this happened on 30 07 1953. Sardauna threatened that the North would be on their own to form Arewa. Zik quickly backed down and accepted  Awo and Sardauna's proposal of regionalism  Page 188.

22. Awo's Free  Education in the Western  Region was mocked by the  rest of the  regions.  The program made the Western Region highly literate. Also evening classes were organized for adult education.  Farmers  started reading  Iwe Irohin Yoruba.  Awo became  their "god".

23. The history of Adegoke Adelabu Penkelemesi was told. Awo had never seen someone so brilliant. He refused to  join AG  of Awo. Awo even begged him to no avail.  He joined Zik. His weakness was women. As a Minister,  he went to live in  Ikoyi with Dundun drums,  bata and apesin gbedu  !!! He disorganised the quiet community. 

24. The 1959 Elections Results Analysed. Awo wanted an alliance with  Zik,  so that Zik would be the Prime Minister and Awo to be Minister of Finance.  Sardauna threatened to go back to  Arewa  and Zik quickly  accepted an alliance with the NPC to form NPC/NCNC govt and Zik became a ceremonial president and Tafawa Balewa was nominated by Sardauna as the Prime Minister. One Nigeria  saved. Page 203.

25. Sule Maito of Ilorin  tried to  bring  Ilorin  back  to Western region. Awo visited Ilorin many times. Awo could not get the expected support from  Zik.  Sardauna was indifferent. 

26. Kaduna  Mafia formed  and planned  Northern dominion to be ruled by NPC only  and let the heavens fall. Page 216.

27. Awo and others were jailed on 11 09 1963. The whole world  believed it was  due to  Awo's opposition in the House to the Prime Minister Balewa of his proposals to the house, jailing  Awo also helped  Akintola to have an upper hand in the ongoing  Western Region crisis . Akintola  formed an alliance with NPC.  Page  224.

28.  1964 Elections badly  rigged but NPC threatened their way back to power as usual.  Pages 227 to 230.

29. Zik planned to take over following a constitutional  crisis  as the East boycotted  the 1964 badly  rigged elections. But the Oyinbo  Army Chief and IG of Police  refused to support  Zik.   They  supported  Balewa.  Zik then almost  used Ojukwu to arrest  Balewa. Sir Adetokunbo Ademola,  Louis  Mbanefo etc resolved the matter and Zik allowed  Balewa to form the government in 1964.

30. Balewa also secretly planned to arrest  Zik if he was not called  to form the government  after the 1964 rigged elections. 

31. 1965 Western Region Election  Rigged. Wole Soyinka  held up the Radio  Station. Operation  Wetie started and Akintola and his supporters, clearly in the minority targeted. But the minority, claimed to have won the election. UPGA(Alliance of AG and Opara faction of NCNC) was clearly in majority and could have won in a landslide. But votes  were not allowed to count by the NPC led Electoral Commission.  NPC govt of Balewa was planning another  emergency rule in the  Western Region for 17 January  1966. Balewa planned to wipe out the Wild Wild West if that would  percify them. Western Region  became ungovernable. But there was  a coup on 15 January,  1966. Balewa and others killed. 

32. The British  Ambassador  warned Balewa of an impending coup slated for Jan 1966.

33. Sardauna was also warned of the impending coup  slated for  Jan 1966. Even SLA  Akintola  visited him on 13 January,  1966 to inform him of an impending coup. 

34. The details of the killing of Col  Largema in Ikoyi Hotel,  brought out tears from eyes. Terrible.  The man was innocent.  Also terrifying was the killing of Maimalari. He had escaped and was hiding in a bush,  but on seeing the car of the chief of staff in his office, Ifeajuna,  he came out,  thinking his boy came to rescue him. Ifeajuna was a coup leader.  He sprayed  Maimalari with his gun.  Page 245.

35. The January 1966 Coup was not fully  implemented in Lagos  bc Major  Obiewu failed  to move  weapons  from Abeokuta to Lagos.  Aguiyi Ironsi  forced  Orizu to hand over power to him.  The rest of the cabinet was rounded up and told to hand over.  One minister  looked for a rough paper in a drawer to write the hand over note. Ojukwu and Madiebo frustrated Nzeogwu in Kano bc they  believed their man Aguiyi Ironsi had taken over in Lagos. Nzeogwu successfully  took over the North  killing  the Sardauna and his wife personally. Ademulegun,  the Army Chief was also killed with his wife byTim Owunategu. 

36. Unification  Decree  was opposed  by Hassan  Katsina  but the majority  including  Gowon and  Ojukwu approved it.  The Decree was published  on 24 05 1966. The North opposed it fearing  Igbo Civil servants dominance. There was a heavy riot in the North. Igbos were targeted. 

37. The July  29 1966 counter coup led by  Murtala  Mohammed,  TY Danjuma and other  mid Northern officers made Gowon the Head of State. Murtala initially wanted to break up the country. Murtala mentioned  the military promotion of 22 by Aguiyi Ironsi  of which 18 were Igbos.  Terrible,  Eastern officers up to 200 were massacred.  The Easterners, civilians  were massacred in May 1966 and also Oct 1966. Ojukwu refused to recognize  Gowon as the Head of  State,  insisting  Ogundipe should take over. After so many talks had failed, the crisis  led to  a civil war bc Ojukwu  declared a Republic of  Biafra.  The war ended on 15 January,  1970. The Easter Region was devastated  and about 2 million souls wasted. 

38. Gowon with the help of Awo and other top politicians in his cabinet, survived the war. Gowon ruled for  9 years. But after planning to succeed himself,  Awo left his govt and corruption set in and Gowon himself was toppled by  Yaradua, Joe Garba,   IBB and others and they installed Murtala Mohammed and Obasanjo. Murtala was in power for 6 months, and he was assassinated by Bukar Sukar Dimka,  Obasanjo was then installed  by TY Danjuma and others. 

39. Obasanjo handed over to Shehu Shagari of NPN, on 01 10 1979. Shagari ran the country aground  and badly rigged his reelection in 1983. The rigging  was seriously  resisted in old  Ondo State  where Omoboriowo,  the purported NPN governor elect ran away to  Lagos.  Many NPN leaders and  supporters were massacred in Ondo.  IGP Sunday  Adewusi sent in kill and go mopols who started  shooting anything in sight  until  they  got  to Oke Igbo and Oke Imesi where their uniforms started burning them to death  and bees came out from nowhere to  attack them. They ran back to Akure.  

40. On 31 12 1983 IBB and his colleagues  toppled  Shagari and installed  Major General  Muhammadu Buhari  GMB and Tunde Idiagbon.

THIS PIECE CAN BE SHARED  BUT NOTHING SHOULD BE REMOVED OR ADDED.  I HAVE SEEN IN SOME WHATSAPP PLATFORMS WHERE MY WORK WAS MUTILATED AND MY NAME WAS RETAINED AS THE AUTHOR. IT IS KILLING  CREATIVITY AND IT IS NOT FAIR.  In some cases,  the author was removed.  

Best regards, 

Ireeeee ooooo kabiti kanka.

Ayoade Davidson Ojeniyi FCA 13 07 2025