Chief Anthony Eromosele Enahoro

Chief Anthony Enahoro was one of Nigeria's foremost anti-colonial and pro-democracy activists. He was born the eldest of ten children in Uromi, present-day Edo State of Nigeria. His Esan parents were Anastasius Okotako Enahoro (1900–1968) and Fidelia Victoria Inibokun née Ogbidi Okojie (1906–1969). Enahoro had a long and distinguished career in the press, politics, civil service and the pro-democracy movement. Educated at the Government School, Uromi, Government School, Owo and King's College, Lagos, Enahoro became the editor of Nnamdi Azikiwe's newspaper, the Southern Nigerian Defender, Ibadan, in 1944 at the age of 21, thus becoming Nigeria's youngest editor ever. He later became the editor of Zik's Comet, Kano, 1945–49, associate editor of West African Pilot, Lagos, and editor-in-chief of Morning Star from 1950 to 1953. In 1953, Enahoro became the first to move the motion for Nigeria's independence which was eventually granted in 1960, after several political setbacks and defeats in the parliament. Enahoro has been regarded by academics and many Nigerians, as the "Father of Nigeria State". His initial motion for Nigeria's Independence suffered a setback in the parliament, with the northern members of the parliament staging a walkout as a consequence of the motion. Notwithstanding the defeat in the parliament, a popular movement was started on account of this motion and the pressure was now mounted against colonialism and there were agitations for independence of Nigeria, or at least, self-governance. S. L. Akintola attempted to revisit the motion for Nigeria's independence in 1957 and though his motion was passed by the parliament, it was not acquiesced to by the British colonial authorities and it therefore failed. In August 1958, Remi Fani-Kayode revisited Enahoro's motion and the motion was again passed by the parliament but its date was not approved by the British. Fani-Kayode's motion had called for independence to be granted to Nigeria on 2 April 1960. In furtherance of Enahoro's original motion, a further motion was proposed to the parliament by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in 1959, and it was passed. As a consequence of the sustained pressure, the colonial governor announced the decision of the British government to grant independence in 1960. Nigeria was granted independence on 1st October 1960. Enahoro was a prominent member of the Action Group, a political party led by Obafemi Awolowo. He served as a minister of home affairs in the Western Region and later as a federal commissioner for information and labour under the military regime of Yakubu Gowon. He was also involved in the negotiations for ending the Nigerian Civil War. Enahoro was arrested and charged with treasonable felony by the government of Aguiyi Ironsi in 1966, along with Awolowo and other Action Group leaders. He escaped from prison and fled to the United Kingdom, where he sought political asylum. However, the British government decided to extradite him back to Nigeria, despite protests from the opposition Labour Party and human rights groups. Enahoro was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was later released in 1967 after Gowon took over power. Enahoro remained active in politics and civil society after his release. He founded the Movement for National Reformation, a pro-democracy group that advocated for a sovereign national conference to address the issues of Nigeria's political structure and governance. He also participated in the National Democratic Coalition, an opposition alliance that challenged the military dictatorship of Sani Abacha in the 1990s. He was arrested and detained several times by the Abacha regime for his involvement in the pro-democracy movement. He was also a delegate to the 2005 National Political Reform Conference convened by the government of Olusegun Obasanjo. Enahoro was honoured with several awards and recognitions for his contributions to Nigeria's independence and democracy. He was conferred with the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 1982 and the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 2010. He also received honorary doctorates from the University of Benin and the Benson Idahosa University. He died on 15 December 2010 at the age of 87 in Benin City, Nigeria. He was survived by his wife, Helen, and five children. He was buried in his hometown of Uromi, Edo State.