Nnamdi Azikiwe

In 1956, the Foster-Sutton Tribunal investigated allegations that Nnamdi Azikiwe, then Premier of Eastern Nigeria, had maintained improper financial connections to the African Continental Bank while holding public office. The tribunal, led by British judge Sir Stafford Foster-Sutton, examined whether Azikiwe had used his political position to benefit the bank, in which he held significant interests. The investigation created a major political crisis just four years before Nigeria's independence, threatening the career of one of the country's most prominent nationalist leaders.

Azikiwe had founded the African Continental Bank in 1947 as part of his vision for African economic independence from colonial financial institutions. When he became Premier of Eastern Nigeria in 1954, questions arose about potential conflicts of interest between his government role and his business holdings. The Eastern Regional government had deposited public funds in the bank, raising concerns about whether Azikiwe was using his official position to channel government money into his private enterprise. These allegations emerged during a period of intense political competition between Nigeria's regional leaders as independence approached.