Augustus Akinloye
Encyclopedia
Augustus Meredith Adisa Akinloye (August 19, 1916 – September 18, 2007), popularly known as A.M.A, was a Nigeria
n lawyer, politician and the Seriki of Ibadan
land, thus making him a Yoruba
tribal aristocrat
.
between 1946 and 1948. Upon his return to Nigeria, he briefly worked as a lawyer before venturing into politics.
(IPP) which he served as its president, with Adegoke Adelabu
as his deputy. His IPP party later merged with the Action Group
, led by Obafemi Awolowo
, to form the first government in the Western Region
of Nigeria, in which Akinloye was appointed the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources. During the second half of 1950s he was elected Chairman of Ibadan City Council.
During the Western Region crisis in the early 1960s, he left the Action Group for Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola's newly formed Nigerian National Democratic Party
and served in the cabinet led by the then Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
. (The government was overthrown in a military coup on 15 January 1966.)
, which ruled the country between 1979 and 1983 while Shehu Shagari
was President
. Akinloye went into exile in 1983 after his party was overthrown by the military government headed by General Muhammadu Buhari
and returned to Nigeria after ten years when the interim government led by Ernest Shonekan
was in place.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n lawyer, politician and the Seriki of Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
land, thus making him a Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
tribal aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
.
Legal career
Akinloye read law at the London School of EconomicsLondon School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
between 1946 and 1948. Upon his return to Nigeria, he briefly worked as a lawyer before venturing into politics.
First Republic
Akinloye was instrumental to the formation of the first ever political party in Ibadan called Ibadan Peoples PartyIbadan Peoples Party
The Ibadan Peoples Party was established on June 15, 1951, by a group of eminent Ibadan indigenes who opposed the politics of tribalism and personality, which held sway in the Yorùbá dominated Western Region, Nigeria in the 1950s...
(IPP) which he served as its president, with Adegoke Adelabu
Adegoke Adelabu
Gbadamosi Adegoke Adelabu was an important politician from Ibadan in the middle part of the 20th century. He was a self made man born into a humble family, but became an influential figure in Nigerian politics. He attended Government College, Ibadan and eventually became a business man...
as his deputy. His IPP party later merged with the Action Group
Action group
In sociology and anthropology, an action group or task group is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organized collective action....
, led by Obafemi Awolowo
Obafemi Awolowo
Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo was a Nigerian politician, trade unionist, author and statesman. A Yoruba and native of Ikenne in Ogun State of Nigeria, he started his career as a regional political leader like most of his pre-independence contemporaries and was responsible for much of the progressive...
, to form the first government in the Western Region
Western Region, Nigeria
The Western Region was a subdivision of the federation of Nigeria until 1967. Its capital was at Ibadan.It was established in the 1930s under British rule as a subdivision of the Southern Nigeria colony...
of Nigeria, in which Akinloye was appointed the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources. During the second half of 1950s he was elected Chairman of Ibadan City Council.
During the Western Region crisis in the early 1960s, he left the Action Group for Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola's newly formed Nigerian National Democratic Party
Nigerian National Democratic Party
The Nigerian National Democratic Party , was Nigeria's first political party.Formed in 1923 by Herbert Macaulay to take advantage of the new Clifford Constitution, the NNDP successfully organized various Yoruba interest groups into a single group that was able to compete politically...
and served in the cabinet led by the then Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, KBE was a Nigerian politician, and the only prime minister of an independent Nigeria. Originally a trained teacher, he became a vocal leader for Northern interest as one of the few educated Nigerians of his time...
. (The government was overthrown in a military coup on 15 January 1966.)
Second Republic
Akinloye was the Chairman of the then largest political party in Africa, the National Party of NigeriaNational Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...
, which ruled the country between 1979 and 1983 while Shehu Shagari
Shehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government....
was President
President of Nigeria
The President of Nigeria is the Head of State and head of the national executive. Officially styled President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The current President of Nigeria is Goodluck Jonathan.-History:On October 1, 1960, Nigeria gained...
. Akinloye went into exile in 1983 after his party was overthrown by the military government headed by General Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
and returned to Nigeria after ten years when the interim government led by Ernest Shonekan
Ernest Shonekan
Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan is a British trained Nigerian lawyer, industrialist, politician and traditional chieftain. He was appointed as interim president of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida on 26 August 1993. Babangida resigned under pressure to cede control to a democratic government...
was in place.