Skip to content

"Today is Independence Day. The first of October 1960 is a date to which every Nigerian has eagerly looked forward. At last, our great day has arrived."

— Tafawa Balewa

Another quote →

More quotes by Tafawa Balewa

"The strength of Nigeria lies in the unity of her diverse peoples."

"We must show the world that we are capable of managing our own affairs and of building a nation founded on justice and mutual respect."

It took the nation lots of battle to gain its sovereignty and as such leaders must be willing to “play an active part in maintaining the peace of the world and in preserving civilisation.”

"Our independence will have little meaning unless it is used to improve the welfare of our people."

"Words cannot adequately express my joy and pride at being the Nigerian citizen privileged to accept these constitutional instruments which are the symbols of Nigeria's independence."

All Tafawa Balewa quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Tafawa Balewa (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.