Until Major General Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi promulgated the Unification of Assets Decree Number 34 on May 24, 1966, there was complete and total resource control in Nigeria.
Chief Awolowo had zero access to oil money. Even if he wanted it, he could not get it. The Western Region of Nigeria paid for the Universal Free Primary education policy with taxes and income from cocoa. Something that even the Eastern Region, with all its oil money, did not do.
As a matter of fact, the main reason why Chief Awolowo’s Action Group lost the pre-Independence federal election was because Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe and the NCNC campaigned against him on the grounds that if Nigerians voted for him, he would increase taxes nationwide, the way he did in the Western Region, to pay for his Universal Free Education policy which he campaigned to expand nationwide if he won. At that time, many Nigerians did not know the value of education, and so the Middle Belt, who by polling were expected to vote Action Group, voted against Awolowo for fear of increased taxes.
Eventually, no party won the election, and Chief Azikiwe went into a coalition with the Northern Peoples Party. And that is the only reason Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa became Prime Minister on October 1, 1960, until Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna killed him on January 15, 1966. Chief Awolowo offered to go into coalition with Nnamdi Azikiwe, but Azikiwe refused.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo launched the Universal Free Education in the Western Region via a radio broadcast on January 7, 1955. That policy continued until Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi seized power after the Ifeajuna-Nzeogwu coup of January 15, 1966, and he did not do it with Eastern Nigeria’s money.
