BRIEF BIOGRAPHY SIR AHMADU BELLO

Born, 1910 in Rabah, Sokoto Province, a member of Sokoto’s Royal family. He is the great-great-grand son of Usman Dan Fodio, founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.  Educated, Sokoto Provincial School unit ha was sixteen, then went to Katsina Training College (1926-31) to qualify as a Teacher, where he was one of the prefects and captain of fives.

Taught: Sokoto Middle School (1931-34); then turn to Native Administration (local government) and was district Head of Rabah (1934-38), until he was appointed Sardauna of Sokoto, chief political adviser to his kinsman, the sultan.

The Sardauna was placed in charge of the eastern area of Sokoto Division, based in Gusau, where he was responsible for fourteen of the forty-seven districts. In 1944, he returned to Sokoto city as Chief Secretary to the N.A and Chief Adviser to the Sultan. He supervised both district and department administration.

In 1948, he paid a short visit to the United Kingdom where he toured, stay with a British family, and attended a course in local government. in 1949 Sardauna entered the Northern Region’s House of Assembly; he was one of the three chosen to represent the north on the drafting Committee for the new constitution.

 In 1951, after the constitution came in to effect, Sardauna became Minister of Works, Northern Region. In 1953 he became minister of Local Government and community Development and was designated leader of Government business of the Northern Region.  In April 1954, Sardauna was elected President General of the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) party and as such, became the premier of the Northern Region later that year.

He participated as leader of the Northern Delegation, in the constitutional Conferences in London in 1953 and 1957. In March 1959, when the Northern Region achieved Self-Government, he  became President of the Executive Council.

He went on pilgrimage to Makka in 1957 and every year there after. He also traveled widely in Europe, USA, Africa, Middle East and Asia. He was knitted a KBE in the New year’s Honors of 1959, by the Queen of England.

After Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, Sardauna continued as leader of the NPC, which dominated the Federal as well as the Northern Regional Houses. He became Vice President of the World Muslim League, and the first Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

He was assassinated on January 15, 1966, by dissident Army Officers.