Allocutus delivered by Chief Obafemi Awolowo on 11th September, 1963, when Justice Sowemimo declared him guilty on charges of treasonable felony
MAY It Please Your Lordship
Though this is a point which will be taken up at a Higher ‘Tribunal, yet I must say, with respect, that I disagree with your verdict as well as with the premises on which that verdict is based.
I have been in politics for upwards of 30 years. During this long period, I have operated in various theatres of the public life of this country.
I have, with others, fought British imperialism with all my might and with all the talents that it pleased God to give me; and we have succeeded. We have succeeded to the extent that Nigerians are today occupying positions which they never dreamt of fifteen years ago.
Again, I have been, with others, in the vanguard in agitating for independence.
I am the most unyielding advocate of a federal constitution for Nigeria.
It is an irony of history that as one of the architects of Nigeria’s independence, “I have spent almost HALF of Nigeria’s THREE years of Independence under one form of confinement or another.
Since 1957, I have fought with special and relentless vigour for the eradication of feudal oligarchy in the North, and in any case to prevent the spread of this evil political system to the Southern part of this country.
During the same period, I strongly advocated the breaking up of the North into more States in order to have true federalism in Nigeria, and to preclude the permanent subservience of the people of Nigeria to the aristocratic ruling caste in the North.
In short, I have always fought for what I believe, without relent and regardless of consequences to myself. In the result, I have rendered to Nigeria and to Africa services, which historians will regard as imperishable.
Naturally, in the course of my long political activities, I have attracted to myself a sizeable crop of detractors and adversaries.
Similarly, I have in my time known both setbacks and triumphs; and have met both with equal mind.
This is as it should be.
Peter, NOT Peter the Apostle, but Peter, the hero of Hugh Walpole’s novel, FORTITUDE, said:
‘It isn’t life that matters; but the courage you bring to it.’
After life had done terrible things to Peter, he heard a voice that said among other things:
‘Blessed be these things; for of these things cometh the making of a man.’
In the words of Peter, therefore, I declare: Blessed be your verdict which you have just pronounced on me. And in advance, I also say: Blessed be such sentence as it may please your Lordship to impose upon me.
I personally welcome any sentence you may impose upon me. As a Nigerian nationalist, my only concern is that my incarceration might do harm to Nigeria for three reasons.
First, the valuable services such as I have rendered before, and which I can still render would be lost to the country, at least for a season.
Second, there might be a heightening of the present tension, which has lasted for fifteen months and has done incalculable injury to the country’s economy.
Third, for a while, the present twilight of democracy, individual freedom and the rule of law, might change into one of utter darkness.
But after darkness comes the glorious dawn.
It is, therefore, with a brave heart, with confident hope, and with faith in my unalterable destiny that I go from the twilight into the darkness, unshaken in my trust in the Providence of God that the glorious dawn will come on the morrow.
My enemies will say who am I to think that if I am imprisoned, the country might suffer. What, if I died?
The point is that I am still alive. Furthermore, the spirit of man knows no barrier, never dies, and can be projected to any part of the world.
This being so, I am confident that the ideals of social justice and individual liberty, which I hold dear, will continue to be projected beyond the prison walls until they are realised in our lifetime.
In this connection, I must stress that in this courtroom, particularly in this dock, and all over the Federation of Nigeria, the spirit of a new Nigeria is already active and at work. This spirit, working through all constitutional means, is sure to prevail before very long to the delight, freedom and prosperity of all and sundry.
In spite of the delay of the past few weeks in delivering judgement, and in spite of my disagreement with your verdict, I must end by thanking your Lordship for your patience during the hearing of this case, and for the due consideration with which you have treated me and the other defendants.
