Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 in modern-day Bauchi State, in the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. Balewa's father, Yakubu Dan Zala, was of Gere ethnicity,[5] and his mother Fatima Inna was of Gere and Fulani descent.[5][6] His father worked in the house of the district head of Lere, a district within the Bauchi Emirate.[7]

Balewa began his education at a Qur'anic school in Bauchi; when southern colonial administrators began to push for western education in the Northern region, Balewa was among the children sent to Tafawa Balewa Elementary School, after the Qur'anic school. Thereafter, he proceeded to Bauchi Provincial School.[7] Like many of his contemporaries, he studied at Barewa College, then known as Katsina College, where he was student number 145. Ahmadu Rabah, later known as Ahmadu Bello, was student number 87 and was two years his senior, while Abubakar Imam was a year ahead of him.[8] The college was several kilometers from Bauchi and was not close to a railway station nor other public transportation. During holidays, which was twice a year, Balewa trekked home, a journey of more than 400 kilometers. He trekked for 40 kilometers a day, before finding a resting place at a nearby village. In total, the journey took him 10 days.[7]

Katsina College had British expatriate teachers, many of whom had been educated at leading British schools and then attended Cambridge or Oxford Universities. Students were taught in English, and speech was an important part of learning for the students. Apart from excellence in English, the school was also a training ground for teachers to be posted to the provincial and middle schools within the Northern Provinces of Nigeria.[7]

Balewa completed his five-year education in 1933 and returned to Bauchi to teach at Bauchi Middle School. He taught at the school and rose to become a senior schoolmaster. In 1941, he became acquainted with a young Aminu Kano, who was posted to the school as a teacher. After a student unrest, investigations into student grievances indicted the headmaster, and in 1941 Balewa was nominated as the new headmaster.[7] In 1944, Balewa and some other educated teachers in the Northern Provinces were chosen to study abroad at the University of London's Institute of Education, which today forms part of University College London. Upon returning to Nigeria, he became an Inspector of Schools for the colonial administration and later entered politics.[9]

He was elected in 1946 to the Northern House of Assembly, and to the Legislative Council in 1947. As a legislator, he was a vocal advocate of the rights of Northern Nigeria. He supported hesitance by the North to become independent, based on the objection that the north and south regions were not at an equal footing. In the Northern Assembly, he sought more roles and responsibility in the Native Administration for the educated members of the emirates.[7]

Together with Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, who held the hereditary title of Sardauna of Sokoto, they proposed the transformation of the cultural organization, Jam'iyyar Mutanen Arewa, which means Northern People's Congress (NPC) in English, to become a political platform for use as campaign platform during the elections of 1951. Balewa was elected Vice President of the new party and subsequently resigned his post as headmaster of Bauchi Middle School. NPC won the plurality of votes to the regional House of Assembly in 1951.[10]

Balewa (far right), with Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy, for the proclamation of independence celebrations in Lagos.

Balewa was among the new legislators in Kaduna. Under a new constitution, the Macpherson Constitution of 1951, an electoral college system was implemented whereby, some regional legislators were elected to the Federal House of Representatives in Lagos, and among the federal legislators, three members from each region would be appointed federal ministers with portfolio. Balewa was among those nominated to Lagos and along with Kashim Ibrahim and Muhammadu Ribadu were nominated to become ministers.[11]

Balewa entered the government in 1952 as Minister of Works, and later served as Minister of Transport during a time Nigeria was moving towards self-government. During his tenure at the transport ministry, both the Marine and Railway departments were transformed to corporations and the designs for a bridge over the Niger and plans for the Kainji Dam were developed.[12]

In 1957, NPC won the plurality of votes in the Federal House of Representatives and Balewa became the Chief Minister and designated Prime Minister. As part of his plans to unify the country towards the move for independence in 1960, he formed a coalition government between the NPC and the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), led by Nnamdi Azikiwe and also invited the Action Group (A.G.), the 1957 cabinet was constituted as an all party cabinet.[13] Though, Awolowo, the leader of A.G. and premier of the Western region was skeptical of the plan,[14] the national executive committee of Action Group party endorsed the National Government and Ayo Rosiji and Samuel Akintola were nominated by the party. During this period, Balewa developed a close relationship with K.O. Mbadiwe from NCNC and Akintola from AG.[7]

Balewa at the White House with President Kennedy, 1961

Balewa retained the post as Prime Minister of Nigeria when Nigeria gained independence in 1960, and was reelected in 1964.[15]

He announced independence in a motion to Parliament on January 18, 1959:

"That this House authorizes the Government of the Federation of Nigeria to request Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom as soon as practicable to introduce a legislation in the Parliament of the United Kingdom providing for the establishment of the Federation of Nigeria on October 1, 1960 as an Independent Sovereign State, and to request Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom at the appropriate time to support with the other Member Governments of the Commonwealth, Nigeria's desire to become a member of the Commonwealth. This is a great day for Nigeria. It marks the beginning of the last stage of our march toward independence and all of us who are here today should be thankful to Almighty God who has given us the opportunity to witness the events of this most memorable time."

— Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mr. Prime Minister: A Selection of Speeches Made by Alhaii the Right Honourable Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, [16]

United States

Prime Minister Balewa (2nd from right) talks to President Kennedy on the first live broadcast via the SYNCOM satellite from Lagos.

He visited the US in 1961 for eight days, four of which he spent in Washington at Blair House. During his visit, he became the first Nigerian leader to address a Joint session of the United States Congress and visited the Islamic Center of Washington.[24] He had an enormous amount of respect for President John F. Kennedy, describing him, and his age in particular as "matured as that of any older statesman."[25] He took part in the launch of the Syncom 2 NASA program, allowing him to phone for President Kennedy from the USNS Kingsport docked at Lagos Harbor via the SYNCOM satellite on 23 August 1963.[26][27][28] It marked the first live two-way call between heads of government by satellite.

Overthrow and death

Balewa was overthrown and murdered in a military coup on 15 January 1966, as were many other leaders, including his old companion Sir Ahmadu Bello. The circumstances of his death still remain unresolved. His body was discovered at a roadside near Lagos six days after he was ousted from office. Balewa was buried in Bauchi. News of his assassination spurred violent riots throughout Northern Nigeria and ultimately led to the bloody counter-coup of July 1966.[8]

Grave of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

In 1933, Balewa wrote Shaihu Umar, a novella about a pious Muslim in response to a request by Rupert East, the head of the colonial Translation Bureau, to promote Hausa literature.[31] Shaihu Umar was first published in 1934. An English translation by Mervyn Hiskett was published in 1967.

Written in a prose homily structure,[8][31] the protagonist, Shaihu Umar, recounts his events in his life's history. Events and themes in the novel deal with the trans-Saharan slave trade, familial relationships and Islamic themes of submission to the will of God.[31]

Shaihu Umar was staged as a play in the 1970s.[31]

Statue of Tafawa Balewa in Owerri Imo State

In January 1960, Balewa was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[32] He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield in May 1960.[5] He was also awarded an honorary doctorate of laws from the New York University in July 1961.[33]

Balewa's portrait was placed on the 5 Naira Note. The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Bauchi State International Airport in Bauchi was named in his honour.[34]

Balewa was described as modest and self-effacing.[35] At his death, his major assets included his house in Bauchi and a 50-acre farm where he vacationed when he wanted to relax. The farm was located on the way to Tafawa Balewa village about nine miles outside Bauchi; many official decisions while in office were taken at the farm. Balewa was married to four women who bore him nineteen children.[36][37]

Balewa was buried in Tafawa Balewa's tomb at Bauchi.[38]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

• Nigerian First Republic
• Cabinet of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

• Kalu Ezera;, Constitutional Developments in Nigeria: An Analytical Study of Nigeria's Constitution-Making Developments and the Historical and Political Factors That Affected Constitutional Change, 1960
• James S. Olson, Robert S. Shadle; Historical Dictionary of the British Empire, Greenwood Press, 1996
• B. I. C. Ijomah, The Enigma of Nigerian Nationalism, Edo State University Publishing House, 1996, ISBN 9789782100139
• Alh. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa official visit to USA in 25–28 July 1961, YouTube.