Awolowo’s Prophecy On His Way To Pr!son…and it came to pass

Awolowo’s Prophecy On His Way To Pr!son…and it came to pass

Awolowo’s Prophecy On His Way To Pr!son…and it came to pass

When he was about to be sent to jail on 11 September, 1963 for treasønable feløny and plotting to overthrow the Federal Government, Chief Obafemi Awolowo maintained his characteristic self.

Then, calmly till his pitch picked, he started by telling the presiding Judge, George Sodeinde Sowemimo, among other things, “It is an irony of history that as one of the architects of Nigeria’s Independence, I have spent almost half of Nigeria’s three years of Independence under one form of conf!nement or another… Naturally, Sir, in the course of such a long, turbulent, active political life I have attracted to myself a sizable crop of detractors as well as political adversaries… For some time to come the present twilight of democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law will fall into utter darkness… It is therefore with a brave heart, with confidence and hope, that I go from this twilight into darkness, unshaken in my faith in God that a glorious dawn will come tomorrow. My adversaries might say, who am I to say all these? What if I d!e? The point, of course, is that I am alive and will not d!e in prison…”

Awo did not d!e. He was released on the orders of General Gowon within 24 hours of the latter’s taking over power after the fall of the late General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. The decree releasing Awolowo and others ja!led with him was hastily drafted by Dr. Taslim, Elias, who gladly volunteered to do so even though he had been hunted out of office as Federal Attorney-General during the Ironsi regime.