Theory question 107
NationalismSection B: Political and Constitutional Developments in West Africa and International Relations
(a) Describe the organizational structure of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM).
(b) What led to its collapse?
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(a) Formed in 1936 from the Lagos Youth Movement (1934).
A national convention/congress was the highest body.
A national executive headed by a president (e.g. Dr Kofo Abayomi, later Ernest Ikoli) with other officers.
Headquarters in Lagos, with branches in many towns across the country.
Used committees (e.g. for the 1938 Lagos Town Council and Legislative Council elections).
Owned a newspaper, the Daily Service, as its mouthpiece.
(b) Collapse: leadership crisis over the 1941 Legislative Council by-election (Akinsanya against Ikoli); Azikiwe and Akinsanya left with their supporters; ethnic (Yoruba–Igbo) suspicion; rivalry between the Daily Service and Azikiwe's West African Pilot; weak organisation and finances; loss of national character, leading to its decline by the mid-1940s.
Describe the structure, then explain the causes of collapse.