Action group was inaugurated on April 25, 1951, and Chief Awolowo was elected the party's first president, and in his own words the vision of the group was stated as “the basic principles which therefore have brought us together within the fold of the Action Group may be stated in the following words:

1. The immediate, termination of British rule in every phase of our political life.

2. The education of all children or school going age and the general enlightenment of all illiterate adults and illiterate children of school going age

3. The provision of health and general welfare of all our people

4. The total abolition of want in our society by means of any economic policy which is both expedient and effective

The vision of the Action Group was well articulated such that the group had a catch phrase which made it easy for the common man to describe the party, this was: "FRE.EDOM FOR ALL, LIFE MORE ABUNDANT.

When Chief Obafemi Awolowo took charge in the Western region as head of government business on 6 th of February 1952, the programme of action drawing directly from above vision was enunciated, the programme was follows:

1. Free universal! Primary education for all children of school going age
2. Free medical treatment for all children up to the age of 18 years
3. One hospital for each of the twenty-four divisions in the region which did not possess one yet.
4. Improvement in Agricultural technique and higher returns
5. Better wages for the working class.
6. Improvement of exiting roads and bridges and the construction of new ones
7. Water supply to urban and rural areas.

Chief Awolowo's team was packed full of articulate professionals in their own right and he caused position papers to be presented on ail policy issues before decisions were taken.

On his team Chief Awolowo had this to say in his autobiography published in 1960: "My team of ministers was unexcelled. It was a team of which any head of government in the world will be proud. It was a well knit, highly disciplined and fanatically loyal team. Each of them knew his subject well".

Coupled with the respect the team members had for themselves, was the confidence demonstrated despite the gigantic programme of action to he executed as stated interalia by Chief Awolowo in his Autobiography.

“From information which had reached us from authoritative sources, the officials with whom we were to associate in executing these policies neither believed in nor had sympathy for them.

Apart from administrative impediments, we realised that there were also financial hurdles of mountainous heights to be overcome. But we were determined to blast our ways through them and compel the force of any adverse circumstance to serve our will.

We had put in long and hard preparation to meet the challenge of the new constitution. We had evolved elaborate plans which, with such modification inside knowledge of governmental facts and figures might dictate were ready to be launched at a moment notice; and what is more, we had an abiding flaming faith in the soundness and practiceableness of our plan. We regard ourselves as crusaders in a new cause and as eminently qualified for the pioneering role which we had imposed upon ourselves."

The following clearly demonstrate that chief Awolowo had strong convictions about the vision of the Action Group in the service of the Western Region of Nigeria.

The Late Primate of the Anglican Church, Most Rev Olufosoye, had this to say about Chief Awolowo at his burial in 1987: "Chief Obafemi Awolowo achieved a number of firsts as more evidence of his true leadership qualities as head of Government of Western region. This includes:

1. Free Primary Education introduced
2. The First free medical service to children below the age of 18 years
3. The first stadium of international standard called Liberty Stadium
4. The first Television Station network in Africa
5. The first pilgrim Welfare Board
6. The first modern housing Estate located in Bodija and Ikeja
7. The first introduced minimum wage for workers

To be able to achieve success, he inspired not only his followers, but also a highly motivated and efficient public service. Most of the companies he established as Premier yesterday form the nucleus of the gigantic Oodua Investment Company today. Both as Leader of Opposition in the House of Representative (1957-1962) and as Federal Minister of Finance and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Federal Military Government (1967-71), he demonstrated such patriotism, such astute wisdom and capacity for hard work will Continue to form a reference in the history of Nigerian Economy.

He was a man undaunted by difficulties­ failures, persecution or incarceration", Further on his extraordinary nature, he said "Few people will remember that when he was Premier of Western Region made provision in each Secondary School to admit FIVE students from the Northern Region to each class in order to accelerate educational progress in the North".

On Chief Awolowo's leadership style, a former Nigerian leader, General Yakubu Gowon had this to say as part of funeral oration: “Chief Obafemi Awolowo was dedicated, disciplined and serene. In the single mindedness of his devotion to the business of government and in his political career, he was resolute and almost stern. He was indeed a charismatic leader who commanded respect among his followers"

On his death in 1987, the then Editor African Guardian Magazine, Mr. Andy Akporugo, had this to say: Chief Awolowo was undeniably one of Africans finest statesmen. But as a politician, his conception of ‘shepherd' seemed over laden with platonic abstractions concerning the Philosopher-King. He believed for instance, that the people deserved a knowledgeable, honest and purposive leader whose selection (election?) was invariably governed by some natural, self evident rules of elimination", he went further to say “he was a populariser of an almost incisive proportion; but it would appear he quite often underestimated his infection or perhaps in his patient innocence, he nearly never completely realized the extent of the fanaticism that he inspired”

Further on the extra ordinary behaviour of Chief Awolowo, Mr. Ray Ekpu, Editor of the Newswatch magazine, had this to say: "in many respect, Awo was an unusual man, a man of Spartan discipline. He neither drank nor smoked. And he neither succumbed to the sin of the Gary Hart, namely womanizing. He upheld a rigid regimen of life and became for many people a tough act to follow.”

In conclusion, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had this to say on his achievements as a Leader: "I would like to be remembered for helping to build a united multi ethnic state. I want to be remembered for creating the basis for an irreversible resolution in education for social justice in Nigeria . I have not yet succeeded in all of these. But I have set a pattern which, no other Nigerian can ignore or reverse.” ­Indeed in the development of Western Region of Nigeria, Awolowo was a pacesetter and an ethical charismatic leader.

Finally, one of the celebrated writers in Nigeria , Cyprian Ekwensi had this to say about Chief Awolowo and his followers: "The Awoists almost deified Awo. The factor which led to this state of hero-worship are made up of Awo's vision for Nigeria, his consistency of promise and delivery, his planning strategy, his dedication to making good life available to all, the visible and provable transformation of the standards of those who embraced his philosophy and practised his own exemplary self denial and modest style, his mystic and ascetic life bordering on the occult and his unselfishness".