Birth and Early Life
The Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmad Ibrahim Bello was born in the city of Rabah, on June 12th 1910. He came from the Family of Malam Ibrahim Bello who was the Sarkin Rabah (King of Rabah) at that time. Sir Ahmad Bello came from an Islamic family where the four Islamic education were given in the early stages of childhood at home and he learned the Qur’anic education, the prophetic tradition (Hadith) and the Islamic jurisprudence as expected from the teaching of sheikh Muhammad Bello, son of Dan Fodio.
Educational Experience
After Sardauna learned a lot of things at home, he was taken to Sokoto provincial School at the age of eleven, and from there he went to Katsina Teacher’s Training College (KTTC) Presently the Barewa College Zaria, where people know him as Ahmad Rabah because of the place he was born.
He finished KTTC in 1931 and he was given the opportunity to become an English teacher in Sokoto Middle School, he was appointed by the sultan of Sokoto, he was an accomplished horseman just like the majority of other Northern royalties.
Political Career
In 1934, the Sardauna was appointed as the District head of Rabah by the sultan of that time Hassan Dan Muazu, who succeeded his Brother. Ahmad Bello got a promotion to the position of the Divisional Head of Gusau (presently Zamfara State Capital) in 1938, and as a result of that, he became a well standing member of the Sultan’s Council.
Sardauna attempted to become the Sultan of Sokoto after the death of Hassan Dan Muazu in 1938 when he was just 28 years old but didn’t succeed where Sir Siddiq Abubakar ||| (his first cousin) wins and became the Sultan and reigns up to his death in 1988.
Sir Siddiq Abubakar ||| appointed Ahmadu Bello as the Sardauna (crown prince) of Sokoto because of his power. And the chieftancy title promoted him to the Sokoto Native Authority Council, and he was able in commanding high morality and intellectualism and because of that, he was made the chief political Adviser of the Sultan.
Sir Ahmadu Bello was made as the in charge of the Sokoto province to oversee its 47 District and he returned to the Sultan’s palace to work as the chief secretary of the State Native Administration in the 1944, which means he is holding the traditional Islamic title of Sardauna and at the same time as the British Colonial Office. The appointment made to him was in-line with the British policy of indirect rule.
NPC Activities
The Sardauna of Sokoto joined the Jam’iyyar Mutanen Arewa Party in the 1940s which was changed to the Northern People Congress (NPC) in 1951. He then traveled to England on a government scholarship to study local Government Administration after his appointment as the chief secretary of Native Administration which widened his understanding and knowledge of the western form of Governance.
He returned to Nigeria in 1952 and participated in the first – ever held elections in Northern Nigeria where he became a member in the House of Assembly of the Northern Region of the Country, and when a new constitution was made, he was appointed as an executive minister of survey and works for local government and community.
Activities of Politics
After he was selected as the member of the House of Assembly, Sardauna became an important and well-known speaker for the northern interests and created a style of communication with the representatives of the northern emirates (Kano, Borno and Sokoto). He was also among the selected teams that formed a committee which takes care of the constitution and he attended the General conference in Ibadan.
This participation brought him much appreciation and admiration in the north where he was given the position of leading Jam’iyyar Mutanen Arewa. After two years of his position as minister, he was appointed as the first and sadly the only premier of the North, because he is the leader of the Northern People Congress which is the ruling party of that time.
During the independence elections in 1959, Sardauna led the NPC to win the majority of the parliamentary seats. The NPC allied with the NCNC led by Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, they both form the first indigenous government that led to Nigeria gaining its independence from the Britain.
When they were forming the 1960 independence government, Sardauna was supposed to lead the government, but he chooses to remain the premier of Northern Nigeria rather gave the position to his deputy Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa because he had other plans apart from the post, that was how his long-term friend and deputy became the first prime Minister of the federation.
Achievements of Ahamdu Bello Sardauna
The Sardauna’s many achievements include the Establishment of:-
The Northern Regional Development Corporation (NRDC) which later became the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC).
-The Bank of the North.
-The Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria (BCNN).
-The second largest university in Africa and was named after his name and also he was the first chancellor.
As a result of less development of the North, Sardauna argued that the North must catch up and match up with the south for national harmony in both structures and economics. Hence, his policy of Northernisation. His leadership characteristics were a combination of Religious, Traditional and Modern Values and his obligations in colonial and post-independence Nigeria was performing these different roles in the Northern Region.
Read: 14 Unknown Facts About Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna of Sokoto
Assassination
Ahmad Bello was killed by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, a Nigerian Army officer in a coup that toppled Nigeria’s post independence government on the 15th of January 1966. But he has been receiving a lot of warnings from the premier of the western region Samuel Akintola and Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun before the coup.
This was the first coup in the history of Nigeria and many of our notable political members were killed including the Sardauna’s long-term friend and deputy, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in the north and western region of the country.
Sir Ahmadu Bello Legacy, Honors and Awards.
Among the Sardauna’s Honors and awards are the :-
- Honorary Doctorate of law from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) in December 1961.
- Honorary Degree from the University of Al-Azhar in Cairo in 1962.
- He was made a Knight of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth || in 1959 before the end of the colonial rule.
- The 200 Nigerian Naira carries his portrait.
- There are several roads named after him in almost all the states in Northern Nigeria.
- The stadium in Kaduna is named after his name.
- The residence he lived in Kaduna is now a center of Research and Historical Documentations under Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
Thus, the memory of the legend hero Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna Of Sokoto will forever remains in the mind of millions of Northern Nigerians.
