The West African Students Union (WASU) was formed by _______

Analyze the question: The question asks who founded the West African Students Union (WASU), a key organisation in the history of West African nationalism.

Explain the concept: WASU was founded in London in 1925 by West African students studying in Britain. Its aims were to promote unity among West Africans, defend their interests, and challenge colonial rule and racial discrimination. Its leading founder was Ladipo Solanke, a Nigerian law student from Ogun State, with support from Dr. Herbert Bankole-Bright of Sierra Leone. Many future nationalist leaders, such as Kwame Nkrumah, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Jomo Kenyatta, were associated with it or influenced by it.

Go through the options:

• A. Siaka Stevens: A Sierra Leonean politician who became Prime Minister and later President. He was not a WASU founder.
• B. K. A. Gbedemah: A Ghanaian politician and finance minister under Nkrumah, associated with the CPP. He was not a WASU founder.
• C. E. F. Small: Edward Francis Small was a Gambian trade unionist who founded the Gambia Labour Union and the Bathurst Trade Union. He was not a WASU founder.
• D. Oladipo Solake: This is the spelling in the question for Ladipo Solanke, the founder of WASU in 1925.

Tip: Link the name Solanke with WASU 1925, London. Also remember the other options by their organisations: Small for the Gambian labour movement, Stevens for Sierra Leone politics, and Gbedemah for the Ghanaian CPP.