MY WALL OF FAME: ANTHONY ENAHORO

ANTHONY ENAHORO

ANTHONY EROMOSELE ENAHORO (22 July 1923 – 15 December 2010) was one of Nigeria's foremost anti-colonial and pro-democracy activists. He was born the eldest of twelve children in Uromi in the present Edo State of Nigeria. His Esan parents were Anastasius Okotako Enahoro and Fidelia Iniboku.

Enahoro had a long and distinguished career in the press, politics, the civil service and the pro-democracy movement. He was educated at the Government School Uromi, Government School Owo and King's College, Lagos. 

As a student then at the Kings College, Enahoro took part in the turbulent Nigerian liberation struggle against colonial rule in the early 1940s, leading to student revolts at the college in Lagos where he was a student leader. He was prominent in politics at a time of rapid change.

Enahoro became the editor of Nnamdi Azikiwe's newspaper and the Southern Nigerian Defender, Ibadan. In 1944 at the age of 21, he became 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 parliament. Enahoro has been regarded by academics and many Nigerians as the "Father of Nigeria State". However, his motion for Nigeria's Independence suffered setbacks in parliament on several occasions with the northern members of parliament staging a walkout as a consequence of the motion. Notwithstanding the defeat in parliament, a popular movement was started on account of this motion and the pressure was now built up against colonialism and there was agitations for independence for Nigeria, or at least self governance.

Samuel Ladoke Akintola attempted to revisit the motion for Nigeria's independence in 1957 and though his motion was passed by 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 parliament but it's date was not approved by the British. Fani-Kayode's motion had called for independence to be granted to Nigeria on April 2, 1960. Nigeria was granted independence on October 1, 1960.

He was twice jailed for sedition by the colonial government, for an article mocking a former governor, and then for a speech allegedly inciting Nigerian troops serving in the British army. The British marked him as a firebrand, but even as he was jailed for a third time, he was beginning to reassess his position.

During the Nigerian crisis that followed the 1966 coups, Enahoro was the leader of the then Mid-West delegation to the Ad Hoc Constitutional Conference in Lagos. He later became Federal Commissioner (Minister) for Information and Labour under the General Yakubu Gowon Military Government, 1967–74; Federal Commissioner (Minister) for Special Duties, 1975.

He later became a member of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, 1978–83. He was the president, World Festival of Negro Arts and Culture, 1972–75.

Enahoro was the chairman of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group that fought dictator Sani Abacha till Abacha's death.

Enahoro was conferred with the national honour of Commander, Order of the Federal Republic, CFR, in 1982, and was the chairman of the Movement for National Reformation, MNR; as well as the Pro-National Conference Organisation, PRONACO.

He was awarded honorary DSC by the University of Benin in 1972. His publications include the treatise Fugitive Offender. During the 1962 crisis in the old Western region, he was detained along with other Action Group members. Accused of treason during the Awolowo alleged coup trial, Enahoro escaped via Ghana to the United Kingdom in 1963. Nigeria requested Enahoro's extradition under the 1881 Fugitive Offenders Act, preventing his application for political asylum.

Early in 1963, the new leader of the Labour party, Harold Wilson, detected the embarrassment caused by Enahoro's arrest and imprisonment. Labour went on the attack in the Commons, with support from some Tories, backed by a media furore. He was once one of the best-known Nigerians in Britain. He was the "fugitive offender" who triggered days of debate in the House of Commons in 1963 as he battled against extradition.

"The Enahoro affair" became an issue of human rights versus the government's wish not to offend Nigeria, and put the Tory prime minister, Harold Macmillan, and his home secretary, Henry Brooke, in a difficult position.

He was extradited from the UK and imprisoned for treason. In 1966, he was released by the Military Government.

He was also the driving force behind bringing FESTAC to Nigeria in 1977, during which time both Muhammed Ali and Pele visited the country to widespread acclaim.

Enahoro is survived by his wife Helen, their five children and several grandchildren.

Enahoro died on 15th December, 2010

The nature of Nigerian politics is such that it is widely expected that each of the children will be approached to see whether they will indeed follow their father into the political arena. None of Enahoro’s children has been particularly involved in politics to date.

Enahoro got involved in Nationalistic politics early in life, he encountered tribulations and oppression, setbacks and let downs. He neither wavered nor derailed. The fugitive offender neither lost focus nor got cowed.

That is why he is regarded today as a foremost nationalist and father of  the Nigerian State.