Mr Viral
One hundred and sixteen years ago (116) years ago, the father of the modern Yoruba nation was born.
A Yoruba and a native of Ikenne, current day Ogun state, Yorubaland, Nigeria. He was born just barely 20 years after the brutal Yoruba civil wars that ravaged the Yoruba country, kingdoms, and city-states. He was born before the existence of Nigeria and witnessed British colonialism and met physically with the war generals who fought in the Kiriji wars.
He vowed that he would work all his life to unite the Yoruba city-states into a nation-state, political bloc and economic bloc within Nigeria rather than just being a civilization state of loose kingdoms and empires, and he succeeded.
What Otto Von Bismarck of Germany achieved with guns, bullets, and iron, Awolowo achieved with cultural nationalism and political maneuvering.
Just like the way Bismarck disgraced Napoleon of France who vowed that Germany would not be United into a united nation state instead of loose kingdoms and principalities, Awolowo defeated the likes of Azikwe who vowed that pan Yorubanism and the cohesion of the Yoruba race into a united bloc in West Africa and Nigeria must be aborted.
Awolowo laid the foundation of economic prosperity, political stability, and the Yoruba political currency that currently typifies the Yoruba regional bloc of Nigeria in the 21st century.
The roads, free education, industries, Universities, hospitals, TV stations, Radio stations, etc which superseded many European countries and which were first in Africa were the hallmark of Awolowo and his ideology.
Awolowo is irreplaceable to the Yoruba race and Yoruba people.
He was a prophet to the Yoruba people, a martyr to the Yoruba race, a Moses of the Yoruba people, and a reincarnation of Oduduwa to the Yoruba people.
He went to prison for the Yoruba people and he also fought for the liberation of ethnic Minorities in Nigeria.
We will continue to remember you, Baba Awolowo till the end of time.
May Olodumare continue to bless the entire Yoruba race.
Happy birthday Baba, and continue to rest in peace.
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