Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa KBE PC (December 1912 - 15 January 1966) was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile.
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Early Life and Education
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in the village of Tafawa Balewa in Lere district of Bauchi province, Northern Nigeria Protectorate, in December 1912. He is the eldest child. His father was Yakubu Dan Zalla, who married a Fulani woman, Fatima Inna.
Balewa studied in a Madrasa at Bauchi before proceeding to an elementary school in Tafawa Balewa village and completed at Bauchi Government Provincial School. He studied at Katsina Higher College (presently called Barewa College) from 1928 to 1932 and became a secondary school teacher thereafter. In 1944 he became the headmaster of Bauchi middle school. After two years, he moved to the University of London Institute of Education, where he obtained an overseas teacher's certificate.
Political Career
Returning to Nigeria, he worked as Bauchi native authority educational assistant and a member of the advisory council of Emir Yakubu III. Balewa was elected to the Central Legislative Council in 1947 after local authorities accepted the public's declaration that he should be the representative of Bauchi at the Northern House of Assembly. In the early 1950s, the British governor-general, John Macpherson, introduced electoral college system, hence, in 1951, the Northern People's Congress (NPC) was established. Balewa was a member.
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In 1952 he moved to Lagos as a member of the central house of representatives, and became minister of works. When the 1954 federal constitution was established, Balewa was selected as one of the three northern members of the council of ministers. He also served as the minister of transportation.
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.
Though, Awolowo, the leader of A.G. and premier of the Western region was skeptical of the plan, 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.
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Prime Minister of Nigeria (1957-1966)
On October 1, 1960, The Federation of Nigeria formally achieved its independence from Britain and joined the Commonwealth of Nations (CON). On October 1, 1960, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, founder of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), was appointed as prime minister (head of government) of the Federation of Nigeria.
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Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, leader of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, was appointed as Governor-General (representative of Queen Elizabeth II, the Nigerian head of state) on November 16, 1960. The Federal Republic of Nigeria was established on October 1, 1963, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as prime minister (head of government) and Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe as president (head of state).
Prior to Nigeria's independence, a constitutional conference in 1954 had adopted a regional political framework for the country, with all regions given a considerable amount of political freedom. The three regions then were composed of diverse cultural groups. The premiers and some prominent leaders of the regions later took on a policy of guiding their regions against political encroachment from other regional leaders. Later on, this political environment influenced the Balewa administration.
However, a treason charge and conviction against one of the western region's leaders, Obafemi Awolowo, led to protest and condemnation from many of his supporters. The 1965 election in the region later produced violent protests.
Key Events During His Premiership:
- 1960: Federation of Nigeria achieved independence, Balewa appointed Prime Minister.
- 1963: The Federal Republic of Nigeria was established with Balewa as Prime Minister.
Foreign Policy
As Prime Minister of Nigeria, Balewa, from 1960 to 1961, doubled as Foreign Affairs advocate of Nigeria. However, as Prime Minister of Nigeria, Balewa played important roles in the continent's formative indigenous rule. He was an important leader in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity and creating a cooperative relationship with French speaking African countries.
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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. He had an enormous amount of respect for President John F.
Balewa had a pro-West orientation in his foreign policy, which represented for abhorrence to USSR and other Eastern Bloc states. As a result, the circulation of communist literature in Nigeria was banned and students were discouraged from taking Soviet educational scholarship.
The First Nigerian Civil War
The path to Nigerian independence was paved with challenges, including regional tensions and political instability. The regional elections on October 11, 1965, saw Chief Samuel Akintola of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) re-elected as prime minister of the Western Region. However, this election was marred by political violence, resulting in the deaths of approximately 160 civilians and seven government policemen.
These tensions culminated in a series of critical events that shook the nation:
- December 8, 1964: President Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe dissolved the House of Representatives.
- December 30, 1964 & March 18, 1965: Parliamentary elections took place, with the NPC winning 162 out of 312 seats.
- October 11, 1965: Regional elections were held, leading to significant political unrest.
President Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe dissolved the House of Representatives on December 8, 1964. Parliamentary elections were held on December 30, 1964 and March 18, 1965, and the NPC won 162 out of 312 seats in the House of Representatives. The National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) won 84 seats in the House of Representatives. The United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA) boycotted the parliamentary elections. Regional elections were held on October 11, 1965.
Nigerian Civil War
Assassination 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.
Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was deposed and killed in a military coup led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna on January 15, 1966. Prime Minister Samuel Akintola of the Western Region and Prime Minister Ahmadu Bello of the Northern Region were also deposed and killed during the military coup on January 15, 1966.
Twenty-two individuals were killed during the military coup. Some 3,000 Nigerians fled as refugees to Dahomey (Benin). The government of Ghana provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the military government on January 17, 1966.
Legacy
Balewa was buried in Bauchi.
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. Shaihu Umar was first published in 1934. An English translation by Mervyn Hiskett was published in 1967. Written in a prose homily structure, 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.
Balewa advocated for the creation of a Nigerian Privy Council to domestically replace the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in a speech to the Legislative Council in April 1952.
Balewa's portrait was placed on the 5 Naira Note. Balewa was described as modest and self-effacing. 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.
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Birth | Born in December 1912 in Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi Province, Northern Nigeria. |
| Education | Studied at Katsina Higher College and University of London Institute of Education. |
| Political Career | Elected to the Central Legislative Council in 1947. |
| Prime Minister | Served as the first Prime Minister of Nigeria from 1957 to 1966. |
| Death | Overthrown and murdered in a military coup on January 15, 1966. |
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