AWOLOWO believed that educationally developed people are easy to lead but difficult to cheat
- First Stadium of international standard in Africa
- First Television station in Africa
- Free and compulsory primary education for ALL residents of the region
- Made provision in each Secondary School to admit 5 students from the Northern Region to EACH CLASS in order to accelerate educational progress in the North
- Free basic healthcare for ALL people of age 18 and below regardless of ethnic divide
- Several industrial estates which are still functional today in areas as Ikeja, Ilupeju, Ikorodu, Yaba, Ibadan, Benin, Warri, Asaba and Epe
- First modern housing Estate located in Bodija and Ikeja
- First non-colonial University; unarguably the biggest in Nigeria and one time Africa’s most beautiful campus: Obafemi Awolowo University
- One hospital for each of the twenty-four divisions in the region which did not possess one yet
- First to introduce a minimum daily wage of five shillings from the then existing minimum wage of two shillings and three pence per day
- First pilgrim Welfare Board
- Rubber plantations in the region
- Cocoa farms all over the region
- Established Farm settlements for the training of young and ageing farmers in Lagos, Ibadan, Akure, Benin, Warri and Asaba
- First skyscraper in tropical Africa: The Cocoa House (Still the tallest in Ibadan)
- Massive electrification of the region
- First dedicated green area in Nigeria: Aromire/Adeniyi Jones axis. (It was dedicated to neutralize the effect of emissions from the factories
- Agricultural Credit Corporation to lend money to modern small and medium scale farmers at interest rate of NOT more than 2% per annum
- First to begin the massive expansion of housing for serving public officers and housing loans at little or no interest rate to the other citizens of the Region
- Acquired the commanding shares in Wema Bank and National Bank, as a means of government’s active participation in the financial sector
- Embarked upon long-term development plans of 1951-55; 1955-60 and 1960-65 (My favorite)
