SIR AHMADU BELLO, The Sardauna (Warlord) of Sokoto

FULL DETAILS HERE: http://.com/sir-ahmadu-bello-the-sardauna-warlord-of-sokoto/

This piece is dedicated to the three ABUSITES in my life. They know themselves. And they always brag that ABU products are naturally ahead. Okies, no lele.....lol!

OUTLINE

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS

EDUCATION AND GROWING UP

FAMILY AND MARRIAGE

CAREER AND LATER LIFE

POLITICS AND STRUGGLE FOR NIGERIA’S INDEPENDENCE

HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE IBOS

HIS DEATH

APPOINTMENTS, HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND LEGACY

HIS WORDS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Even 47 years after his death at the age of 55, Sir AHMADU BELLO is still venerated by millions of Nigerians. The largest university in West Africa and the second largest in Africa is named after him while his picture is graciously perched on one of Nigeria's highest currencies -the N200 note.

But who was the late Warlord of Sokoto, a descendant of Uthman Dan Fodio, who is still an idol to millions of Nigerians today even if millions of his compatriots, especially from the Southeast still despise him? Has the Nigerian nation learnt anything from history? Why was he jailed? Oh, did you know he was born on a June 12? What were his achievements? Why do his people love him so much? Why has he generated so much hatred in the minds of some others? Is there anything we can pick from history and make Nigeria great again? You decide. takes you on an interesting voyage: the life and times of ALHAJI SIR DR.AHMADU BELLO, Nigeria's one and only Gamji!

BIRTH AND EARLY DAYS

The late Sardauna was born on the 12th of June, 1910 in the village of Rabah, some 20 miles from Sokoto. His father, Ibrahim Bello, was the Head of the District and also prince of the Sokoto Caliphate as his great-grandfather was the legendary Sultan Muhammed Bello who was the father of Sultan Abubakar Atiku. Sultan Bello was the son of, yes, you guessed right, the much-revered Fulani sheikh, Usman Dan Fodio, a scholar, warrior and teacher who founded the Sokoto Caliphate in 1809 and became its first Sultan.

EDUCATION AND GROWING UP

At the age of six, his father died. Young Ahmadu first schooled at the Sokoto Provincial School, which happened to be the only modern school in the entire province of Sokoto. He finished at the age of 16 top of the class. He also got his Islamic and Arabic education as a teenager from Mallam Garba who was the Imam of Rabah village. Thereafter, he attended the Teacher's Training College, Katsina (later became the famous Barewa College) (1926-1936) where he was a School Prefect and Class Captain and graduated as a Teacher in 1931 with a credit equivalent Grade III result. After studying there for five years, he was appointed by the Sultan of Sokoto to work as a teacher at the Sokoto Middle School, where he was once a student and taught from 1931-1934. He was the only surviving son of his father and mother, Mariyamu.

FAMILY AND MARRIAGE

In 1932, he married Hafsatu, his first wife and the daughter of the Waziri Maccido. Some records indicated he married Hafsatu when she was nine while another stated twelve. Hafsatu would later battle with childlessness. With time, he married two more wives, Kande and Amiru (divorced them in 1938) and later married Amina and Jabbo in 1940 and 1952 respectively. In 1952, his five-day-old son from Jabbo died and back in 1936, he had also lost a two-year-old son, Mohammed Tambari, from his divorced wife, Kande.
The late Sardauna of Sokoto was survived by three daughters (Inno, A'ishat, Lubabatu). One of them, Inno died in 2008. There were three sons but all died.

The eldest today is Hajiya A'ishat Marafa Danbaba, born in 1945 (see pictures) now aged 67, she said that after the brutal assassination of their dad, they have been surviving on the goodwill of close associates such as the late Emir of Daura, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar, the Sarkin Fadan Kano, Alhaji Sule Gaya and the former Chief Justice of Nigeria but commended the Sokoto State Government headed by Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako for taking good care of them, as from May 29th, 2007, the State Governor had placed the Sardauna family on a monthly allowance of N250,000 ($1560). She said:
“Since the death of our father, there has never been a government that showed us care and concern as the current administration of Governor Wamakko which placed this family on a monthly allowance of N250,000 for which we are very grateful.''

She also praised the former administration of Army Colonel Yakubu Mu'azu, the Military Administrator of Sokoto State during General Abacha's regime (read all about General Sani Abacha, Nigeria's most enigmatic ruler here http://.com/sani-abacha-nigerias-most-enigmatic-ruler/ ) for renovating one of the late Sardauna's two houses at Kanwuri, Sokoto but complained that his other building at Kofar Marke area of the state is in a dilapidated condition and desperately needed renovation. Hajiya A'ishat got married to the late Magajin Gari Sokoto in 1956 and said of her father: “I had a very close relationship with my father. He showered us with great love and we will continue to cherish those moments. My dad was a simple man despite being an aristocrat. He was temperamental but easily forgets after sometime.
He doesn’t bear any grudges against those who offended him and forgives those who wronged him. My father was kind and just to people and never discriminated against anybody based on his ethnic group or religion.

“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 relatives. 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.

“My father was generous and loved to give out gifts to people. He never had material accumulation instincts, did not accumulate wealth and gave out whatever came into his possession. He was scrupulous and prudent with public finance but generous with his own money.
“His happiest moments were always when he was in the company of people. He constantly toured the length and breadth of the Northern Region, 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 potentials. My father had the desire of transforming the North so that the country can attain its true potentials.” Hajia A'ishat has five children and the fourth one, Hassan Danbaba Marafa is the Magajin Garin of Sokoto, who happens to be one of the 11 kingmakers of the Sokoto Caliphate saddled with the responsibility of appointing the Sultan. Her first daughter is married to Nigeria's former Ambassador to South Africa. Alhaji Shehu Malami.

A second daughter, Hajia Luba is married to the Marafan Sokoto, Alhaji Ali Umaru Shinkafi (CON, NPM, MNIM), former Head of the National Security Organisation (NSO) and one-time Presidential Aspirant.

CAREER AND LATER LIFE

By 1934, he was made the District Head of Rabah under the colonial setting and in 1938, he got a promotion as the Divisional Head of Gusau (now in present-day Zamfara State). In 1938, at the age of just 28, he made attempts to become the Sultan of Sokoto but was not successful, losing to Sir Siddiq Abubakar III who reigned for 50 years until his death in 1988. The new Sultan immediately made Sir Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna (Warlord) of Sokoto, a honorary title and promoted him to the Sokoto Native Authority Council, these titles automatically made him the Chief Political Adviser to the Sultan. Later, he was put in charge of the Sokoto Province to oversee 47 districts and by 1944, he was back at the Sultan's Palace to work as the Chief Secretary of the State Native Administration.

In the 1940s, he established the Jamiyya Mutanen Arewa which would later become the NPC in 1951. In 1948, he got a government scholarship and was off to England to study Local Government Administration which broadened his understanding and knowledge of governance. As 'successor-in-waiting' to the throne of the Sultan, he wore the turban. In 1943, a drama played out when he was thrown before the Sultan's court for misappropriating jangali (cattle) tax for the Gusau region where he was the Councillor.

He was sentenced to one year in prison. Do not forget the fact that there was a rivalry simmering below the robes between him and the new Sultan. But with the aid of the other 'Barewa guys' like Shehu Shagari, Aminu Kano and Ibrahim Dasuki, he filed for an acquittal after he had already spent three months in jail. But that would only boost him popularity and many felt he was just a victim of unfair political tussle.

KINDLY FOLLOW LINK ABOVE FOR FULL DETAILS AND MANY MORE PICTURES.
THANK YOU.

Wonderful job . Keep doing yo thang.

Thanks, Boss

diarra94: Wonderful job . Keep doing yo thang.

Hammadu Bello is tribalist, he hated Awolowo too much, he wanted to Strangle Awolowo to dead,

All of Nigeria's founding fathers had their hands dripping with the blood of tribalism and it is a pity they've passed on the same destructive genes to millions of Nigerians.

Willywilly4: Hammadu Bello is tribalist, he hated Awolowo too much.

5th to comment oh thanks for d info

5th to comment oh thanks for d info .

The picture above showing the trio.
The laughter on their face is full of deceit.

That's the origin of tribalism.
Except for Zip that wanted one Nigeria

[size=20pt]Only Zik wanted a Nigeria as diverse as the United States.

Awo thought it was just a mere geographical expression

Bello declared the whole thing an estate of his grandfather

But the Middle Belt dominated Military saw Nigeria as the way they can survive.
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