Overview
Ahmadu Bello was Premier of the Northern Region from 1954 until his death in the coup of January 1966, and the dominant figure in northern politics at independence. He was Fulani, born at Rabah in what is now Sokoto State, and a descendant of the founders of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Biography
Bello trained as a teacher, served as a district head, and was given the title Sardauna of Sokoto in 1938. He entered the Northern House of Assembly in 1949 and became a leader of the Northern People's Congress, which he led into government when regional self-rule arrived.
As Premier he chose to remain in the north rather than seek federal office, and built up the region's institutions: the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation, the Bank of the North, Ahmadu Bello University at Zaria, and a programme of northernisation intended to place northerners in regional public service posts then largely held by southerners and expatriates. He also promoted a common front among northern emirates and was active in Islamic education and pilgrimage organisation. He was killed at Kaduna during the coup of 15 January 1966.
Notable achievements
- Premier of the Northern Region from 1954 to 1966
- Led the Northern People's Congress into regional government
- Founded regional institutions including the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation and the Bank of the North
- Oversaw the establishment of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Legacy
Bello is credited in the north with building the region's modern institutions and with holding a very large territory together politically. His northernisation policy and his handling of minority and southern interests within the region are contested, and Nigerian assessments of him remain divided.