Revisiting AG’s Pre-Independence Talks with NCNC and NPC

A recent social media debate labels the Yoruba as chameleons for negotiating with different parties before independence. Many overlook the complexities of colonial politics and regional budgets at the time. The Western Region voluntarily joined the union despite having a large budget. They could have stood alone rather than accept unequal revenue shares with the North and East. This choice still affects regional finances today. It’s claimed that Obafemi Awolowo first sought the premiership through talks with the NPC, then offered to serve as Finance Minister under the NCNC’s Nnamdi Azikiwe. Such negotiations are natural in a multiparty democracy and might have secured a stronger position for the West. Had Awolowo insisted on revenue parity or exposed census inaccuracies, the country’s power balance could have been different. The missed opportunity still shapes Nigeria’s fiscal and political landscape.

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