History Never Forgets
Here was a Man that appeared in the World, lived and died at a time far before the world would be ready to comprehend and accommodate him. May his excellent soul continue to dwell in the bliss of his Maker.
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Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s allocutus during his treasonable felony trial in 1963.
CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO’S HISTORIC COURT SPEECH IN 1963 SHORTLY BEFORE HIS SENTENCE FOR TREASONABLE FELONY BY JUSTICE GEORGE SOWEMIMO
“I must say with respect, and this may have to be taken up with a higher tribunal, that I do not agree with your lordship’s verdict and the premise on which it is based. For upward of 30 years, I have been in politics in Nigeria. During this period, I have operated in various important theatres in the life of this great federation. I have fought against British imperialism and enthroned Africans in positions which, 20 or more years ago, they never dreamt of occupying. I have been an unyielding advocate of Federal Constitution for Nigeria. I have all along, with other leaders of this country, been a very active and constructive participant in all the constitutional conferences which have taken place since 1953 and which have culminated not only in the attainment of independence, but also in the production of a constitution of which Nigerians are very proud. This constitution is now being gradually violated.
“I have also fought against anything which savours injustice. It is thus an irony of history that as one of the architects of Nigeria’s three years of independence, I have spent almost half of Nigeria’s independence under one form of confinement or another. Since 1957, I have fought as your lordship remarked, with vigour against the feudal system in the Northern Region and for its eradication. I have also fought to prevent the spread of this evil political system to other parts of Nigeria. During the same period, I have also advocated the breaking up of the Northern Region into more states in order to have true federalism in Nigeria, to preclude the permanent subservience of the people of Nigeria to the autocratic ruling caste in the North, and to preserve the peace and unity in the country.
“In short, I have always fought for what I believe, without relent, or regardless of consequences to myself. I have no doubt, and I say this without any spirit of immodesty, that in the course of my political career, I have rendered services to this country which historians and the coming generations will certainly regard as imperishable. Naturally sir, in the course of my long, turbulent and active political life, I have attracted to myself a sizable crop of detractors and political adversaries. Similarly, I have, in the course of this long career, seen both triumphs and set-backs; and I have met them with equal minds. Peter, not Peter the Apostle, but Peter the hero of Hugh Walpole’s novel, entitled. ‘Fortitude’, said, ‘It isn’t life that matters but the courage you bring into it’.
“After life had done terrible things to Peter, he heard a voice that said to him, among other things, ‘Blessed be all sorrow, hardship and endurances that demand courage. Blessed be these things, for all of these things, cometh the making of a man’. In the words of Peter, therefore, my lord, I declare (not that I have heard a voice), blessed be your verdict, and I say in advance, blessed be the sentence which your lordship may pass on me. I personally welcome any sentence you may impose upon me. At this moment, my only concern is not for myself but for the fact that my imprisonment might do harm to Nigeria for three reasons:
“First, the invaluable services which I have hitherto rendered, and which I can still render, will be lost to the country – at least for a season. Second, there might be a heightening of the present tension which has lasted 15 months and has done incalculable injuries to the economy of the country. Third, for some time to come, the present twilight of democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law, will change or might change to utter darkness. But after darkness, and this is commonplace, comes a glorious dawn. It is therefore with a brave heart, with confident hope and with faith in my unalterable destiny that I go from this twilight into the darkness, unshaken in my trust in the providence of God that a glorious dawn will come on the morrow. My adversaries might say ‘who am I to think that if I am imprisoned, the country might suffer? What if I die?’ The point, of course, is that I am still alive and will not die in prison. Furthermore, the spirit of man knows no barrier, never dies, and can be projected to any part of the world.
“This being so, I am confident that the ideals of social justice and individual liberty, which I hold dear, will continue to be projected beyond the prison walls and bars until they are realized in our lifetime. In this connection, I must stress that in this very courtroom, indeed in this dock and the entire federation of Nigeria, the spirit of a new Nigeria is already active and at work. The spirit working through constitutional means, which I have spent the whole of my lifetime to advocate, is sure to prevail before very long to the delight, freedom and prosperity of all and sundry.
“Before I close, I must say that in spite of the delay in the past few weeks on the part of your lordship in giving judgment in this case and in spite of my disagreement with your verdict which I have just given expression to, I must acknowledge your lordship’s patience throughout the trial of this case. Particularly, I want to thank your lordship for the due and especial consideration which you have always accorded me and the other accused persons. I thank your lordship and I am prepared to abide by your sentence”.
