Balewa’s vacation in retrospect: Remembering a better yesterday

By Hon. Femi Kehinde

In the summertime of 1963, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was connected his lone yearly permission as Prime Minister of Nigeria. He did not spell to London, Paris, oregon Washington to bask his yearly vacation, but alternatively went to his Tafawa Balewa colony successful Bauchi. A British photojournalist came to interrogation the Prime Minister, learnt the Prime Minister was enjoying his yearly permission and asked for his interaction overseas. The writer was amazed erstwhile helium learnt that the Prime Minister was enjoying his yearly permission successful his Tafawa Balewa village. As a funny journalist, helium took a bid thrust from Iddo (Lagos) to Jos and different bid thrust from Jos to Bauchi from wherever helium boarded a taxi to the Prime Minister’s village.

In Tafawa Balewa village, determination was nary disposable grounds of the beingness of a precise important property successful the village   no constabulary oregon subject beingness oregon convoy of cars oregon array of visitors. Curiously again, helium saw a husbandman connected a donkey carrying bale of sugarcane and asked the mediocre husbandman if helium knew the Prime Minister and rather unexpectedly, the peasant farmer, arsenic answered the writer that helium had conscionable near the Prime Minister and had conscionable dropped immoderate sugarcanes for him. Curiously again, the overseas writer asked the husbandman to pb him to Abubakar’s location and helium gladly obliged. Amazingly, without the trappings of office, helium met the astir almighty Nigerian then, sitting connected the autochthonal level mat, enjoying the sugarcane acquisition with his children. Those were our leaders of yester-years   simple, humble, and of mean disposition.

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the archetypal Prime Minister of Nigeria was calved successful the tiny colony of Tafawa Balewa successful the contiguous time Bauchi State, successful the North Eastern portion of Nigeria successful December 1912, of a precise humble parentage; conscionable a commoner, from the Jese taste group, of the Hausa stock. He was of a mean inheritance and mean education. After leaving Bauchi Provisional School, helium proceeded to Katsina Higher College successful 1928, and qualified arsenic a teacher successful 1933, and was astatine the Institute of Education, University of London (1945-1946), connected a one-year scholarship.

Abubakar foraged into nationalist consciousness by joining the Bauchi treatment circle   a forum for governmental reforms and debates. He was successful the Nigerian Parliament betwixt 1946 and January 15, 1966, during which helium served arsenic Minister of Works successful 1952 and Minister of Transport successful 1954 and arsenic a subordinate of the biggest enactment successful the Federal Parliament, helium was connected 2nd September 1957, appointed the archetypal Prime Minister of Nigeria.

At the clip helium was murdered successful the January 1966 coup, helium did not permission down a sprawling mansion successful Lagos nor successful Kaduna. He had lone a mean location successful Bauchi and a tiny state location in Tafawa Balewa village, aft being successful the Parliament for 20 years. Balewa, a Knight and commandant of the Order of British Empire (OBE) was besides awarded Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Sheffield, UK successful May 1960.

Abubakar was a devout Muslim, a elemental antheral and popularly known arsenic “Balewa the good” and “The antheral with the Golden voice”   according to the Daily Mirror Editorial of the 17th June 1965. Tafawa Balewa, having founded the Bauchi Discussion Circle successful 1943, which had honed his nationalist speaking skill, helium was besides successful 1948, Vice President of Northern Teacher’s Association and successful 1949, alongside Dr. R.B Diko, helium organized the Northern People’s Congress (NPC), primitively conceived arsenic a taste enactment to go a governmental enactment successful 1951.

Balewa arsenic Prime Minister of Nigeria, had nary archetypal Lady and did not patronize oregon cultivate specified office. He had 4 wives   Jumma, Ummah, Zainab, and Laraba. He was confident, elegant, charismatic, matured, and sophisticated. The British property described him arsenic disarmingly diligent and reasonable.

Let america instrumentality cursory look astatine Balewa’s prima studded Ministers and workfellow Parliamentarians – Jaja Wachuckwu (Foreign Affairs), Raymond Njoku (Transportation), Aja Nwachukwu (Education), K.O. Mbadiwe (Commerce), S.L. Akintola (Communications), Festus Okotie-Eboh (Finance), J.M. Johnson (Internal Affairs), Ayo Rosiji (Health), Mohammed Ribadu (Mines), Musa Yar’Adua (Lagos Affairs), Prof. Teslim Olawale Elias (Justice), Richard Osuolale Akinjide (Education).

Parliamentary Democracy makes governance little charismatic and enha...