Lifestyle

CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO (1909 – 1987)

Published

7 months ago

February 28, 2026

The last two years of Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier of Western Region was concentrated on efforts to develop YORUBALAND and write his own name in the book of Legends.

He incorporated: *Western Hotels* which invested in:

1) _Premier Hotel,
2) _Lafia hotels in Ibadan
3) _Lagos Airport Hotel respectively.

He set up:

*Western Nigeria Development Corporation* to finance mega corporations. This was established in 1958.

It encouraged plantation development with six agricultural plantations covering 20,517 acres in collabo-ration with Cooperative societies, eleven additional plantations covering 8,468 acres with crops ranging from Cocoa , Rubber, Oil Palm, Citrus, Cashew and Coffee had been put in place all over the region.

WNDC, a clearing house for multitude of companies, established for the rapid industrial development and revolution of the region.

Among them were:

1. _WAPCO at Ewekoro for cement, with enough capacity to serve the whole country.
2. _Nigerite Ltd, producing asbestos and roofing sheets,
3. _National Bank,
4. _Wema Bank,
5. _Nigerian General Insurance,
6. _Great Nigeria Insurance,
7. _Gravil Enthoven and coy,
8. _Vegetables Oil Ltd,
9. _Cocoa Processing Industry Ogba Ikeja,
10. _Odua Textile Mills Ltd,
11. _Wrought Iron Ltd,
12. _Union beverages Ltd, 13. Sungass company,
14. _Wemabod estates, owner of Western House tallest building, then on Broad Street, and other es-tates,
15. _Western livestocks,
16. _Fisheries services Ltd,
17. _Caxton Press,
18. _Epe Plywood,
19. _Asakar Paints,
20. _Nigeria Crafts and Bags Ltd,
21. _Nipol Plastics in Ibadan,
22. _Phoenix Motors.
Also, he opened up biggest industrial layouts in:
i. Ibadan, Oluyole and
ii. Lagos Oba Akran axis and
iii. *Ilupeju in Mushin axis with over 120 factories* for mass production of different needs & gave birth to:
23. _Nigeria Textile Mills,
24. _West Africa Breweries,
25. _Dunlop Tyres,
26. _Crittal Hope Aluminum,
27. _Tower Aluminium,
28. _Solel Boneh,
29. _Nidogas,
30. _Nigeria Wire and Cables in Ilupeju.

Odua Investments was the largest conglomerates in Nigeria as at 2004 with assets worth over N10 tril-lion.

Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo paid the Western Nigeria Civil servants, the highest salaries far above Federal government.

So much jobs were created by vast industrialisation drives.

All these were achieved without Oil revenue between1951-1959. He also touched the road construction with bitumen & laid road network covering over 2,000 kilometers throughout the region.

Other achievements of his regime are:

1. _Cocoa House, the tallest building in West Africa for decades,

2. _Liberty Stadium, the most modern in the entire African,

3. _Western Nigeria Television & Broadcasting Service (WNTV/WNBS), the first Radio & Television Sta-tions in Africa,

4. _Many General Hospitals and Dispensaries in rural area.

5. _Free Education at primary school level.

6. _His effort in Cooperative society development gave birth to establishment of Cooperative Bank in 1953 and Cooperative College.

The eight years most of this present Governors spend, was the same with Pa Awolowo, covering what comprises 8 states nowadays, yet he achieved so much. Most of our present day Governors could not mention one world class company, corporate institution or industry set up to create jobs for teaming youths being turned out year in, year out, by our ivory towers.

Today leaders should at least emulate our late sage foot steps instead of all the temporary empower-ment programs (Motor cycle, Keke Napep, Pepper grinding machine, Cassava grinding machine, Deep freezer, Fridge, Clipper etc) being used to cajole the electorates at the turn of election every four years.

A time will come in this nation that people aspiring for position must show a well laid out plan before the electorate.

The cash and carry politics will fail as it’s the practise in developed nation.

Let us always look forward to lasting legacies.

*OBAFEMI AWOLOWO* was obviously ahead of his peers and till today no living or deceased Nigerian has surpassed his achievements.

You wonder why the southwest Nigeria did well.

In the 1990s, Nigeria Textile Mills, Oba Akran Ikeja alone employed over 4,000 workers before the mili-tary mismanagement of economy killed the company with unfriendly company policies.

*Can we ever find a leader like this man in Nigeria again?*

*Indisputable fact*

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Lifestyle

STOP BLEACHING AFRICA OUT OF YOUR SKIN.

Published

5 hours ago

October 7, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Let’s say the uncomfortable truth:

When an African looks at their natural Black skin and thinks, “I need to become lighter to be beautiful,” something deeper than beauty may be happening.

Who convinced us that the closer we look to Europeans, the more beautiful we become?

Who convinced the African that dark skin is something to escape?

For centuries, Africans have been exposed to systems that associated whiteness with power, privilege, sophistication and beauty. Even after colonialism ended politically, some of those beauty standards remained deeply embedded in society.

And today, some people are spending money putting chemicals on their skin because they desperately want to become lighter.

Imagine being born with millions of years of African ancestry written into your skin—and being taught to hate it.

Your melanin is not a defect.

Your dark complexion is not backwardness.

Your African nose is not a mistake.

Your African lips are not something to hide.

Your natural appearance does not need to resemble an Oyìnbó before it becomes beautiful.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to look attractive. But beauty becomes dangerous when improving your appearance turns into rejecting your identity.

Africa does not need a population trying to look less African.

Africa needs people confident enough to look in the mirror and say:

“This is my skin. This is my ancestry. This is Africa. And I am not ashamed of it.”

The real bleaching Africa needs is not skin bleaching.

It is the bleaching of the inferiority complex from our minds.

🔥 QUESTION:

If a society repeatedly tells Black people that lighter skin is more beautiful, how much of skin bleaching is really a “personal choice”?

Let the debate begin. 👇🏿

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Lifestyle

AFRICA, WHY ARE WE SO DESPERATE TO LOOK LIKE SOMEONE ELSE?

Published

6 hours ago

October 7, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

For generations, African people have been told—directly and indirectly—that certain features are more beautiful because they look closer to European standards.

Now look around:

Wigs and hair extensions.
False eyelashes.
Acrylic nails.
Colored contact lenses.
Heavy makeup.
Skin bleaching.
Filters that completely change our faces.

When did African skin become something to escape from?

Our dark skin is not a defect.
Our natural hair is not a problem to be fixed.
Our African facial features are not inferior.
Our dark eyes do not need to become blue or green to be beautiful.

There is nothing wrong with dressing up, wearing makeup or experimenting with fashion. The problem begins when we start believing that our natural African appearance is somehow less valuable.

Africa has millions of unique cultures, languages, hairstyles, skin tones and facial features. We should not need European approval before we learn to appreciate ourselves.

You don’t have to become an artificial version of somebody else to be beautiful.

Our children are watching us. What are we teaching them about their skin, their hair and their identity?

🔥 Maybe the greatest beauty revolution in Africa is not creating another artificial look—it is learning to love the face, skin and hair we were born with.

Africa, embrace yourself. Stop apologising for your natural beauty.

💬 Is modern beauty culture empowering Africans—or making Africans insecure about their natural appearance?

#NewsBreak365 #Africa #AfricanBeauty #NaturalBeauty #BlackBeauty #SelfConfidence #BeautyStandards #AfricanIdentity

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Lifestyle

STOP JUDGING PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW!

Published

2 days ago

October 6, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Some people see a person’s appearance, accent, nationality, religion, job, social class or background and immediately create a story about who that person must be.

They call someone lazy without knowing their struggles.

They call someone arrogant without understanding their personality.

They call someone uneducated without knowing their achievements.

They call someone a criminal simply because of where they come from.

That’s stereotyping—and it can be deeply unfair.

Behind every face is a story you may never have heard.

Before you judge someone, talk to them. Know their story. Understand their journey.

Because sometimes, the person you judged wrongly may be carrying battles, achievements and experiences you know absolutely nothing about.

👉 Don’t judge a book by its cover. Get to know the person first.

💬 Have you ever been stereotyped by someone who didn’t even know you? Tell us your experience in the comments.

#NewsBreak365 #StopStereotyping #DontJudge #KnowTheirStory #LifeLessons #SocialAwareness #RespectOthers #Humanity #ThinkBeforeYouJudge

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