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CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO (1909 – 1987)

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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.

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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.

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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

Women Who Love and Listen to Their Pastors More Than Their Husbands Should Be the Pastor’s Second Wife

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This statement may sound funny, provocative, or even offensive, but it raises an important question about priorities in marriage and religion.

A pastor is a spiritual leader, but he is not supposed to replace a woman’s husband. If a married woman consistently values her pastor’s opinions above her husband’s, obeys her pastor while dismissing her husband, or shows greater loyalty and admiration toward her pastor than toward her spouse, then something may be seriously wrong with the balance in that marriage.

Marriage requires communication, mutual respect, trust, and understanding. A pastor can provide spiritual guidance, but that guidance should not become a reason for a husband and wife to lose respect for each other.

At the same time, husbands should not expect their wives to obey them blindly. Both husband and wife should seek God’s wisdom, communicate openly, and make decisions with love and respect.

So perhaps the real question is not whether such a woman should become the pastor’s “second wife,” but why has the pastor become more important in her marriage than her own husband?

Put God first. Respect your spouse. And never allow a spiritual leader to become a substitute for your marriage partner.

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Why is it only in Africa that we hear so much about “generational curses”?

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This is a question worth asking—not to insult African traditions or dismiss anyone’s beliefs, but to encourage honest reflection.

Across Africa, it is common to hear people explain repeated family problems as a “generational curse.” When poverty, broken relationships, addiction, failure, sickness, family conflict or misfortune appears to repeat from one generation to another, some people immediately conclude that an ancestor, spiritual force or past wrongdoing is responsible.

But is every repeated family problem truly a curse?

If a child grows up in poverty, has limited access to quality education, receives little financial support and then struggles as an adult, is that necessarily a spiritual curse—or could it be the result of circumstances that have been passed from one generation to another?

If children grow up watching violence, substance abuse, unhealthy relationships or constant conflict, they may unknowingly repeat those patterns. That does not necessarily mean they are cursed. Sometimes behaviour is inherited through environment, not through supernatural forces.

And Africa is certainly not the only place where people believe in supernatural explanations for suffering or misfortune. Different societies around the world have their own concepts of inherited wrongdoing, family misfortune, ancestral consequences, fate and spiritual punishment.

So perhaps the more important question is not:

“Who cursed my family?”

But:

“What pattern has been passed down to me, and what can I do to stop passing it to the next generation?”

We should be careful not to use the idea of a curse to discourage people from taking action. A family facing poverty may need education, opportunity and financial planning. A family experiencing repeated conflict may need healthier communication. A person struggling with addiction may need professional support and a strong recovery environment. Communities facing injustice may need better institutions, accountability and opportunity.

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Faith and spirituality are deeply meaningful to many people, and everyone has the right to hold their beliefs. But faith should not prevent us from examining the practical causes of our problems.

We cannot change the past, but we can change what we pass forward.

Instead of teaching our children that they are victims of an unavoidable family curse, let us also teach them knowledge, discipline, emotional strength, financial responsibility, education, healthy relationships and the courage to break destructive patterns.

Maybe the greatest “curse” is not something mysterious placed upon a family.

Maybe sometimes it is simply a problem that nobody stopped long enough to understand and change.

And the greatest inheritance we can give the next generation is not fear of a curse—but the knowledge and courage to build a better future.

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You are very proud to speak big English, but yet you cannot speak your own language?

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There is nothing wrong with speaking English fluently. In fact, being able to communicate confidently in different languages is a valuable skill. But we should ask ourselves a deeper question: while learning to speak the language of another culture, are we slowly losing the language that connects us to our own roots?

Your mother tongue is more than just words. It carries the stories of your ancestors, the wisdom of your grandparents, the jokes that only your people understand, the traditional greetings, the names, the songs, the history and the identity of your community.

Imagine being able to speak perfect English, but struggling to have a simple conversation with your own grandmother because you do not understand the language she grew up speaking. Imagine your children knowing foreign languages but being unable to understand the language of their own heritage.

That should make us pause.

Speaking English does not make you more intelligent, and speaking your indigenous language does not make you less educated. One is a communication skill; the other can be a connection to your heritage. We should not have to choose between being educated and preserving our identity.

Learn English. Speak it confidently. Learn French, Dutch, Spanish or any other language that opens doors for you.

But don’t let the pursuit of foreign languages close the door to your own.

Teach your children your language. Speak it at home. Ask your parents and grandparents to teach you the words you never learned. If you have forgotten it, it is never too late to start again.

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Because when a language disappears from a family, something precious disappears with it.

Be proud of your education. Be proud of your ability to speak English. But also be proud of where you come from.

Your language is not something to be ashamed of. It is a part of your story. Preserve it before the next generation only knows it as something their ancestors once spoke.

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