Ladoke Akintola

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Ladoke Akintola
Position abolished
Personal details
Born
Samuel Ladoke Akintola

(1910-07-06)6 July 1910
Ogbomosho, Southern Nigeria Protectorate
Died15 January 1966(1966-01-15) (aged 55)
Ibadan, Nigeria
Political partyAction Group
Nigerian National Democratic Party
SpouseFaderera Akintola
RelationsFather; Akintola Akinbola
Children5
OccupationLawyer
Samuel Akíntọ́lá with David Ben-Gurion during a visit to Israel in 1961

assassination in 1966.[2][3]

Early life

Akintola was born in

H.O. Davies, a lawyer and politician and joined the Nigerian Youth Movement where he assisted Ikoli and supported the latter to represent Lagos in the legislative council over the candidacy of Oba Samuel Akisanya, who was supported by Nnamdi Azikiwe.[6] He joined the staff of the Daily Service Newspaper and soon became the editor in 1943 with the support of Chief Akinola Maja, a shareholder, replacing Ernest Ikoli as editor. Akintola was also founder of Iroyin Yoruba (a newspaper written in the Yoruba language)[7] In 1945, he opposed the general strike led by Azikiwe's NCNC and Michael Imoudu, earning the distrust of politicians like Chief Anthony Enahoro.[8] In 1946, he earned a British scholarship to study in the UK and completed legal studies by 1950. He started his legal career working as a lawyer on land and civic matters. In 1952, he formed a partnership with Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, Chief Bode Thomas and Michael Odesanya.[9]

Political career

After he was trained as a lawyer in the United Kingdom Ladoke Akintola returned to Nigeria in 1949 and teamed up with other educated Nigerians from the

Minister for Health
and later Minister for Communications and Aviation.

Decisions over the direction of strategic alliances by the party, the adoption of democratic socialism as the party's platform and the Battle for supremacy in the party led to disagreement between Chiefs Akintola and Awolowo. Akintola disagreed with Awolowo's decision not to join the coalition government.[13] Akintola wanted to align the Action Group party with the Northern People's Congress.[14] He also opposed the party's decision to adopt democratic socialism as its ideology, preferring a more conservative stance.[15]

Criticisms

Akintola was accused by Chief Awolowo of trying to supplant him as Leader of the party.

State of Emergency rule in the region and Chief (Dr.) M.A Majekodunmi, the Federal Minister of Health was appointed as administrator.[18] Eventually Akintola was restored to power (even though he had lost the legal battle with the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council then Nigeria's highest tribunal)[19] as Premier in 1963. In the general election of 1965, Akintola won his position as Premier, not as member of the Action Group party, but as the leader of a newly formed party called Nigerian National Democratic Party
(NNDP), which was in an alliance with the Northern People's Congress (NPC) the party that then controlled the federal government. His blatantly rigged election in 1965 was undoubtedly an immediate cause of the January 1966 coup in which he was slain.

Death

Akintola was assassinated in

First Republic.[21] Also known as the "Young Majors Coup" or the "coup of the January boys", the coup resulted in the assassination of many leading politicians, mostly members of the Northern People's Congress.[22]

After his death, the Aare Ona Kankanfo title was vacant for 21 years until Chief Moshood Abiola was invested with it as the 14th Aare Ona Kankanfo by Alaafin Adeyemi III of Oyo on January 14 1988.[23]

Impact

Akintola was a dignified orator.[24] In 1962 he was responsible for completing the founding of the University of Ife (a university which was later named after his political opponent - Obafemi Awolowo. While popularly believed, there is no verifiable evidence that Awolowo ever initiated or suggested the establishment of the University of Ife which was renamed in his honour). He was also involved in the development of Premier Hotel and other monuments.[25]

Personal life

Akintola was married to Faderera Akintola and had five children, two (Yomi Akintola and Dr. Abimbola Akintola) of whom held Finance cabinet portfolios in the

Nigerian Third Republic.[26] Yomi Akintola also served as Nigeria's Ambassador to Hungary and Samuel Akintola's daughter-in-law, Dupe Akintola, was Nigeria's High Commissioner in Jamaica. His fourth child, Victor Ladipo Akintola, dedicated much of his life to ensuring the continued accurate accounting of Samuel Akintola's contributions to Nigeria's position on the world stage. He published many works including a biography that highlighted his father's love of country and lifelong commitment to its progress.[27] Akintola's youngest child, Tokunbo Akintola, was the first black boy at Eton College and features prominently in the best selling book by the Nigerian author Dillibe Onyeama
, Nigger at Eton.

Justice Ladiran Akintola, an Oyo State judge and former law lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University is Akintola's child born out of wedlock.[28]

A number of institutions, including

Oloye
's home town and other Nigerian cities as a means of remembering him posthumously.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Samuel Ladoke Akintola | Nigerian politician". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. ^ "NIGERIA : SAMUEL AKINTOLA and AHMADU BELLO. Photos: (1966) | LIVRESCOLLECTOR". www.abebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Samuel Ladoke Akintola | Nigerian politician | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  4. ^ Akintola 1982, p. 7-8.
  5. ^ Akintola 1982, p. 10.
  6. ^ Akintola 1982, p. 18-19.
  7. ^ "The Founding Fathers". 21 July 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  8. ^ Akintola 1982, p. 19-20.
  9. ^ Akintola 1982, p. 29.
  10. ^ "The Generalissimo of western region's politics". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Samuel Ladoke Akintola In the eyes of History". Vanguard News. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Samuel Ladoke Akintola: Deft politician, lawyer, aristocrat, orator". Businessday NG. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  13. ISSN 2633-304X
    .
  14. ^ Martin Meredith, The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence, p. 195.
  15. ^ "Samuel Ladoke Akintola | Nigerian politician". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  16. ^ "Between S.L. Akintola and Obafemi Awolowo, By Femi Fani-Kayode | Premium Times Nigeria". 1 December 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  17. ^ "The Yoruba nation and history lessons - Part 1". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 26 November 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  18. ^ Martin Meredith, The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence, p. 196.
  19. ^ cf. Larry Diamond, Class, Ethnicity and Democracy in Nigeria, Syracuse University Press
  20. ^ "The Generalissimo of western region's politics". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  21. ^ John de St. Jorre, The Nigerian Civil War (Hodder and Stoughton Publishing, London, 1972) pp. 34–35.
  22. ^ John de St. Jorre, The Nigerian Civil War, p. 43.
  23. ^ Ayomide, Akinbode. "Samuel Ladoke Akintola: 13th Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yorubaland and last premier of Western Region".
  24. ^ "Obafemi Awolowo University | Tethys Engineering". tethys-engineering.pnnl.gov. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  25. ^ Akinbode, Ayomide (11 July 2019). "Samuel Ladoke Akintola: 13th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and Last Premier of the Western Region of Nigeria – HistoryVille". Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  26. ^ Segun, Akin. "The Legacies Of Chief Akintola - Grandpa Babalola". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  27. OL 2987210M
    .
  28. ^ Adebayo, Musliudeen (1 June 2018). "Court declares Oyo Judge, Ladiran Akintola biological son of ex-Western premier, SL Akintola". Daily Post. Retrieved 8 May 2021.

External links

Media related to Samuel Akintola at Wikimedia Commons

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