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Meet Nigeria’s Nationalist, Obafemi Awolowo

Rufus Okoro Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909 – 1987) was a Nigerian nationalist, lawyer, statesman, and one of the country’s most influential political leaders. Born Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo on March 6, 1909, in Ikenné, present-day Ogun State, Nigeria. He studied law at the University of London and qualified as a barrister. Awolowo founded the Action Group (AG) political party in 1951. He served as the Premier of the Western Region from 1954 to 1960, later emerged the Leader of the Opposition in Nigeria’s federal parliament. ALSO READ >>> Meet Nigeria’s First President, Nnamdi Azikiwe He served as the Vice-Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and Minister of Finance, during the Nigerian Civil War, 1967–1971. Awolowo introduced free primary education and free healthcare for children in the Western Region, which became a model in Nigeria. He advocated federalism as the best system for Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups. He was widely know...

Pope Francis laid to Rest at St. Mary Major Basilica

Pope Francis was laid to rest at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on Saturday, April 26, 2025, after a funeral Mass at the Vatican attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners and world leaders, including United States President, Donald Trump.

Francis, who died on Easter Monday, aged 88, was remembered as a “pope among the people” who sought to “build bridges, not walls” in a funeral homily at St. Peter’s Square.

An estimated 400,000 people occupied the square and lined the streets of Rome to say goodbye to the Argentinian pontiff, a champion of the poor who had led the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics since 2013.

It's noteworthy that President Trump held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart on the sidelines of the funeral, which Volodymyr Zelensky described as positive, with “potential to become historic”.

The papal funeral marks the first of nine days of mourning for Catholics across the world.

Another Mass of mourning will be held in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, April 27. That will be led by Italian Cardinal, Pietro Parolin, who is reportedly viewed as a leading papal contender.

In coming days, the Vatican will announce the date for the commencement of the Conclave, in which Pope Francis’ successor would be elected.

FN Blog