Who was the first national president of the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the first national president of the NCNC (National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons), one of Nigeria's earliest nationalist parties.

Step 2: Recall the background

• The NCNC was founded in 1944 by Herbert Macaulay and Nnamdi Azikiwe, among others.
• Herbert Macaulay, often called the "Father of Nigerian Nationalism," was elected its first President. Nnamdi Azikiwe was its General Secretary.
• Macaulay died in 1946. Azikiwe then took over leadership and became the party's best-known figure.

Step 3: Eliminate the wrong options

• A. Ahmadu Bello: Leader of the Northern People's Congress (NPC), not the NCNC.
• B. Edward Blyden: A 19th-century pan-Africanist who died in 1912, long before the NCNC existed.
• D. Nnamdi Azikiwe: A founder and later leader of the NCNC, but he was the General Secretary at the start, not the first president.
• E. Obafemi Awolowo: Leader of the Action Group (AG).

Step 4: Answer The first national president of the NCNC was Herbert Macaulay, so the answer is C.

Exam tip: Remember "Macaulay = President, Azikiwe = Secretary" for the NCNC's founding in 1944. Examiners often put Azikiwe among the options as a distractor because he is more famous, so read carefully for the word "first."