JAJA WACHUKWU VS. MAITAMA SULE: WHEN MERIT MATTERED IN NIGERIA

In his appreciation message to Nigerians at home & in diaspora, for their support & prayers over his appointment as Justice Minister & Solicitor-General of Alberta, a province in Canada, our own @KayceeMaduYEG wrote:

2/ Our own @KayceeMaduYEG in his message stated that he looks forward to a day when Nigeria & Africa become places where hardwork & merit are rewarded.

Comrades, time was when hardwork & merit were actually rewarded in Nigeria.

I share a story from Nigeria's First Republic...

3/ When Nigeria gained Independence on October 1, 1960, Sir Tafawa Balewa doubled as Nigeria's Prime Ministers & Foreign Affairs Advocate, until 1961, when an official Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations Ministry was created.

4/ The search for a Nigerian who the cap fits on merit to head the newly created Ministry began. It was between Nigeria's first Indigenous Speaker Jaja Anucha Wachukwu (1959-1960) & Chief Whip of the Federal House of Representatives (1955-1956), Yusuf Maitama Sule.

5/ Brilliant guys- Wachukwu, born Jan 1, 1918, was 43 in 1961. Sule, born Oct 1, 1929, was 32. 1960-1961 Wachukwu was Ambassador of Nigeria & Permanent Rep to the @UN. 1960, Sule, led Nigerian delegation to the Conference of Independent African States, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

6/ Before Wachukwu's appointment, in one of his several dispatches, Britain's last Governor-General of Nigeria, Sir James Robertson, wrote: "It seems unlikely that the Prime Minister will make many changes in his Cabinet on independence...

7/ "I believe he intends to recommend Mr. Jaja Wachuku to me to be the Foreign Minister; not Mallam Maitama Sule, who has been rumoured as a possibility. Mr. Wachuku is a lawyer from the Eastern Region and is at present Speaker of the House of Representatives...

8/ "He is an intelligent young man who has held somewhat extreme nationalist views, but is now settling down. If the Prime Minister can keep him in reasonable control, he might do very well. He will probably associate with him a Northerner as Minister of State."

9/ This period under review, Ambassador Owen Roberts, U.S. Political Officer in Lagos (1964-1965) spoke glowingly of Wachukwu, when he averred: "The Nigerians, whatever their tribe, are a very strong, very assertive group...

10/ "Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku was a surprise for many American diplomats because he considered himself as having a status equivalent to the British, French, German, or Russian Ministers. Wachuku demanded that much attention and respect...

11/ The Nigerians were, and have been, very independent. Senior U.S. echelons weren't used to dealing with Africans as assertive and as strong minded as the Nigerians were...

12/ "I found this nice because the Nigerians were absolutely always open with you, and would hit you over the head with whatever the problem was. They were entitled to respect and helped gain it for Africans...

13/ "Ambassador Matthews was not the kind of person to go in and tell Prime Minister Balewa or Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku how to do things..."

14/ Aside from Jaja Wachukwu, whom Prime Minister Balewa nicknamed "Mr. Bookish," 'cos he was remarkably intelligent and respected by Nigerians & the international community, other cabinet members (1957-1959) & (1959-1964) (1964-1966) were indeed squared pegs in squared holes.

15/ 1st Cabinet had the Raymond Njokus (Transportation); Matthew Mbus (Education); Aja Nwachukwus who replaced Mbu; K.O. Mbadiwes (Commerce); Samuel Akintolas (Communication); Festus Okotie-Ebohs (Finance); Adegoke Adelabus (Internal Affairs); J.M. Johnsons who replaced Adelabu.

16/ The 1st Cabinet (1957-1959), a government of national unity also had the Kola Baloguns (Information); Ayo Rosijis (Health); Muhammadu Ribadus (Mines); Zanna Bukar Dipcharimas (Works), who replaced Inuwa Wada.

17/ 2nd Cabinet (1959-1964) had the Jaja Wachukus (Foreign Affairs); Taslim Olawale Elias (Attorney General/Justice); Muhammadu Ribadus (Lands & Lagos Affairs); Festus Okotie-Ebohs (Finance); Raymond Njokus (Transport & Aviation); Zanna Bukar Dipcharimas (Commerce & Industries).

18/ Other eggheads in the 2nd cabinet (1959-64) were the Inua Wadas (Works & Surveys); J. M. Johnsons (Labour & Welfare/Sports); Aja Nwachukwus (Education); Maitama Sules (Mines & Power); Shehu Shagari (Economic Development & Natural Resources); Olu Akinfosiles (Communications).

19/ Nigeria also had brilliant guys like the Usman Sarkis (Internal Affairs); T.O.S. Bensons (Information); Waziri Ibrahims (Health) and Yisa Yara'Duas (Pensions, Establishment & Nigerianization).

20/ Before the Jan. 15, 1966 military coup led by Kaduna Nzeogwu, which abrupted the First Republic, thus, scuttling Nigeria's practice of True Federalism, till date, the Third Cabinet (1964-1966) had brilliant minds like the Muhammadu Ribadus (Defence) replaced by Inua Wadas...

21/ That 3rd cabinet (1964-1966) also had eggheads like the Taslim Olawale Elias (Attorney General/Justice); Festus Okotie-Ebohs (Finance); Zanna Bukar Dipcharimas (Transport); Jaja Wachukus (Aviation); K.O. Mbadiwes (Trade); Augustus Akinloyes (Industries); Inua Wadas (Works).

22/ Nigeria also got as Ministers the Adeniran Ogunsanyas (Housing & Surveys); Adeleke Adedoyins (Labour); Richard Akinjides (Education); Maitama Sules (Mines & Power); Waziri Ibrahims (Economicmic Development); Alade Lamuyes (Natural Resources & Research).

23/ Other brilliant guys who served under the 3rd Cabinet of PM Tafawa Balewa were the Raymond Njokus (Communications); Shehu Shagaris (Internal Affairs); Ayo Rosijis (Information); Moses Majekodunmis (Health) and the Jacob Obandes of this world (Establishment).

24/ This period under review, Nig was respected among comity of nations that when PM Balewa & some members of his cabinet, including Wachukwu, Udorji, Shagari visited U.S. July 25-28, 1961, Prez. John F. Kennedy & Americans stood still, giving them palatial treats-- JFK Library

25/ END- Watch the full video of that visit to the U.S. here- https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/USG/USG-01-H/USG-01-H.

Comrades, look around you and critically examine the current crop of political leaders administering the affairs of the Nigerian State, at all levels. Is Nigeria progressing or retrogressing?