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| SIR AHMADU BELLO, SARDAUNAN SOKOTO. |
The founding of Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria the creation of the Northern Regional Development Corporation
(NRDC) that later evolved into the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation
(NNDC) which has grown today into giant industrial and business conglomerate.
The setting up of the Bank of the North, the Broadcasting Company of Northern
Nigeria (BCNN), the Nigeria Citizen Newspapers. His proposal, as far back as
1952, for Mobil Oil Company to prospect for oil in the north; establishment of
various Textile industries such as NORTEX and Zamfara Mills; the building of
Hamdalah hotel in Kaduna and the Central Hotel in Kano; the infrastructures
foundations for industrial, economic and agricultural development that he put
in place, namely roads, rail, telecommunications, electricity and other
facilities.
He had in mind the development of
a river port at Lokoja which would be connected by rail links throughout the
North and which would give the north direct access to the sea. He explored the
Trans-Sahara highway idea that would link Kano to Algiers.
A Promoter, Defender and Champion of the North
Witness: when there was concerted campaign to excise a part of the then
Ilorin province and merge it with Western region, he made the famous
declaration that the North would not concede an inch of its soil, and that any
part of it would go over his dead body.
Witness: the Northernasation Policy which was the cornerstone or
center-piece of his programme, and which he pursuit vigorously, Its aims,
as stated in April 1960 were: to nothernise the Northern Region public Service
as possible; to ensure for Northerners a remarkable proportion of post in the
federal Public service; to secure for northerners a reasonable proportion of
post in all Statutory Corporations; to increase the number of Northerners in
Commercial, industrial, banking and trading concerns in the Region; to expand
as necessary the educational, training and scholarship schemes of the Region in
order to provide the qualified personal required for the Northernisation
policy.
The Northernisation policy was
intended to unite Nigeria not to divide it, and by uplifting the North, it was
a guarantee for healthy united Nigeria. The same policy of regionalisation was
pursuit in the other region without being spelt out. But the Sardauna had pride
in whatever he represented and an unwavering belief in the justice of his
cause, he was fearless whether facing new challengers or political foes, he was
blunt to a fault and never afraid of calling a spade a spade.
He had clear sense of direction
and purpose, and his openness, forthrightness, candour and honesty in pursuing
his objectives were legendary. He did not compromise his pursuit of balance of
growth in the Country. He believes that the long term unity of Nigeria required
a policy of catch-up development in the north, and that pill of
northernisation was essential for the long-term health of Nigeria.
In 1956, there were only four
Northerners on group seven and upwards in the Public Service- Dikko, Umaru
Gwandu, Mr ,Olajide and Ahmadu Commassie. On 31 December 1960 in the
senior Northern professional and administrative service position of the Civil
Service there were only Fifty-one Northerners.
At the federal level, the situation was worse. In March, 1961 only about 1% of the employees in the Federal Public service were northerners and fewer than thirty were in senior position post. The Department of Custom And Excise had only two northerners in service and there were only ten commissioned officers in the Nigerian Army.
So the Sardauna embarked on the
Northernisation policy in order to redress this problem and he decide to draft
some of the Northern civil servants to Lagos much against their will, and some
of them set on the journey to Lagos with tears in their eyes because of
anticipated hostility waiting them there. And many of the Generals still in
active service and many of those retired are living witnesses of the good work
and foresight of the Sardauna of Sokoto.
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| SIR AHMADU BELLO TOGETHER WITH CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO AND OTHER DIGNITIRIES. |
An Avowed Federalist
Witness: his Independence Day
message to the nation in October 1960 in which he said inter alias: “The
Government of which I am the head is solemnly pledged to support the
independence Constitution of Nigeria and to protect the federation against all
divisionalistic forces within and outside the Country”
A strong Nationalist and a Hard
Core Pan-Africanist
Witness: he championed the fight for a genuine and durable independence
for Nigeria, insisting that it must be founded and built not on a fragile but
solid foundation, based on parity of level of development of the components of
the federation. A tripod cannot stand upright and balance with one leg shorter
then the two legs.
He took a strong stand against
France following the nuclear test by France in the Sahara and France never
repeated those test in that region. He stood firmly against apartheid in South
Africa.
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| THE SARDAUNA AIMED AT EDUCATING THE NORTH, GIRLS ARE ALSO NOT LEFT BEHIND. |
AN ASTUTE ACCOMLISHED STATESMAN.
Witness: the high esteem with which he was held by political opponents Aminu Kano and Joseph Sarwuan Tarka who never attacked him in their political campaigns.
Witness: the conclusion drawn by that great administrator, Chief Simon
Adebo, one-time Nigeria Permanent Representative to the United Nations, that
had the Sardauna opted to be at the federal level, with the whole country as
his constituency, Nigeria would have risen to greater heights, and that he
would have united the country into one Nigeria, one people, one destiny as he
did with the north.
Witness: in December, 1961, when the Sardauna was awarded an honorary
doctorate degree of law at Nsukka. Dr Azikiwe described him as a spiritual and
political leader, a stateman, an educator and a distinguished administrator.
There can not be a stronger testimony than this coming from a political rival.
He was a man of enormous charisma and personal magnetism, and was easily
approachable, and he wielded tremendous influence on all those who came into
contact with him.
Witness: the strong influence which he had on foreign head of State in
spite of the fact that himself was not a Head of state of Nigeria, President
David Jawara of the Gambia became Dauda Jawara, President Hamani Diori of
Niger, Ahmadu Ahidjo of Cameroun, Leopold of Senghor of Senegal,Gamal Abdul
Nasser of Egypt, Tombalbaye of Chad,Ayub Khan of Pakistan and King Faisal of
Saudi Arabia all became very close personal friends of Sardauna.
A Master
of Blending and Harmonizing Contrasting Forces.
The old and the young, the new
and the old, the past and the present, Muslims and Christains. Indeed, he was a
strong believer in consensus. He paid attention and took into account the views
born of the dynamism and radicalism of the youths and he respected the wisdom
of the mature old –breed, and he blended the two.
Witness: the mix in the NPC cabinets. At the federal level, the Ministers
ranged from the mature Muhammadu Ribadu in his mid-Fifties to the Youthful
Maitama Sule, Shehu Shagari and Waziri Ibrahim in their early thirties. At the
Regional level, they ranged from mature Makaman Bida to the then Wamban Daura
Muhammadu Bashir, Mamman Nasir and Walin Muri Umaru Abba Karim, barely in their
early thirties.
He had enormous Self-Confidence
and was forceful in asserting himself, and in almost every situation he emerges
as a natural leader. He developed toughness in politics and remarkable skills.
He was quick to anger but quickly to-forgive and forget-approach to his
political opponents was to try to win them over. He would send them gift as he
would to his friends and maintained an open door policy towards them.
He was an upright and
incorruptible Man, whose guiding principle in public service was honesty,
probity, accountability, efficiency, dedication and hard work; and in the
pursuit of these principles he did not care whose ox was goaded.
Witness: after several years as the Premier of Northern Nigeria, and
undoubtedly the most powerful man in Nigeria during his time, when he died he
left virtually nothing except the two local housing in Sokoto town and Rabah
which he had build before becoming Premier.
Witness: The 1963 Episode
involving the Kano NA during the reign of Emir Muhammadu Sanausi. Emir Sanausi
and Sardauna were very close and long standing friends, Sanusi’s Son married
Sardauna’s daughter and they have Children. Yet when there was financial
misadministration on the Part of the Kano NA, the Sardauna did not hesitate to
order an inquiry which led to resignation of the Emir.
Witness: In January, 1961 in an address to Emirs and Chiefs at the
institute of Administration, Zaria, the Sardauna unequivocally declared that
“My Government will not tolerate Chiefs who show financial irresponsibility or
oppress the people”
Witness: the Sardauna once asked Mr. Desmond Wilson, a British officer who
had worked in Sokoto and Gwandu as ADO, to purge the Sokoto NA of lazy and
corrupt people, Wilson said he did not have the heart for it. The Sardauna
replied to Wilson “Neither do I. Most of these people are my relatives. But it
has to be done. ”When the exercise was over, one third of the NA was sacked,
one third reprimanded and the remaining third kept on but put on warning. On
completing the job to show his appreciation, the Sardauna gave Wilson a gift –
a Bible.
Witness: the terse statement of Sardauna in December, 1952 “That the
NA should retain the confidence of the great mass of their people, that they
should discharge adequately the duties and responsibilities assigned to them,
that they should conduct their financial affairs in a prudent and responsible
fashion, and that they should maintain the standards of honesty and
impartiality required in a country approaching independence”.
The simplest of Men and the Most Princely of the Princes
He was simple among his people who respected simplicity, but he
was arrogant, pompous and contemptuous of those who arrogate to
themselves-acclaimed wisdom just because they have read some textbooks. He was
equally at home in the company he was a man of the people. He always sat on the
floor in his house, to eat food with his bare hands, from the same bowl with
his drivers and ministers alike.
His happiest moments were always when he was in the company of
people. He constantly toured the length and breadth of the Northern Region,
from Sokoto to Oturpko; from Offa across to Lake Chad, always on the move
persuading, cajoling, mobilizing, urging, inspiring people to be disciplined
and law abiding, to work hard for common goals, to measure up to their
potential and to unite and catch up with the South in the various spheres of
human endeavours that Nigeria could march in unison. He hardly ever spent up to
a week in Kaduna except perhaps during the month of Ramadan. He literally
stopped in Kaduna only to pick another suite case of clean dresses and move on.
Files were delivered to him on tour and he never held back a file for more than
a couple of days.
He visited his ministers in their
homes and gave presents to the wives and Children. He maintained an Open house,
and anybody who wanted to see him got audience .He listened to people’s problems
and helped both the high and the lowly. He always walked to the mosque from his
house.
A Man
Whose Generosity was Legendary
He loved to give out presents and
gifts. He never had material accumulation instincts and gave out whatever came
into his possession. He was scrupulous with public finance but generous with
personal finance.
He was a workaholic and a
stickler for details. Three to four hours sleep was his life-time pattern of
sleeping. When once he was asked whether he was not working too hard and not
getting adequate sleep, he replied that his progenitor Abdullahi Ibn Fodio
spent eight years after the death of his brother the Shehu praying, reading,
writing, and teaching, with hardly any sleep. He was punctilious on formalities
and parades would be time to a second, and he was never late for a function.
He was a keen and enthusiastic
sportman. In Katsina College he played Cricket and was the Captain of Fives, a
game that he played regularly with passion, up to the end of his life.
This is a brief about Ahmadu Bello, the scion of the Sokoto
Caliphate, Grand commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Knight Commander
of the British Empire, the Founder and First Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello
University, the recipient of the honorary degrees of several Universities
across the globe, the recipient of the highest honours bestowed by various
countries, the benefactor and guarding of Northern Nigeria and one of the
architects of modern Nigeria, The SARDAUNA OF SOKOTO. And a colossus and a
legendry whose memory will never be erased and will forever remain aglow in the
annals of our history.
May Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.grant
him ans our heroes past eternal peace and a Special place in the al-jannal al-firdausi, Amin
