Story Of Tafawa Balewa, The First Nigerian Prime Minister; Political Career and Death

Story Of Tafawa Balewa, the First Nigerian Prime Minister; Political Career and Death....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Source: Bushradiogist

Prior to when Nigeria gaining its independence, a constitutional conference in 1954 approved a regional political structure for the nation, granting all regions a sizable measure of political freedom. Thus, three regions were then home to a variety of cultural groupings. CONTINUE READING

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Later, the premiers and other notable regional leaders adopted a strategy to protect their territories from political intrusion by other regional leaders. Later, the Balewa administration was impacted by this political climate. His administration was unstable during this time because of local factionalism that consistently threatened it. Meanwhile, Balewa had retained his position as Prime Minister in 1963, having at the time become the Chief Minister of the legislative house in 1957 and a Minister of Foreign Trade in 1960.

While serving as Nigeria’s Prime Minister, Balewa did, however, play a significant part in the early indigenous control of the continent. He played a key role in organizing the Organization of African Unity and forging friendly ties with the French-speaking nations of Africa.

During the Congo Crisis of 1960–1964, he also played a crucial role in discussions between Moise Tshombe and the Congolese government. In addition to forming an alliance with Commonwealth ministers who wanted South Africa to leave the organization in 1961, he actively protested the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960. But many of his supporters protested and condemned him after one of the leaders of the western region, Obafemi Awolowo, was accused of and found guilty of treason.

On January 15, 1966, a military coup led to the removal and murder of numerous politicians, including Tafawa Balewa and his old friend, Sir Ahmadu Bello. History has it that during his lifetime, Tafawa was a brave man, who was never afraid of death. In fact, reports gathered revealed that he told the coup plotters to allow him to pray before they killed him. CONTINUE READING

According to the reports gathered, it was stated that Tafawa Balewa did not die of asthma as claimed, but rather he was murdered and dumped in a bush. it was said that he was not killed by soldiers, but a man called Major Emmanuel Ifejuana was alleged to have murdered him. Ifejuama was a university graduate and a Sandhurst-trained military officer. He was also the first Nigerian to scale over six feet nine inches in the high jump at the 1954 Commonwealth Games in Canada.

Ifejuana was said to have led a group of soldiers to the prime minister’s residence. Balewa’s home was invaded by the military, who swiftly defeated the police officers manning the guard at the quarters and took them all into custody. Without wasting any time, Ifeajuna entered the residence and promptly rushed to the prime minister’s chamber, kicked open the door, roused Balewa, and allegedly aimed a submachine gun at him. Following the prayers, Ifeajuna, a vengeful killer, shot the prime minister, and his body was taken to a lane where an army lorry was stationed.

The deceased person was hurled into the car. As they drove on the Lagos-Abeokuta road to the location where the corpses of the coup’s victims were offloaded on a lonely pathway, where the corpses of the coup’s victims were found three days later by a search party, the soldiers quickly boarded the vehicle, drove out of the premises, and later joined their other colleagues in the city who had gone and executed similar assignments.

Legacy of Tafawa Balewa Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, knighted Balewa as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in January 1960. In May 1960, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Sheffield. In July 1961, he received an honorary doctorate in law from New York University received an honorary doctorate in law from New York University.

The 5 naira note has a portrait of Balewa. In his honour, Bauchi now has a university called the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University.

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