You see, the only problem with Nigeria is Nigerians. We are in our current state of under-development because we lack the public-spirited nature of the following heroes. Our National Orientation Agency needs to build park for them to revive their spirits

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Jaja of Opobo - For me, he was the first genuine nationalist in Nigeria. The only monarch to oppose British “Protection.”

[2] Oba Nogbaisi Overanmi of Benin - He is the most poignant symbol of African military resistance to British conquest. Our own Dedan Kimathi or Sitting Bull

[3] Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti - First Nigerian to represent us at an international women’s conference, the first Nigerian woman to drive an automobile, the first female politician, etc. If you want a symbol of girl power and women’s rights, here it is

[4] Alhassan Dantata - I do not think he gets enough credit for his Kano groundnut pyramids. He was the first commercial farmer in Nigeria and showed that we can process our agricultural produce if we want to

[5] Obafemi Awolowo - He needs no introduction. First African TV station, our first skyscraper, our first stadium, free education, free healthcare, etc are all his legacies. A man who thought about 50 years ahead of his time

[6] Louis Ojukwu - Another business guru not given enough credit. Do you know he was the founder and first chairman of the Nigerian Stock Exchange? When then Princess Elizabeth visited Nigeria in 1956, it was his car that was used to ferry her around as he had Nigeria’s only Rolls Royce at the time

[7] Jaja Nwachukwu - He was Nigeria’s first ever permanent representative at the United Nations, our first ever speaker of the House of Representatives, the first foreign minister and our first ever aviation minister. For me, his greatest legacy was founding Nigerian Airways. Sadly, we have sullied his memory by destroying the airline

[8] Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa - Despite his political sins, presiding over the collapse of the First Republic by allowing corruption and election rigging to take over his government, Balewa should be credited as the man who turned Lagos into what it is today. Unilag and Victoria Island for instance were both Balewa’s personnel initiatives. His problem was his hands were tied by the fact that he was not the president of the NPC, so he could not control the criminals in his party and the NCNC

[9] Muhammadu Ribadu - Another unsung hero. He was our first defence minister who sadly died in 1964. When the British left, the did not leave any air force. It was Ribadu who built the Nigerian Air Force from scratch with no whiff of corruption when it came to aircraft purchases

[10] Emmanuel Ifeajuna - Despite his sins given his role in the January 1966 coup, Ifeajuna cannot be erased from Nigeria’s history as he won our first ever international gold medal when he emerged the winner of the high jump competition at the 1954 Commonwealth Games. He gave us a sense of belief that we could compete and win anywhere on earth. We should regard him as a patriot that later went astray

ayoakinfe@gmail.com