Throwback: Nnamdi Azikiwe Revealed British Govt Plot To Assassinate Him For Asking For Nigeria’s Independence

The first President of Nigeria, late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, recounted in an old video that it was through dialogue that Nigeria got its independence from the British colonial administration.

The late elder statesman and nationalist said Nigerians in the army during colonial era could not withstand the British army; thus he resolved to defending his views in the British Parliament.

Azikwe also revealed that the British officials in government wanted to assassinate him in 1945 for demanding self-determination for the people of Nigeria.

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In the video obtained by SaharaReporters, Azikiwe said, “They asked me saying ‘how are you going to accomplish your aim?’ I said I am not going to do it alone, I said it will be a teamwork. I said that’s what we are going to do, and that’s what your country did. He said what? I said well, I read in English history in 1066, William the conqueror of France became the monarch of England.

“I said well, he ruled England, he imported the French ideas and one of the most important as far as I was concerned was that the British found out that the French had all arms, trained soldiers. The British soldiers were all equally armed of course but the French; they used arms to accomplish their purpose. But they used to discuss their problems, and after discussing their problems, they decided what to do so in French it’s “Parlement.”

“I took French by the way both historically at Howard and Lincoln so I was able to…but I don’t speak it. I read French and it was, of course, one of the requirements at Columbia when I was studying for Ph.D so I said well Parlement, speak out your mind, give out your views. I said in another words, dialogue.

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“I said we will use dialogue in Nigeria. We know that we have many soldiers of Nigerian origin but they are inferior. In those days, the highest they could get was Major, Sergeant Major. I said but having dialogue with the British, we will not shed blood and we will not follow the British to shoot at us. I said that was what the British did and then they looked at each other.

“I said yes and that’s why the origin of the word parliament – ‘parlement.’ I said you did that and it wasn’t long when you got rid of French domination and you became your own rulers and you ruled your people and then began to rule others.

“I said that’s what we are going to do, so well. And they said you will succeed, we will back you. That’s how I got some friends in the Labour Party and that’s why during the assassination story days, they raised the question in the Parliament and Force in the colonial office to make a public denial. And that one made it possible for those in the government in Nigeria to carry out this sinister plan. They wanted to have me assassinated during the general strike of 1945 when we were fighting for independence.”

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Reacting to the video, Aloy Ejimakor, lawyer to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), said Azikiwe’s experience was similar to Kanu’s present predicament, who escaped assassination by the security operatives in 2017 for championing self-determination.

“First time I saw it. Two things I understood from it are: “The French taught the British the political art of dialogue through the Parliament (French: Parlement).

“The British plotted to assassinate Zik as far back as 1945 because of his demand for “self-determination.” Same as Kanu would’ve been assassinated in 2017 but successfully renditioned in 2021,” Ejimakor said.

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