H. O. Davies
Encyclopedia
Oloye Hezekiah Oladipo Davies (April 5 1905- November 22 1989) was a leading Nigerian nationalist, lawyer, journalist, trade unionist, thought leader, international statesman and politician during the nation's movement towards independence in 1960 and immediately afterwards.
, Nigeria
. His maternal Great Grandfather was the Oba
of Effon-Alaiye
. His maternal Great Grand Mother was the Owa (Queen regnant) of Ilesha. His grandmother was Princess Haastrup, the daughter of the Ijesha monarch, and his paternal Grand-Father, Prince Ogunmade-Davies of the Ogunmade Ruling House of Lagos, was the son of King Docemo. His father, known as “Spiritual Moses”, was one of the founders of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church of Nigeria.
1911-17, attended the Wesley School, Olowogbowo
, Lagos
1917-20, attended the Methodist Boy's High School, Lagos
1921-23, attended the King's College, Lagos
1924- Assistant Master at King's College, Lagos
Notable amongst his childhood friends were Nigeria’s first President Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe
from the Methodist Boys High School and Nigeria’s first indigenous Chief Justice of the Federation, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola
and Nigeria’s first indigenous Surgeon Dr Oni Akerele
, both from King's College.
's distance learning program where he made friends with the likes of Lord Denning, passing the London Matriculation Examination in 1925 along with Eyo Ita
.
He also attended the London School of Economics
in 1935 where he was a pupil of Harold Laski
, graduating with a B. Comm (Hons). In the same year, he was elected President of the Cosmopolitan Club of the School. While in the United Kingdom
, he was President of the West African Student Union and was also a representative of the University of London on the Executive Committee on British Universities. He later returned to London in 1944 where he studied Law and was called to the English Bar at the Middle Temple Inns of Court, London in 1946. In 1959, Davies spent a year as a Fellow of the Center for International Studies at Harvard University
, Ernest Sissei Ikoli, and Samuel Akisanya. He was made Secretary-General.
The Youth Movement was one of the earliest political associations to encourage active participation by Nigerians in the political and socio-economic development of the country. After returning from studies abroad along with Nnamdi Azikiwe
, Davies spearheaded the efforts that led to renaming the Lagos Youth Movement the Nigerian Youth Movement
(NYM) when both individuals became prominent members, contributors and national leaders with large followings. Davies was the founding Secretary-General of the NYM.
Davies left the movement in 1951 and founded his own party, the Nigerian People's Congress. He later joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
after negotiations for a formidable alliance with Nnamdi Azikiwe was unsuccessful. Davies was a Federal Minister of State
in the Ministry of Industries from 1963-1966. during the Nigerian First Republic.
) that were honored with the distinction of Queen's Counsel
in 1959. Among his many legal accomplishments, he was the only African lawyer among the legal team that helped defend Jomo Kenyatta
who later became the President of Kenya
during the famous Mau Mau Uprising
case along with Mr. DN Pritt, QC from Britain, Mr. Diwan Chawaanlal from India; and De Sousa and Kapilla, both Indians resident in Kenya. That same year he left for the United States where he attended the Research Center for International Affairs at Harvard University
and wrote the visionary book "Prospects for Democracy". During his time at Harvard, he met with and became friends with future US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
and future US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski
. He led a Nigerian delegation to the Economic Council at the United Nations
in 1964, and in September 1974 Chief H.O. Davies was knighted by the French Government Chevelier de l' Ordre national du Mérite
(Industrial) for his significant contributions in energizing Total Fina Oil and the Elf
Petroleum companies of which he was a Director and for promoting French-Nigerian relations.
In 1937, Davies became the Manager of a leading daily newspaper, the Daily Service and in 1960 he was made the founding Chairman and Managing Director of the then Nigerian National Press, Printers of the Nigerian Morning Post and Sunday Post by the Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
.
Among his several accomplishments, Chief HO Davies was:
a) A National President of the World Peace Through Law
b) President of the United Nations Organization in Nigeria
c) Chairman of the Rotary Club of Nigeria
d) Founder and Inaugural President of the Nigerian-France Friendship Association
Prior to his death in 1989, Davies published an autobiographical book titled "Memoirs"
Family History and Early Days
Chief Davies was born in the southern city of LagosLagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
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...
. His maternal Great Grandfather was the Oba
Oba (ruler)
Oba is a West African synonym for monarch, one that is usually applied to the Yoruba and Edo rulers of the region. It is also often used by their traditional subjects to refer to other kings and queens, such as Elizabeth I of England, in their native languages.-Edo account of the word's origin:The...
of Effon-Alaiye
Effon-Alaiye
Effon-Alaiye or Efon-Alaaye is a town in the Ekiti State of southwestern Nigeria, inhabited by Yoruba people. The population in 1983 was over 100,000.-Demographics:...
. His maternal Great Grand Mother was the Owa (Queen regnant) of Ilesha. His grandmother was Princess Haastrup, the daughter of the Ijesha monarch, and his paternal Grand-Father, Prince Ogunmade-Davies of the Ogunmade Ruling House of Lagos, was the son of King Docemo. His father, known as “Spiritual Moses”, was one of the founders of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church of Nigeria.
1911-17, attended the Wesley School, Olowogbowo
Olowogbowo
Olowogbowo is an area in the west of Lagos Island in Lagos, Nigeria, also known as Apongbon. The area is in the central business district....
, Lagos
1917-20, attended the Methodist Boy's High School, Lagos
1921-23, attended the King's College, Lagos
King's College, Lagos
King's College, Lagos is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits male students only, although there were some female HSC students before the...
1924- Assistant Master at King's College, Lagos
Notable amongst his childhood friends were Nigeria’s first President Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe , usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe and popularly known as "Zik", was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism who became the first President of Nigeria after Nigeria secured its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960; holding the...
from the Methodist Boys High School and Nigeria’s first indigenous Chief Justice of the Federation, Sir Adetokunbo Ademola
Adetokunbo Ademola
Adetokunbo Adegboyega Ademola, KBE, GCON was a Nigerian jurist, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and son of King Ladapo Ademola II, paramount leader as the Alake of the Egba clan of Nigeria....
and Nigeria’s first indigenous Surgeon Dr Oni Akerele
Oni Akerele
John Oni Akerele was a Nigerian doctor, Nigeria's first indigenous surgeon.While living in London, in 1941 he married Dorothy Jackson, who was of African, European and Native American descent, and they set up home in Kilburn, in the north of London....
, both from King's College.
Formal Education
H.O. Davies was one of the earliest Nigerians to utilize the University of LondonUniversity of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
's distance learning program where he made friends with the likes of Lord Denning, passing the London Matriculation Examination in 1925 along with Eyo Ita
Eyo Ita
Eyo Ita was a Nigerian politician from Cross River State who was the leader of the Eastern Government of Nigerian in 1951. He was one of the earliest Nigerian students who studied in the United States instead of the frequent route of studying in United Kingdom...
.
He also attended the London School of Economics
London 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...
in 1935 where he was a pupil of Harold Laski
Harold Laski
Harold Joseph Laski was a British Marxist, political theorist, economist, author, and lecturer, who served as the chairman of the Labour Party during 1945-1946, and was a professor at the LSE from 1926 to 1950....
, graduating with a B. Comm (Hons). In the same year, he was elected President of the Cosmopolitan Club of the School. While in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he was President of the West African Student Union and was also a representative of the University of London on the Executive Committee on British Universities. He later returned to London in 1944 where he studied Law and was called to the English Bar at the Middle Temple Inns of Court, London in 1946. In 1959, Davies spent a year as a Fellow of the Center for International Studies at Harvard University
Political Career
Davies was a founding member of the Lagos Youth Movement in 1934 along with James Churchill Vaughan, Kofo AbayomiKofo Abayomi
Kofoworola Adekunle "Kofo" Abayomi, Kt was a Nigerian ophthalmologist who was one of the founders of the nationalist Lagos Youth Movement in 1934 and who went on to have a distinguished public service career.-Early years:...
, Ernest Sissei Ikoli, and Samuel Akisanya. He was made Secretary-General.
The Youth Movement was one of the earliest political associations to encourage active participation by Nigerians in the political and socio-economic development of the country. After returning from studies abroad along with Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe , usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe and popularly known as "Zik", was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism who became the first President of Nigeria after Nigeria secured its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960; holding the...
, Davies spearheaded the efforts that led to renaming the Lagos Youth Movement the Nigerian Youth Movement
Nigerian Youth Movement
The Nigerian Youth Movement was Nigeria's first genuine nationalist organization, founded in Lagos in 1933 with the name of Lagos Youth Movement and renamed the Nigerian Youth Movement in 1936.-Early years:Founding members included Dr...
(NYM) when both individuals became prominent members, contributors and national leaders with large followings. Davies was the founding Secretary-General of the NYM.
Davies left the movement in 1951 and founded his own party, the Nigerian People's Congress. He later joined the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons , was a Nigerian political party from 1944 to 1966. The name included 'Cameroons' because Cameroon had become an administrative part of Nigeria in 1945. Cameroon had been a colonial territory of Germany...
after negotiations for a formidable alliance with Nnamdi Azikiwe was unsuccessful. Davies was a Federal Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
in the Ministry of Industries from 1963-1966. during the Nigerian First Republic.
Legal and Other Professional Life'
Davies was a very successful lawyer, being one of the first two Nigerians (along with Chief Frederick Rotimi WilliamsFrederick Rotimi Williams
Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams, QC, SAN was a prominent Nigerian lawyer who was the first Nigerian to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In the 1950s, he was a member of the Action Group and subsequently became the minister for local government and Justice...
) that were honored with the distinction of Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1959. Among his many legal accomplishments, he was the only African lawyer among the legal team that helped defend Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyattapron.] served as the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He is considered the founding father of the Kenyan nation....
who later became the President of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
during the famous Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
case along with Mr. DN Pritt, QC from Britain, Mr. Diwan Chawaanlal from India; and De Sousa and Kapilla, both Indians resident in Kenya. That same year he left for the United States where he attended the Research Center for International Affairs at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and wrote the visionary book "Prospects for Democracy". During his time at Harvard, he met with and became friends with future US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
and future US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....
. He led a Nigerian delegation to the Economic Council at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1964, and in September 1974 Chief H.O. Davies was knighted by the French Government Chevelier de l' Ordre national du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
(Industrial) for his significant contributions in energizing Total Fina Oil and the Elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
Petroleum companies of which he was a Director and for promoting French-Nigerian relations.
In 1937, Davies became the Manager of a leading daily newspaper, the Daily Service and in 1960 he was made the founding Chairman and Managing Director of the then Nigerian National Press, Printers of the Nigerian Morning Post and Sunday Post by the Prime Minister, Sir 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...
.
Among his several accomplishments, Chief HO Davies was:
a) A National President of the World Peace Through Law
b) President of the United Nations Organization in Nigeria
c) Chairman of the Rotary Club of Nigeria
d) Founder and Inaugural President of the Nigerian-France Friendship Association
Prior to his death in 1989, Davies published an autobiographical book titled "Memoirs"