Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
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 |
| |
| In office 1954 – 15 January 1966 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mallam Abubakar December 1912 Bauchi, Northern Nigeria Protectorate |
| Died | 15 January 1966 (aged 53) near Lagos, Nigeria |
| 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 the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile. His political career spanned almost half of a century.