Nigerian Leaders since Independence: Sir Alhaji Tafawa Balewa (1912-1966)

Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, (December 1912 – January 15, 1966) was Nigeria’s first and only Prime Minister. He led the Nigeria between 1960-1966.

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Early life and career
Abubakar Balewa was born late in 1912 in Bauchi, the son of a Bageri Muslim district head in the Bauchi divisional district of Lere. He started early education at the Koranic School in Bauchi and proceeded to study at the Katsina College where he acquired his teaching certificate. He returned to Bauchi to teach at the Bauchi Middle School. In 1944, he was chosen to study abroad for a year at the University of London's Institute of Education. Upon returning to Nigeria, he became an Inspector of Schools for the colonial administration and later entered politics. He was elected in 1946, to the colony's Northern House of Assembly, and to the Legislative Assembly in 1947. Together with Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, he founded the Northern People's Congress (NPC).



Participation in Government
Balewa entered the government in 1952 as Minister of Works, and later served as Minister of Transport. In 1957, he was elected Chief Minister, forming a coalition government between the NPC and the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), led byNnamdi Azikiwe. He retained the post as Prime Minister when Nigeria gained independence in 1960, and was reelected in 1964.

International Activities
Among other activities, Sir Tafawa Balewa led a vocal protest against the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960 during which apartheid South African Police shot dead over 180 local protesters. Sir Balewa also entered into an alliance with Commonwealth ministers who wanted South Africa to leave the Commonwealth in 1961. He was also one of the contributors to the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) now called African Union.

Death
Sir Balewa was overthrown and murdered in a military coup on January 15, 1966, alongside many other leaders including Sir Ahmadu Bello. The circumstances of his death still remain unresolved. His body was discovered by a roadside near Lagos six days after he was ousted from office. Balewa was buried in Bauchi. News of his murder spurred violent riots throughout Northern Nigeria and ultimately led to the bloody counter-coup of July 1966.
Today, he is featured on the 5 Naira Note. The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi is also named in his honour.

Compiled with information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abubakar_Tafawa_Balewa