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PRIZES FOR VISITORS \'ISlT_ORS
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to the Nigeria Exhibi\iori,
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in addition to enjoying the general 'enter'. tainrnents, h:11·e an opportunity of winning pci,.,cs donated hy.s?me of the prinThe lucky visitors are the 100;000,h; 111,tlltb;
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WHERE THERE-IS INDrPENDENCE THERE 4"
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IS BECK'S I FINEST GENUINE LAGER. .- - - - -
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150,000th; )99,999th; 200,001~; 300,000th; 500,000th.
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THE Time is 12 midnight.
THE. Federal Minister of . The ceremony was watch~mance, Chief F. S. 'ed by frincess Alexandra of Okotie-Eboh, ye st er day Kent, · . announced that . Nigeria And as the clock struck G) was for"'!ally admitted to 12 midnight, Sir James membership of the Inter- Robertson and the Prime <' national . Bank for Re- Minister of the Federation of construction and Deve,.op- Nigeria, Al. haji Si.r Abubakar ment (the World Bank) on Tafawa Balewa, took their September 27; lo· the Inter· position on a dais and watch~ationai Monetary Fund ed the lowering of the Union I cptem _er 28,Fand to t e Jack and the hoisting of the ,..., nternational mance Cor- Ngierian national flag. ' r, poration on September 29. And so the independence pt~,.,. of Nigeria was proclaimed. r,~:l_ And so, the Union Jack, *'' 1,,-:,;,; ltd symbolising the Imperial power of Britain was hauled d own w1'th th e II oodi'ig,1 t s pu t ~;. and. the green ~nd wh1t_e national ft~g of N1ge· na was u~f'!rled m the glow of floodligh;:s. And 5?, !he peo~e · sang the Nigerian National Anthem. And so e~~d,. one h,undr!al ~ears of '.~h ruff bf00:ie~a. No . e • I rio'f',, n? : And Nigeria becomes free, I free for ever. .. L l·am·editing this edition of Fthe "Daily Times" from !Racecourse, Lagos, For here on this spot; history is/being l\l.ade'. Representatives of I more than fifty nations of r the w,orld are here watching the end C?f one hundred years of ~Ol?iµ.at bondage and the ll)egmm~g- _of_ freedom for forty million people. I have ; in. t~i( sixty seconds at 12 _lll1~ght1 watcbed the SUI!, of 1Bnt1sh - imperlalism sett!ng; I and a_ new moon, destined lto radiate all over Africa and : penetrate to other parts of the. world, emerging on the horizon . · And I am happy, I · . I And I am sobbing. For I remember . Nigerians who [lived and died during the bloodless fight for Nigeria's independence. Men like Herbert Macaulay; Sir Adeyemo A,l~kija; Q.r. J. C. Vaughan; 'Chief Bode Thomas; Alhaji Adegoke Adelabu: Malam Zaad Zung1.1r, ~d many I ~thers,. They were not desn~· to see the. promised
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INDEPENDENT NIGERIA 1st
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LagQs. hacecoirse •. Thi dra"'atis personae: Sir Jam!S Ro,ertspn, · f e p r e s e -~ t i n t: Q~~~ Ew,beth ti of Britain and _Alhaji Sir Abaibak~r iafa~a. Balewa, · r6' presenting the forty million people of Nigeria_. There were about "1aH a million people in the areoa; and several milJions more sctlmi'ef 500,00lst visitors. Nigeria Jo~ns ovel'lhe 373,250 sq: miles of Nigeria, sitting by their radio·. . loulf·.1· ·. . - . . ·. World Bank speakers listening to the proceedi~gs. r
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~y A'LHAJI BABATUNDE. JOSE, Editor, Daily Times-
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J49,9991h; I 50,00lsf; 200,00oth; 250,000th; 400,00th; and
~ Prizes will include high ~ quality cameras, tidies anI Q gentlemen's wrist watches and umbrellas, a flight in an ,~ aircraft over Lagos, a firstclass train journey -to any c5 destination in Nigeria and back, and other valuable gifts lo be announced later. Consolation prizes wiU be awarded to the 100,00lst; 250,00lst and
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NIGERIANl1-' ARE· PREE·c:~.
which opens today, October . I until October 22. 011 the Victoria Island will LAGOS, SATURDAY, QCT. 1, 1960.
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. And at this mom~nt,, J remember the. N1~enan youths !fhO we'! 11npnsoned for '!3rm~ t(!. attac.k ~riti!b ~e !n N1ger1a 7 it hi!d 1tl 1mqu1tous and highly exemplary·aspec~. . Men like Anthony E~~horo ("Bravo Sir Bernard ); Oslta' Agwuna ("A call for revolution"); Mok w u go Okoye (sedition); Majarn Raji Abdallah ("I hate the Union Jack"); A y S . ' · · . · Tm~?~ ("Whos~ ~mpire Day ), F:ed Anyiam,. O~e~ Macaulay; Ikenna Nzimiro; and many members of. the outlawed Zikist Movement. And I remember youths like R A Fani-Ka ~de QC· N A. 13 Kotoye; Ba~riste~-at~ law· Oxford University educat~ Fred. McEwen; who voluntarily trooped to the Lagos prison in protest against the official celebration of the Queen's coronation.
Broad smile .. At this moment, I can see the broad smile of Alhaji Sir Abubakar, who by the grace of God becomes the first Prime Minister of an independent Nigeria. And I see :Pr~ .Nnamdi Azikiwe in the happiest moment of his life. And I remember when in the bitter struggle for independ. e~ce, he once threatened ~•r Hu~h Foot, at that time Chief Secretary to the Government of -Nigeria, that "the tree of· liberty shall be watered by . the blood of tyr~ ts •" A nd I • pie · t ure d Chief Awolowo, JOY filled; and remember many years.. ago when he threatened Britain that "we shall proclaim self-government and proceed to assert It," And I am happy. NIGERIA , IS FREE, FREE FORE\ ER. It was indeed a happy day that Nigeria decided lo, adopt a federal system of government, More than anything else, ft fa ll>• set op of 'bo,
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constitution and' the diver ~1t!e~ of ou~ people t~at 1~ spir~{onfiQep.~~1n_ the ftlturc stlli!i11ty of the .country, ~I th~eat ef a-oRe_man:-1'hctat1' ship, No_ f~.ar .:of a gov~. mept sett11?g a~1de the co v, tuhon. a.r bitr~.n!Y· . . ._· · · Indeed,· this rs a greafo ment for we Nigeriims: "'it ~ also a great moment fir Britain and the Britis•• P~ pie.. . . . At id - ht , d ti m1 nig , rn a ramii ~ moment, they re-lcJse_d_ ·111, shook hands_ ,,ah_~.1£Da!1~ accepted us irnmewatf:llY ii1 friends on an equal basis, _h . hd • . id • l .. ey _wit re,;v at mt . night satisfied that. they had helped ·Jls to _the promised land-helped with, money, by way o_f grants and _ I<;>ans; and with men, adm1q1str:1·1 tor~, engineers, d_oc_tors,, .ed'}, canonists and m1s~10nanf~·:,:· And at this d.ramatic·mo, ment, I see them giving. the utmost respect, to our na tion-: al flag and anthem. They stand· at attention and they salute our flag. And as I visualise' the African scene in this never, to-be-forgotten moment, I say "salam'' to the British adil the Nigerian leaders the fol,, for .. llidlil .and the lat _ .. embracing,·iar• liamen · · . .- democracx_ and., the rule of law, and fundamental human rigllts. .. For East, West; North M• South of. the. great centlnent of Africa, our counir, ; my country 0J'.. country lhe only independent African country with an estiili~I' heil Government and · a · po . . ,. ul opposition party, . . · , This mor!lm~ ~t the Racec~urse, Princess- Alexa_lldra will _for_mally present the Co~st1tut10~a1.Instrument by which Britain trans_fcrrcd sovereignty to_ . Nigeria t~ t~e Pri111c M1111stcr. '.~lha!1 Sir Abubakar 1 at a 11 ,1 Balewa. Then Sir James Robert~on will be sworn-in as the first. Governor-General of an In· dependent Nigeria.
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Published by the Nigerian Printlng Publishing Company Ltd., 3. 5. and 7 Kakawa Street. (Tel. Lagos 26611) and Primed by them at l·Phoenix lane. Editor: ALBA JI BABATUNDE JOSE. 8 tJo1t1tl 1••••• Crescent Apapa, . J/10/6~ -e
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