Admin.
Did you know that the father of Dr. Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe was a clerk in the British colonial administration and later, Lord Frederick Lugard’s private secretary. He was born in 1880 and passed on in 1958, at the age of 78.
His name was OBED-EDOM CHUKWUEMEKA AZIKIWE.
It was Obed-Edom that drafted most of the treaties Frederick Lugard signed with the traditional rulers who ruled over various territories that later became known as Nigeria. It was him that drafted the treaty Frederick Lugard signed with:
1. The Obong of Calabar.
2. The Sultan of Sokoto.
3. The Oba of Benin.
4. The Alaafin of Oyo
With these treaties signed, Lord Lugard was able to govern the protectorates peacefully and later amalgamate them into one giant colony called Nigeria.
Over time, HISTORY has suggested that Obed-Edom softened the harshness of many of these treaties. He was said to have prevented w*rs that would have unalived thousands between the British and Nigerian groups by softening the harshness of the treaties and persuading both Lugard and those powerful Nigerian traditional rulers to come to agreement for the benefit of all parties..
Obed-Edom Azikiwe was a master negotiator who seemed to have the trust of both Lord Lugard and the powerful traditional rulers.
(No wonder his son, Nnamdi Azikiwe, negotiated the independence of Nigeria)
Might as well say that Negotiations run in their DNA.
Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe might have been one of the founding fathers of the Nigeria we now know but his father, Obed-Edom was the father of peace. He laid the foundation upon which his son built the house.
Lesson: A lion begets a lion.
What lessons have you learned from this inspiring story?
#historylovers #historyfacts #historymatters
Know Your History