The West African Students' Union (WASU) was formed in____________

Analyze the question: The question asks for the year the West African Students' Union (WASU) was founded.

Concept: WASU was a nationalist organisation formed by West African students in London. It was founded by Herbert Macaulay's contemporaries, notably Ladipo Solanke (a Nigerian law student), together with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe's later supporters and others such as Dr. Randle. Its purposes were:

• To promote unity among West African students abroad
• To fight racial discrimination
• To provide accommodation and welfare for West African students in Britain (Wassu Hostel)
• To advocate self-government in West Africa

Working through the dates:

• The union grew out of the Nigerian Progress Union, which Ladipo Solanke and Dr. Moore founded in London in 1924.
• It was then expanded and renamed the West African Students' Union (WASU) in 1925.
• Its journal, Wasu, started in 1926.

So the options break down as:

• 1922: too early
• 1923: too early
• 1924: the year the Nigerian Progress Union was started, which is the predecessor, not WASU itself
• 1925: the year WASU was established under that name

Note on the sources: Some textbooks give 1924 because they treat the founding of the Nigerian Progress Union as the start of WASU.

Correct answer: A. 1925

Exam tip: Remember "Solanke, 24 to 25": the Nigerian Progress Union came in 24, and it became WASU in 25. If both 1924 and 1925 appear in the options, JAMB generally expects 1925 for WASU.