Person

Obafemi Awolowo

1909–1987 · 20th century

Obafemi Awolowo was a Nigerian lawyer and politician, the leader of the Action Group and the first premier of the Western Region from 1954 to 1959. His government introduced free primary education and other social programmes in the Yoruba west. Jailed for treasonable felony in 1963, he was released in 1966 and served as federal finance commissioner during the Nigerian Civil War, later running unsuccessfully for president in 1979 and 1983.

Obafemi Awolowo — Image: Eliot Elisofon · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Colonial Nigeria

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Obafemi Awolowo. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/obafemi-awolowo
MLA: “Obafemi Awolowo.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/obafemi-awolowo. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Obafemi Awolowo.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/obafemi-awolowo.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Obafemi Awolowo’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/obafemi-awolowo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻