Midwest Referendum – A Case For True Patriots By Amb. Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo

Midwest Referendum – A Case For True Patriots By Amb. Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo

60 Years After the Midwest Referendum: dissecting the undercurrents of the struggle, and highlighting the unsung actors of that era: a villager’s perspective – Being an address delivered by Amb. Aiyamenkhue Edokpolo fcdm,

National Facilitator – United Patriots Assembly of Nigeria, 28th August, 2023.

Introducon – Unl I received a personally endorsed invitaon leer from His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki – in which he found me worthy of being one of the Very Important Personalies (VIPs) to grace the twin celebraons of the 60th Midwest Referendum anniversary, as well as Edo State 32nd anniversary, I almost forgot that the earthmoving plebiscite to determine a vote For or Against Midwest region creaon – was 60 years 13th July 2023. My noon of a ‘villager’ is someone – who speaks to facts, and he is unmindful of the vindicve nature of every organ of communal or public administraon appara. He believes that, truth-telling is an absolute obligaon to his society.

Geopolically speaking, Midwest region was an almagam of Benin and Delta provinces of the Western Region. These provinces were the fulcrum of ethnic and tribal minories of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo led Western Region, and by empirical evidences, the most suppressed, or marginalized, hence their agitaon to secede and have a new region received strategic support from the Alhaji Ahmadu Bello led Northern region government.

Like every arst and his inalienable drawing perspecve of the Sun or the Moon, which depends on the size of his or her viewpoint, the Midwest region creaon, especially its undercurrents, as well as its most astute proponents or actual drivers of that liberaon struggle – has been arculated in broad-minded contexts by thoroughbred public intellectuals.

As usual, some opportunisc historians have also painted somewhat myopic accounts of the facts in issue. To start with, His Royal Majesty Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Akenzua II – the Oba of Benin was the chief proponent of the emancipaon struggle, as he gave His prayers and blessings – largely because, he felt the brunt of the clandesne policies of marginalizaon of the geopolical minories of the hitherto Western Region government, led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. My father of blessed memories – Apostle John Enoyogiere Edokpolo (as he was then called, before emerging as Archbishop Dr. J. E. Edokpolo JP) event-fully led the polical counteroffensive in his capacity as the Founder/Leader of the Midwest Democrac Front – a registered polical party (whose registered and operaonal address was situated at my father’s No. 7 Eyaenugie residence), that mechanized the Yes Vote aer securing an accord with the ruling Northern People’s Congress led by Alhaji Ahmadu Bello – the party that overwhelmingly passed the Referendum mandate, first as a Bill, and later as an act of parliament in the Nigeria’s naonal assembly. It is noteworthy to categorically point out that the Midwest region creaon struggle was largely bankrolled by Apostle John

Enoyogiere Edokpolo. Lile wonder, that His Royal Majesty Omo N’Oba N’ Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Akenzua II shelved customary protocols, and paid a Royal Visit to my beloved father (Archbishop Dr. J. E. Edokpolo JP) at his SEM-EDO WIRE INDUSTRY OFFICE COMPLEX, situated at the present day Jemila Road, Oregbeni, Benin City.

Prior to the 5th Late Chief Jacob Uwadiae Egharevba Memorial Lecture of 20th December 2002, organized by the Instute of Benin Studies, I received a formal invitaon by the chief organizers, to receive a plaque of honor in posthumous recognion of my Dad’s (Archbishop Dr. J. E. Edokpolo JP) illustrious intervenon in the Midwest Region struggle, as well as seng up the Government, with my father handed a three porolio Minister (Trade, Commerce and Industry) in the Denis Osadebe led parliamentary administraon, and the remarkable success stories of that polical microcosm. The patrioc role of Pa. Agidigbi is noteworthy, as he provided a good number of his houses to the newly created region administraon for ministries and liaison offices.

The renowned Timber magnate – Pa. Agbonkpolor Ogiemwonyi aka “Enofeke-erimwinre” (of No. 7. Ivbiyeneva quarters) also made complimentary financial and morale impact likewise. The Guest Lecturer – Dr. Nowa Omoigui (now late) extensively dealt with the theme of the lecture within his scope of knowledge of the varying accounts of the actors and acons of the very historic era. On the sideline of the colloquium, I recalled sharing with some pressmen, what my Dad classified as the very daring or vexed verbal exchanges he had with Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the buildup to the great Referendum. According to him, there were several meengs in Ibadan (administrave capital of Western Region Government) and Ikenne (Awo’s hometown).

In one of those meengs, Awo sought to downplay my Dad’s determinaon for Midwest secession, “Apostle John Edokpolo, I know your strengths and weaknesses, and as far as the Midwest is concerned, you can’t go far. My Dad said, he replied to him, thus, “My dear Chief Awo by the me the result of the Referendum is made public, you will know that anything you do in the Midwest region, without Apostle John Edokpolo is a KPEKELEMESS”.

Just as every philosophy is hinged partly on the philosopher’s bias; historians are likewise not exempted from biases. There is no gainsaying the fact that the history of the Midwest referendum and events leading to it is exceedingly vast and cannot in all honesty be addressed in a single lecture without losing focus.

However, I make bold to say that, some historical accounts of the Midwest Region’s creaon, and the government thereof are laced with antagonisc biases, largely to downplay the most fundamental actors for clearly opportunisc grounds, and obviously to massage the egos of the mentors of such historians or essay writers, who had one axe or more to grind with some of the fundamental pilots of that loy revoluon, parcularly Apostle John Enoyogiere Edokpolo – who had a bourgeoning rubber and mber empire, an enviable housing estate, and an expansive educaon service complex. I pray to God and our ancestors to forgive those sycophanc authors or essayists. I dare say that the struggle to carve out the

Midwest region from the Western Region was a suicide mission. Apostle J. E. Edokpolo and some of his co-travellers have to renounce their fraternies or spiritual communions they have had for decades with their loved ones of Western Region extracon, as a pre- determined resolve for the Midwest region creaon.

They had two choices in front of them. The choice to connue to bear allegiance to the polical authority that ensured our peoples unbridled marginalizaon, and diabolic suppression of the Midwest minories as it were; as well as the choice of total renunciaon of anything that binds the leaders of Western Region government and Midwest region proponents together.

Apostle John Enoyogiere Edokpolo and some other Midwest patriots chose the laer. For me, it is that choice we are celebrang today. They could have accepted juicy compromises to betray the highly revered Oba of Benin, as well as the huge confidence reposed in them by the oppressed minories.

My every day prayer has been, “Father in Heaven, grant me the grace to make the right choices”. As we reminisce on the 60 years old freedom bequeathed by ancestors to us, we need to ponder on what enduring legacies we are going to bequeath to the next generaon. It is popularly said in nuclear labour acvism “the tougher the struggle, the sweeter the victory”.

The Midwest creaon struggle was a war in all facets of classificaon. And its 60th anniversary is worth an earthmoving fanfare. The issue of minories’ suppression was replete across the regional governments of Nigeria, which comprised of the Northern region, led by Chief Ahmadu Bello; the Western region led by Chief Obafemi; and the Eastern region led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe .

In a way, there was this whimsical arbitrariness of autocracy in all the regional administraons, and very few minority leaders summoned the audacity to voice out, or explore means for polical emancipaon. The game was such that, every Premier was mechanically grounded in the act of minories’ agitaon dislodgement.

No Premier wanted minories secession plots to succeed, and by all means, protagonists of secession were enemies of the regional Government as it were. Most of them were diabolically criminalized, summarily charged to court and sent to prison.

Some were vicms of high wired assassinaons; some were mysteriously ambushed or kidnapped without traces of their dead bodies. There were also accounts of spiritual tribulaons that befell advocates of Midwest region creaon.

Yet, some of our brave fathers and grandfathers raised their heads and braced the trail to ensure that, regardless of the odds, regardless of the death sentence they stand to suffer should the Referendum favor the status quo ante – they sacrificed at great risks to their lives, their hard earned properes and investments.

In Archbishop Edokpolo’s case, he already had Edokpolo Grammar School, Edokpolo Nursery and Primary School by Upper Lawani Street as far back as 1958. He risked losing these huge assets if the Midwest region secession project had failed. It was that bad that some suffered mysterious disappearances of their wives and children. Unfortunately, Edokpolo Grammar School, as well as the primary and nursery schools were forcefully appropriated by the Dr. S. O.

Ogbemudia military administraon. That acon was in my view an ironic punishment to a rare patriot.

This address seeks intellectual and immortalizaon jusce for the unsung heroes of that era. The government should aempt to chronicle these patriots, and place them in a hall of fame as a smulant for next generaon patriosm. Till date, most of these astute patriots are yet to be immortalized sixty years down the line. Following the January 15th Kaduna Nzeogu’s military coup d’état, and the truncaon of Nigeria’s regional democrac system, the commission of inquiry that was constuted to invesgate alleged misappropriaon of public resources of the Midwest Region government, exonerated only two parliamentarians, and they were Apostle John Enoyogiere Edokpolo (Minister of Trade, Commerce and Industry), and Honorable Erickson Osayande Imafidon (Minister for Labour and Welfare). These men celebrated their exonoraon ll the day they transited to the great beyond. May their souls rest in peace, Amen.

As I begin to draw the curtains of this historical evaluaon, it is imperave to note that, prior to the 13th July 1963 Midwest Referendum, the Chief Obafemi Awolowo led Acon Group had quite formidable polical intellectuals as members in the Midwest region. Notable among them was Pa. Anthony Enahoro, who had the audacity and honor of moving the famous Nigeria’s Independence moon before the Brish Parliament and Nigeria’s Parliament respecvely. However, he fiercely opposed Midwest region creaon. Below is the breakdown of the famous Midwest Referendum results sheet as published by GE Longe

No.
District
Votes Scored by Eligible Voters Affirmave Answer “YES” Negave Answer
“NO”
1
ABOH
33,072

722
2 AFENMAI 76,998 1,260
3
ASABA 68,637 365
4
BENIN 130,562 2,081
5
ISHAN 73,088 563
6 URHOBO 150,382 273

7
WARRI
30,703
1,377
8
WESTERN IJAW 15,635
577
Total
579,077
7,218

GR Longe summarized as follows – “the total number of eligible voters, being persons whose names appeared in the Federal Electoral register of 1959 was 654,130. Of this number the percentage that voted in the affirmave was 89.07%, well in excess of the required 60% (or 392,478) for the creaon of the Mid-West region.”

In conclusion, I salute His Excellency Governor Godwin Obaseki for hosng this colloquium, which in my view, is an appreciaon of a well mechanized democrac goal. That goal made the Midwest region – the only region that was created by an act of parliament.

I respecully seize this rare opportunity to appeal to Edo State House of Assembly to declare 13th July every year as Midwest Day or Midwest Referendum Day as an act of parliament, in commemoraon of the past and fallen heroes of Midwest. They were very brave soldiers. This resonates with the polical pedigree of the average Edo man and woman – as people with democracy in their DNA. I congratulate the Governor, and the good people of Edo State for this 60th anniversary, and I pray that our State will connue to witness sustainable development. Amen.

Thanks and God bless you all.