Ladipo Solanke

Ladipo Solanke was a Nigerian born political activist who campaigned on West African issues. While studying law at University College, London, he protested an article written by the Evening Standard, which claimed that cannibalism and black magic had been common in Nigeria.

In 1925, Solanke, alongside Dr Bankole-Bright, founded the West African Students’ Union (WASU) in London. This organisation would become the main social, cultural and political focus for West Africans in Britain for the next twenty-five years. WASU also served as a training ground for many future political leaders and played an important role agitating colonial rule in Britain’s West African colonies.

His leadership led to the establishment of a West African parliamentary committee, with Labour MPs as members, allowing WASU to act as a more effective parliamentary pressure group.