Abubakar Tafawa Balewa | |
---|---|
Prime Minister of Nigeria | |
In office 1 October 1960 – 15 January 1966 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II (until 1963) |
President | Nnamdi Azikiwe (from 1963) |
Governors‑General |
|
Preceded by | Himself (as Chief Minister) |
Succeeded by | Position abolished (Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi as Military head of state) |
Chief Minister of Nigeria | |
In office 30 August 1957 – 1 October 1960 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor‑General | Sir James Wilson Robertson |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Himself (as Prime Minister) |
Deputy Leader of the Northern People's Congress | |
In office 30 August 1957 – 15 January 1966 | |
Leader | Ahmadu Bello |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Member of Parliament for Bauchi South West[1] | |
In office 1954 – 15 January 1966 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Mallam Abubakar[2] December 1912 Bauchi, Northern Nigeria Protectorate |
Died | 15 January 1966 near Lagos, Nigeria | (aged 53)
Resting place | Tafawa Balewa's tomb |
Political party | Northern People's Congress |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Politician |
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa KBE PC (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first and only prime minister of Nigeria upon independence.[3] A conservative Anglophile, he favoured maintaining close ties with the British. During his first few years in office as prime minister, Nigeria was a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II reigning as Queen of Nigeria, until Nigeria became a republic in 1963.[4] He was both a defender of Northern special interests and an advocate of Nigerian reform and unity.[5]