VOICE OF COURAGE: Selected speeches of Obafemi Awolowo (Vol 2)

  Broadcast by Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Nigeria s Commissioner for Finance and Vice-Chairman of the Federal Executive, during the Biafran war. The speech was made on 1st October; 1967.

Continued from last week

ONE: It is strongly believed by the Federal Military Government that a united Nigeria has all the natural resources and manpower which any people could wish nature to bestow on them. But at present, we are extremely deficient in high-level manpower. This deficiency can and must be corrected by accelerating, intensifying, and reorientating the university education of Nigerian citizens, so that when the dynamic forces of our total manpower are brought to bear on our latent natural resources, the latter will be compelled to yield their full increase for the benefit of Nigerians. If this desirable end is to be achieved, with the minimum possible delay, many of our youths who have the innate talents, but are unable to obtain secondary as well as university education simply because their parents are too poor to find the money should be given the fullest possible financial assistance by the Government.

This is precisely what the Federal Military Government is determined to do: to give free financial assistance, not loans, to all secondary-school pupils and university students who, for good reasons certified by the Authorities concerned to the satisfaction of the Federal Government, are unable to pay their fees. This free financial assistance will be in addition to the usual scholarship awards to deserving pupils and students.

TWO: It may not be generally known that, in the current year, there are only approximately 18,000 pupils in secondary grammar schools in the six Northern States, as against 170,000 in the six Southern States, and roughly 12,000 teachers in training in the Northern States, as against about 24,000 teachers in training in the Southern States. If we are to keep Nigeria one- and harmoniously so, and if all sections of the national groups in Nigeria are to have equal opportunity for contributing to our high-level manpower needs, this yawning gulf must be closed without further delay. It is for this reason that the Federal Military Government has decided to stimulate, vigorously, the rapid expansion of secondary education and teacher training in the Northern States, by the award of scholarships in large numbers, and the grant of free financial assistance – not loans, to qualified pupils in the Northern States.

THREE: It is well known that soldiers, by the peculiar nature of their calling, have to be moved from time to time to different parts of the Federation. Such movements do often entail their being deprived of certain basic amenities which they enjoy in some parts of the Federation, but which are totally absent in other parts. It is in order to minimise this obvious disparity which inevitably arises, as a result of the movement of the members of our Armed Forces to different parts of the Federation, that the Federal Military Government has decided to afford free primary education to the children of the members of the Armed Forces, wherever they may be in the Federation. Children of the members of the Arrned Forces and the Nigeria Police Force who lost their lives during the present military operations will also enjoy this benefit.

It will be seen, that the Federal Military Government is resolved not only to win these military operations, but also – and this is by far more important – to secure the peace, which will follow, by guaranteeing political equality and social justice to all Nigerian citizens, irrespective of their State of origin, ethnic affiliation, religion, social status, or the side on which they had fought during the rebellion. It is above all resolved to lay a sound foundation for a prosperous future for our country and our people.

All these things, that is the present military operations and the programmes of reconstruction as well as of development, which I have outlined, do cost money. Already, the military operations have cost the Federal Government well over £50m. The cost of general reconstruction, of rebuilding and, in some cases, widening damaged bridges and roads, has not yet been calculated. But it is assumed that this will run into several million pounds. The same thing will go for the cost of rehabilitation and resettlement.

• Lagos to begin bursary, scholarship disbursement december

In addition to all these, our economic growth rate must not only be maintained but must also be improved upon, considerably. The programme for this, together with its cost, is still to be worked out. But from past experience, there is no doubt that such a programme, when it shall have been fully estimated, will run into hundreds of millions of pounds. The problem which confronts us, therefore, may be surmarised as follows:

Whatever the cost, we must finance the military operations until they are successfully concluded or until Ojukwu accepts the peace terms declared by the Federal Military Government. In this regard, it must be borne in mind that our hands are already so long and so justifiably laid on the plough, that it is too late in the day and dangerous for us to look back.

1. ii) We must find all the money that is required for reconstruction, so as to bring the country speedily back to where it was, before the dogs and the horrors of war were let loose on the country by Ojukwu.

iii) Since we cannot afford to stand still, and since indeed we must, in our own interest, make-a big leap forward economically and socially, it is imperative that we must raise enough money to finance new development programmes.

To be continued