Heroes Who Fought For Nigerian Independence
Below is well-detailed historical information about Heroes and Heroines who laid down their lives to make Nigerian a better place.
1. Dr. Nmadi Azikiwe
The full name of Dr Nnamdi is Nnamdi Benjamin Azikwe who is usually referred to as “Zik”. He was a Nigerian Statesman and also a political leader who was born on the 16th day of November in the year 1904, he was born to an igbo family from Anambra state, Eastern Nigeria in Zungeru town which is now located in the Niger state of Nigeria.
He started his early life in Zungeru where he learned to speak Hausa language fluently since he was a young boy and later he was taken to onitsha where he lived with his aunt and grandmother and he learned igbo language which is his parental language. He also learned Yoruba language during his stay in Lagos, those are the three major languages of the country and Azikwe can speak with all of them.
His father named Obed – Edom Chukwuemeka Azikwe is an igbo Man who is a native of Onye Onicha and was a clerk in the British administration of Nigeria who traveled extensively as part of his job. He died on 3rd March 1958.
Azikwe’s mother was named Rachel Chinwe Ogbenyeanu(Aghadiuno) Azikwe also known as Nwanonaku is the 3rd daughter of Aghadiuno Ajie, a royal family in onitsha. She died in January 1958.
Azikwe founded and edited newspapers and also became directly involved in politics after his returned to the Nigeria, He became involved in politics with the Nigerian youth movement and later in 1944 as a founder of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) which became increasingly identified with the igbo people of Southern Nigeria after up to 1951. In 1948, Azikwe was elected to the Nigerian legislative council with the back up of the NCNC and he later served as premier of the eastern region between 1954 and 1959.
2. Sir Ahmadu Bello
Sir Ahmadu Bello was born on 12th day of June 1910 in Sokoto, Nigeria. He was the leader of political parties in the north where his influence was able to dominate the political sector in Northern Nigeria through the Northern congress political party. His hard work gained him so much name and was appointed to represent the province of Sokoto in the Regional House of Assembly.
Sir Ahmadu played a vital role in fighting for Nigerian independence from the British people. He was the co-founder of the Northern people’s congress (NPC) a political movement that consists of other strong political influential people like Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as one of it’s leaders.
Ahmadu Bello realized Nigeria needed to have independence so he formed an alliance with Dr Nnamdi Azikwe and other nationalists which led to the independence of Nigeria in October 1960.
His hard work gained him recognition, the famous Ahmadu Bello University Zaria was named after him to honor his legacy. His portrait adorns the 200 Naira note of Nigerian currency and also in almost every city of Nigeria there is Ahmadu Bello Way.
Ahmadu Bello’s death
Sir Ahmadu Bello died through assassination, he was assassinated on 15th January 1966, Ahmadu Bello was assassinated by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, an igbo Nigerian Army officer in a coup that toppled Nigeria’s post-independence government. He was still the premier of Northern Nigeria the time he was killed.
