People had employment. Gone are those days. We, the younger ones, were motivated. Inside, I saw people crying. Do you see it as a consolation that those who killed your dad didn’t taste the victory? He was his father’s only child. google_ad_slot = "5984819487"; So, with these kinds of hiccups and the destruction of esprit de corps in the army, things started to go awry. Now, the scenario is that some people are exploiting these grievances and providing people with weapons to cause trouble. When the crisis started because of tribal politics, my father broke down and cried. The university was established in 1980 as the Federal University of Technology, Bauchi. What do you think were the dreams of your father and other founding fathers like him? Join our Mastermind Group . Abu Bakr (Arabic: أبو بكر ‎) was a sahabi, one of the companions of Muhammad and the first Caliph of Islam.He was also Muhammad's father-in-law through Aisha.His real name was Abdullah or Abul-Kaaba and Abu Bakr was his kunya.. We wanted to finish school and start working. What was Nigeria like while you were growing up? The coup eventually failed but those who had been killed, like your father, Bello and Akintola, had been killed, what do you make of that? While confirming the accident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Command, DSP Ahmed Wakil, said police deposited 20 corpses of the victims at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa … google_ad_width = 300; From Bashir Abdullahi El-bash Here is the speech of the first prime minister of Nigeria, Alhaji Sir. It cannot work. TODAY SIR. He was a founding member of the conservative Northern Peoples’Congress, and acted as its vice president. She was a devoted Christian and took her faith seriously. Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Soyinka: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Son Says It May Be 'Unlawful' To Take Pic Of Man (36876 Views) . That is just what comes to my mind always; the good that my father did. /* Punch_Sidebar_Articlepages300x250 */ He said we should follow him because he saw my wife with a hijab. Around 8am or 9am, somebody came to inform me. For more details on ATBU – Abubaka Tafawa Balewa University’s Cut off mark, Available Courses and Departments. It was on the following day that we learnt about some of the things that happened. It is just prayer that I say or what more can I think? So I learnt. google_ad_height = 250; Terror group worse than Boko Haram may emerge, says Sultan. Last week I requested that a family member of the late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa should reach out to me to set the records straight on their patriarch’s ethnic identity. He wanted to know if everything was okay there. The only thing I do when I think about him is to pray for him. Since I got there and they had already started the process of burial, there was nothing else I could do. If you asked him, he would say it was because if they, the founding fathers, could not hold Nigeria together, then what would happen after them? It is to equip and train the security forces. It … They were classmates and very close friends. Don’t you think the states will do better with their own infrastructure? I would say yes. Many people even travelled at night. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, KBE was a Nigerian politician, and the first prime minister of an independent Nigeria. Abubakar Balewa was born late in 1912 in Bauchi, the son of a district head in the Bauchi divisional district of Lere. Then I turned back and left; I can’t remember exactly what happened again, but I remember taking someone’s bicycle and riding fast to our house. You said earlier that your father wasn’t corrupt, what do you think about corruption among public office holders now? Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1922 and was killed on January 15, 1966. There were no states but now there are tribal sentiments. I can’t do that because my father didn’t bring me up that way. On November 3, 2019 6:25 am In News by Nwafor. No, I can show you some videos where people from the core North have come out publicly to abuse him (President Buhari). I told them they had just brought his corpse to Ajiya’s house (the house of one of the six kingmakers in the area); that was how I broke the news to them. In the ministries, they used to have what I think was called ‘end of year.’ They would just sit down and divide the monies that were left among themselves; everybody would take their share. What happened to her? He trained as a teacher, and was a respected member of the elite of the northern region of Nigeria after the end of World War II. I will never forget that because I was very scared; I could see places in flames and hear gunshots. People were doing tribal politics, but at least they had their national representatives and they always came together when things were coming to a head. I dare not see an elder carrying a bag and not collect it from him, let alone criticise him in public. I told you that these things started little by little and, to my little understanding and in my own opinion, suddenly, politicians came in. That’s a different thing entirely; to me, a coup is a coup. I left Nigeria in 1982 for the United States of America. The name Tafawa Balewa means ‘black rock’. Didn’t the family insist that he must be buried where he wanted to be buried? Alhamdulillah, whatever it is, nothing can be better than what it is; that is life and we have to accept it just the way it comes. You cannot blame the institution for what happened; it was just a few people that were responsible for what happened. Some would starve themselves. Isa’s widow then took her infant son to Bauchi, where the Madaki of Bauchi took her in. I heard the siren when they came to our area but they didn’t even enter the house; they passed our place and went to Ajiya’s house. The local chiefs, emirs and others tried to control it but now, all the traditional institutions are not there. What do you think of your father’s legacy in the light of the current state of the country? READ ALSO: Few multi-billionaires control Nigeria’s resources, unlike in 1960s –Yakasai. You can see that with the leadership of these days, that is where the problems lie. The first Prime Minister was from Bauchi State. Originally a trained teacher, he became a vocal leader for Northern interests as one of the few educated Nigerians of […] What about your mother? But like I told you, I wasn’t in Lagos then. 2015: Tafawa Balewa’s son to drag PDP to court over presidential forms.. - Welcome to Talktalkcity Blog. Did it stop the deterioration? Another time was when I was travelling to Jos and a crisis erupted. Abubakar Balewa was the son of a district head in the Bauchi divisional district of Lere. Just listen to what has been going on. Isa’s widow then took her infant son to Bauchi, where the Madaki of Bauchi took her in. Sometime in 1970, I visited him and he told me a story. That was what the Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi Decree was about, to try to unify the country. They copied what they were doing to get everybody involved but earlier on, everything was going on smoothly. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, KBE (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician, and the first prime minister of an independent Nigeria. USMAN Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the son of Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, the late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa has kicked against the restructuring of Nigeria security stating that the Federal Government has to be responsible for security. @sofson, we do not only help you get into the right Institution, we provided insightful tips to help you ace your time in school. So, he said to her, “Don’t bother, it is Major (Don) Okafor that is taking me home.” So, I think it was from there that they knew the people involved. Conversely however, if his official birthday of April 17, 1967 is indeed real, Abubakar […] But I wasn’t there when he was killed. It has just come to this position. I got there and told them what happened. People are talking about him and all the good things that he did while he was alive. He took me on a motorbike as if we were going somewhere, and he told me that there was a problem. If your father was to witness the situation in Nigeria now, what do you think would be his reaction? READ ALSO: Terror group worse than Boko Haram may emerge, says Sultan. How happy and hopeful was your father when we got independence? So, how could the country move again? There is respect for elders but it has gone down; some of them can even hit you on the chest. How Tafawa Balewa’s widow was abandoned after husband’s death. After a week, they brought his corpse. Where were you taken to live after his death? Ga Jawabin Mai Girma Firaministan Nageriya Na Farko, Alhaji Sir. What kind of country are they going to live in? Apparently a young officer of the Nigerian Army at the time Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the Nigerian Prime Minister from 1957 – 1966, it goes without saying that President Muhammadu Buhari must know of Balewa, even if he didn’t know him. It’s the 54th anniversary of the coup this year, what do you think about the coup? 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