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Tag: Herbert Macaulay

  • Herbert Macaulay: 70 years after

    Seventy years ago, on May 7, 1946, Herbert Macaulay, the acclaimed nationalist widely acknowledged as the ‘Father of Nigerian Nationalism’, made his exit at age 81. He was born in Lagos on November 14, 1864. His father, Rev Thomas Babington Macaulay, was the founder and first principal of the CMS Grammar School, Lagos, established in 1859. His mother, Abigail Macaulay, was the daughter of Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the illustrious 19th century cleric who in 1864 was ordained as the first African bishop of the Anglican Church at a ceremony in England.

    Herbert Macaulay studied Civil Engineering in Britain. He qualified as a civil engineer in 1893. Indeed, he is recognised as the first Nigerian with such a professional qualification. He proudly attached the letters C.E. (Civil Engineer) to his name, and also practiced as an architect.

    In 1923, he launched the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), regarded as the first political party in Nigeria, following the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution in 1922, which allowed elected representatives for the Legislative Council and also created a   municipal council in Lagos.  The NNDP dominated the political space for many years, and Herbert Macaulay, who was known as Mr. Democratic Party on account of his pivotal position in the party, earned the unchallenged appellation ‘Leader of Nigerian Politics’. When the political situation took a new turn and the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) successfully challenged the dominance of the NNDP, Herbert Macaulay’s patriotic spirit promoted inter-party cooperation   as a necessity in the struggle for political freedom. The formation of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) in 1944 led to a political merger that saw Herbert Macaulay emerge as the party’s first President.

    In 1927, Herbert Macaulay and his friend, John Akinlade Caulcrick, a medical doctor and politician, bought The Lagos Daily News, a newspaper founded in 1925 by Victor Babamuboni, a Lagos bookseller and printer. Herbert Macaulay was a keen monitor of the issues of the day, and expressed his views vigorously in pamphlets and newspaper articles. For instance, he criticised the government’s policy on the liquor trade, the water-rate scheme, the plan to build a separate church for white government officials, and the press law, among others.

    Herbert Macaulay’s pamphlet in 1908 criticising the Lagos Railway prompted Governor Egerton to propose a law that would restrict the press. The pamphlet, titled ‘Governor Egerton and the Railway’, focused on corruption among white officials of the Railway. The power of the pamphlet drew attention to Herbert Macaulay.  He also regularly launched attacks on the colonial administration through critical newspaper articles.

    Herbert Macaulay fought various battles against the British colonial government. He was an anti-colonial combatant by conviction and choice, for he could have followed the comfortable path of collaboration with the colonialists if he wished. His background and education placed him among the elite of Lagos society. He actually belonged to the circle from which the colonial government nominated African representatives to the Legislative Council.

    But Herbert Macaulay was not the personality-type that appealed to the British administration, which regarded him as too principled, too critical, too independent, too bold and too assertive.

    In style and manners, Herbert Macaulay was so polished that the people of Lagos referred to him as Oyinbo Alawodudu (white man in black skin). He was noted for his handle-bar moustache, well-cut suits and long bow ties. He described his moustache and bow tie as “parallel and inseparable”. He was known as ‘The Wizard of Kirsten Hall’.

    But Herbert Macaulay was a remarkable grassroots politician. He played important roles in the celebrated Apapa Land Case as well as the equally celebrated Eleko case, which ended in favour of indigenous interests and gave a big boost to his image as a champion of justice. Herbert Macaulay was known as ‘Champion and Defender of Native Rights and Liberties’.  No other politician of his time could match his rapport with the common people.  For instance, he cultivated the friendship of Madam Alimotu Pelewura, the powerful leader of the Lagos Market Women’s Association, and could easily count upon the support of thousands of market women in Lagos. The masses composed songs in honour of Herbert Macaulay.

    A July 1931 edition of West Africa painted a pen portrait of Herbert Macaulay: “He has a voice and a laugh which would be passports anywhere. The quickness, the energy, the comprehensiveness, with which he can write an article – or a book, if need be – or make a speech, or organise a demonstration, are incredible.”

    In my search for Herbert Macaulay’s writings, I found a seven-page piece handwritten by him. He was at the time President of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons and described himself as having “experience of a period of over half-a-century as a West African journalist in practical politics, and as the Proprietor and Controlling Editor of The Lagos Daily News, the first daily newspaper printed in Lagos”. The piece was titled:  ”The Government of Nigeria and the Press”.

    Herbert Macaulay said: “We have been taught to realise the incontrovertible fact that from the moment that the invention of the art of printing added a new element of power to the inhabitants of this world, the human brain, not armament, the thinker and not the soldier, books and not kings, governors, Residents or Commissioners were to henceforth rule the world in a most especial sense…”

    He continued: “In confirmation of this, we have the declaration of the Rt. Hon. The Earl of Beaconsfield who was Prime Minister of all England in 1868 and again from 1874 to 1880 that: “The Press is not only free; it is powerful. That power is ours. It is the proudest that man can enjoy. It was not granted by monarchs, it was not gained for us by aristocracies; but it sprang from the people and, with an immortal instinct, it has always worked for the people.” Therefore, despotism in any shape or form and the Freedom of the Press cannot possibly exist together…It was Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, who declared that: “A journalist is a grumbler, a censurer, a giver of advice, a regent of sovereigns, a tutor of nations. Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” As an institution of the greatest possible value, the Press in Nigeria should take its place as one of the chief bulwarks of the freedom and liberty of the people of this vast territory…”

    At Herbert Macaulay’s funeral in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe, who succeeded him as NCNC leader, referred to him as “my political father”. Azikwe said in a graveside oration: “He has left an imperishable legacy, the struggle for the attainment of social equality, economic security, religious tolerance and political freedom.” This struggle continues today.

  • Conversation with Herbert Macaulay

    Conversation with Herbert Macaulay

    It is October 1st, Nigeria’s independence anniversary. Winter is fast approaching in Washington. It is unseasonably cold, and as dawn retreated for daylight, you could smell the sharp and biting Arctic air as if one is trapped in a giant refrigerated tent. Like a practiced flaneur, the celebrated hangabout, snooper has slipped out of his hotel room and is already on Thomas Circle.

    Very soon afterwards, you arrive at Massachusetts Avenue. The name itself evokes power and glory; it exudes historic distinction and the very essence of American greatness.  You remember the Boston Tea party and the beginning of the end for Imperial Britain. Empires always begin to unravel at the very moment of their maximum power. You remember the great learning institutions of Massachusetts. That is the intellectual engine room of American supremacy. Armies of ideas clash relentlessly, transforming America and changing the world in the process. You remember the dashing and dazzling Kennedys and their Hyannis Port. And you remember and wish Barack Obama well.

    There is nothing more exciting and exhilarating than taking an early morning walk in a historic and powerful metropolis. The power and magic of the great city draw and tantalize you. You are lost in the anonymity of the surging crowd. But somehow you manage to retain your distinct and discrete identity. As you watch, you are also aware of being watched. As you gape and gawp at the modern pyramids, you marvel at the infinite fecundity of the human imagination. You may not appreciate the arrogance and boorishness of many Americans, but this is the summit of human advancement for now, and there is nothing anybody can do about that.

    Snooper is a notorious walkabout. Twice in this incarnation, he had been accosted on suspicion of wandering with intent. But ambling about in post 9/11 America in the early hours of the morning has its particular perils. And not when you are very close to the White House, the greatest power complex on earth for now. As the polite and courteous Indian-born driver taking you to your hotel from the airport darkly hinted, there are at least twenty five different undercover agencies operating in the Washington area. Walking is not a crime, but you must mind your body language. The possibilities are quite dreadful and spine-chilling. What if one is suddenly pulled over as a suspected disciple of Ibn Khaldun, the great fourteenth century Egyptian historian, philosopher and cultural theorist? Fear chills the spine. Even as one knocks this out on the computer, you have a feeling that something might trigger off the alarm bell.

    But back to Massachusetts Avenue, the fear of being pulled over forces snooper to affect an elegant royal carriage; a Black Edwardian dandy in the manner of the political Liberator and uber-nationalist , Herbert Samuel Heelas Macaulay. True to its name, Massachusetts Avenue is indeed suffused with power and glory. The Avenue houses so many foundations, the power-houses of American restless regeneration. It is only in America that you can have so many foundations, a glorious tribute to the redemptive and restorative power of ruthless capitalism. Money-making can be stretched beyond the limits of logic and human possibilities just to prove a point. But that is where it ends. Sam Walton, the owner of the Walmart chain, was still driving his old banger while making his astronomical sums. And what about Bill and Melinda Gates who are models of rectitude and restraint despite their outlandish wealth?

    You walk rapidly pass the John Hopkins University school of Advanced International Studies and the Brookings Institute. Massachusetts Avenue is truly living up to its billing. You are truly in the precincts of some of the major totems of America’s cultural imperialism. The wintry cold begins to bite harder. Against one’s better judgment, one had departed Nigeria without adequate preparations for this mugging weather. Now, one is being gradually mauled into a state of disorientation by the freezing atmosphere. You remember once again that back in Nigeria, it is Independence Day. In anger, you curse the memory of the leaders who have made it impossible for you to spend the day at home in Nigeria and in rest and reflection.

    Now, you are passing the Australian embassy and all the pent up demons suddenly erupted. How was it possible for a bunch of no-hopers and scoundrels to create a first-class First World country in a record time while sub-Saharan Africa continues to sink deeper in a historic hellhole? As the cold bites harder and a state of semi-stupor sets in, a dandified and regal-looking man with majestic walrus whiskers suddenly appears to be walking with snooper. He was straight out of Victorian Lagos, and was quite a splendid sight to behold. His diction was English public school with crummy and creamy velvet.

    “It is Independence Day, and how are you people coping?” he asked with stentorian authority.

    “We are not coping at all”, snooper moaned in distress.

    “You must take heart and be bold because nation-building is not a colonial tea party or a one-day wonder”, the old man noted with avuncular pity.

    “Take heart, take heart, that is what they all say, but no heart is made of stone”, snooper noted with a churlish whine.

    “ I understand that….”, the old man began but was rudely and brutishly silenced.

    “Don’t understand. I’m cold and feverish. In any case, one of our leaders once referred to Nigeria as the mistake of 1914. I agree with him”, I mumbled rather disjointedly.

    “Who said that and when?” the old man asked in quiet alarm.

    “Ahmadu Bello in 1953”.

    “Ah, you know I left the scene in 1946. In any case, who is Ahmadu Bello? I handed over to Zik”, the old man noted in regret.

    “Zik lost command and headed for Enugu. Even Awolowo said Nigeria is a mere geographical expression”, I noted.

    “Ah that Ijebu boy again? I knew he was up to no good. I thought he disappeared for good before the good lord recalled me”, the old political wizard croaked with good-natured mischief.

    “He went to London to read law”, I replied.

    “Ah that meant that he found a way round his bankruptcy? All of you must know that it is too late to start complaining about the size of Nigeria. The sacrifices have been too great. Do you know that I died from the pneumonia contacted in Kano?” the great man queried.

    “You left it too late”, I moaned in acute distress.

    What?” the old man asked in disbelief.

    “The handshake across the Niger”.

    “But the white people wouldn’t allow us to interact. You know I fought them to a standstill”, the old man noted with an expansive flourish.

    “May be, they have a point there”, I noted.

    “What point could they have had ?”, the old man wondered aloud.

    “It was not the first time contact with strangers will prove fatal to you and your family”. I observed with an intellectual frown.

    For a long time, the old man eyed the younger man with a mixture of suspicion and wary respect. Then affection and warmth returned to his majestic hooded eyes. “I know what you are talking about, but it doesn’t matter. Out of evil comes great good.  In 1809, the slave raiders from the north sacked the village of Osogun and captured the father of my mother, the great Samuel Ajayi Crowther. They sold them to Portuguese slave traders. But we thank god for small mercies. Without that incident, there would have  been no Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, no Abigail Macaulay, my mother, no CMS Grammar school,  and no Herbert Samuel Heelas Macaulay, my humble self. Tell your compatriots not to despair and that adversity has its sweet rewards”.

    With that the old man vanished into thin air, like the old wizard of Kirsten Hall that he was. I was also beginning to feel warm and comfortable. It was not a question of magic or dramatic recovery. The mundane truth is that we have arrived at our destination on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington and the place is warm and cosy. A different kind of fireworks was already in the works that morning.

     

    (First published October, 3rd 2009)

  • Politics without principle

    Politics without principle

    Historically, there was never dearth of purposeful creative leadership in the African sub continent and among indigenous Africans. Indeed, history has it that civilization started from Africa with abundant evidence.  Pre-colonial Africa is replete with stories of redoubtable empire builders and astute political leaders.  Then came the colonial invasion, experience of which debased our growth and disrupted African civilization in science, arts, and politics.   However, the same period threw up a leadership that fought to reclaim the soul of the black man.

    It was to take the profound commitment of our early nationalists and pan Africanists to liberate Africa from colonial bondage and subjugation, which is what we enjoy today, but have added nothing.  There was vibrant leadership across the continent.  Even though we may appear to have lost the sense of history, we can still recall names like Herbert Macaulay, Kwame Nkrumah the Osagiefo, Julius Nyerere, Kenneth Kaunda, the Afro American warrior, Marcus Garvey and a host of others. The leaders at the time were ideologically rooted on the direction they wanted to take the continent and its people and they developed the form of government that would better serve the cultural and social milieu of the people.

    In Nigeria, at independence, there was a crop of leadership that was selflessly committed to altruistic governance to bring development to the people.   We cannot forget names like Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Aminu Kano and a few others who left a footprint on the sand of time.  These are people that we venerate today to almost a point deity.  We proudly point to the physical evidence of their leadership and philosophy. Their enterprising legacy in infrastructure and the economy are evergreen.   The first generation universities in this country are products of their foresight and the place of education in building the people and a nation.

    Today, our education is in ruins and tatters, no thanks to maladministration by university administrators and poor government policy.  We undervalue education so much so that we allow schools to shut down for upward of one year and deny them funding while we revel ourselves as giants of Africa to the derision of the world.  Those who can afford it now send their children to Ghana and even Republic of Benin even for as basic as secondary education; that is how bad it has become.

    Look at the groundnut pyramid in the North, cocoa in the West and coal in the East.   These were all products of the good thinking of those early leaders and politicians who were truly committed to serving their people.  You cannot point to any investment and castles abroad  belonging to those politicians of yore.  Today, politicians across ethnic and ideological divides where there is any, shamelessly invoke the spirits and names of these venerated leaders whereas they do not share a scintilla of the principles and ideals that these leaders worked and died for.  A Chief Awolowo would never have sold his birth-right for a pot of porridge; even when he deservedly wanted to be the president of Nigeria for one day.  He never was tossed by winds of opportunism and never compromised on his honours, integrity, and principles.   That sage would be turning in his grave in grief when he sees those charlatans who are using his name and wearing his trademark cap but doing the opposite of what the man stood for.

    The abysmal level of recession and decline in quality of political leadership in Nigeria today calls for a proper scrutiny and study of the genetic makeup of our politicians.   Today, the politicians live in wanton opulence and engage in obscene competition to outdo one another in display of their ill-gotten wealth in the ocean of penury they have inflicted on the people.    We have leaders who say one thing in public and do the opposite without qualms about moral candour.  The politicians of today behave like buccaneers and pirates who care less about what is moral and good but more of what territory they conquer.  They have hijacked the Nigerian leadership and held the masses of Nigeria hostage.

    Let us for once remove the scales of religion, ethnicity and tell ourselves the hard truth.  Look around you and point out any honest project that is executed across the country that any of our today’s politicians can lay claim to.  Beside the orchestrated campaigns and misleading ads by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), there is no proof and physical evidence that we have got anything right or anything near it.   The power sector is in comatose and most part of Nigeria apart from the capital cities are in total darkness.  Citizens who can afford it generate their light, provide water for themselves and security is their headache.  The road networks across the country has remained the same nightmare to commuters, security has almost completely slipped from our hands, we are yet to rescue the young Chibok girls abducted over seven months ago by the Boko Haram sect.

    As if that is not enough, the sect is daily gaining ground and claiming territory while the government tells the whole world that terrorism in Nigeria will soon be defeated.    There is hardly anything you can pick and chose from the pack of the amalgam of both conservative and the progressive so-called.  Most of them are driven by blind ambition and selfish personal greed.  We have maniacs who want power for the sake of power. They follow the winds and waves to where their lots and fortune will be lubricated. Today, they are apostolic, tomorrow they are catholic, and the next day they free thinkers.  Today, governance has taken a back seat because the political office holders are scheming for 2015 Elections.  Nobody bothers about delivery and performance so they want the President to anoint them for return to the Senate or whatever offices they presently occupy.  This is because they are not counting on the votes of the electorate whom they have alienated and certainly would deny them a comeback for non performance.   This is why Nigerians must be vigilant and insist that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) should show exemplary honour and patriotism and put the nation first for once.   We have no doubt about the pedigree of Professor Atahiru Jega, the INEC chairman but our fear is that the political hawks may have built a nest round him to act out their script as a puppet.   We watched the buffoonery and bizarre drama of the President’s declaration and the pain it inflicted on Abuja residents and environs.   It was an extravagant wastage in all its ramifications.

    Nothing can justify the human suffering inflicted on the people on that day; the cost in organization is mindboggling with hired crowd from all parts of the Federation.  For God’s sake, the man has no rival, no competition as the party had adopted him as a consensus candidate.  He could as well have addressed Nigerians on the Network News of his acceptance to graciously become our President come 2015 or better still fix the jamboree for a weekend.  The carnival was a mockery of the state of the nation because it came less than 24 hours after the blood thirsty Boko Haram sect had slaughtered about 45 students in a secondary school in Potiskum, Yobe State.

    For all the bogus statistics of achievements, the evidence are there that our roads are in parlous state of disrepair, there is insecurity everywhere you go; north, south, east or west.  Almost the entire country is in darkness, there is no running water as people in the rural areas still drink from the pond and dirty wells.  Apart from the ubiquitous NGOs formed by Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, which has provided jobs for praise singers, unemployment is not abating.  Where is our honour as a nation?  Where is our integrity as political leaders? Where is our principle and ideology as a group?  How much longer do we hope to go with political leadership without principle?  Someone should please help me find answers!

    • Kebonkwu (Esq) writes from Abuja