Of Obafemi Awolowo, Rolake Akinkugbe and Michael Faraday

by Augustine Togonu-Bickersteth

Obafemi Awolowo, a graduate of the London School of Economics, was a politician  and Head of Government of Western Nigeria. Awolowo founded the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) on September 22, 1978, adopting as the party symbol a candle lighting up Nigeria.

September 22, 1791 saw the birth, in London, of Michael Faraday, British Chemist and Physicist regarded as the Father of Electricity. For several years running, Michael Faraday gave a series of lectures under the title, The Chemical History of a candle and when Nigeria’s defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) became PLC   Nigerians termed PLC to mean “Please Light Candle”.

Whereas Rolake Akinkugbe, a graduate of the London School of Economics, studied Politics and Government, and had announced to the world her business, Inatide, in the Financial Times of London on September 21 2015. Inatide  is a Yoruba expression which means” Light has come”. Often uttered by the Yoruba speaking in Nigeria when the utilities restore Electric Power supply. Inatide is an initiative set up to support renewable and clean energy start ups in Africa.

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