Book Review:Life of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

This is perhaps the most voluminous piece written about any African statesman this century. The size of the biography may have nothing to do with Nigeria's size and population, but may be related to the richness of the lite of its subject and the enthusiasm and meticulousness of its author. Even as the author had known his subject closely for some ten goods years when the former was a colonial District Officer, it look him some ten years, 1881 to 1991, to see this wonderful work through. The work as may be expected, turned out to be not only a biography of the first Prime Ministers of independent Nigeria, but almost a biography of Nigeria itself. For the work has brought together, if inadvertently, all the major events and issues that make up the contemporary political history of Nigeria.

The book is made up of six parts and a total of 49 chapters, an introduction, a prologue, an epilogue, maps, pictures and extensive indices and glossary. In the prologue the author to set the context and describe the setting in which his subject was born and within which he grew. The authors attempt to give the genesis of the Islamic society created by the Jihad of Shaykh Usman Dan Fodio at very beginning of the 19th century and its eventual colonisation by the British imperial Army at the beginning of the twentieth century, while useful, could have been more informed, now that there are substantial published materials on the subject.

The first part of the book, made up of some nine chapters, deals with the formative years of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in Bauchi, a state under the Sokoto Caliphate and a province under the British colonial administration. Tafawa Balcwa, literally Translated, Black Rock. is a district under Bauchi and the home of the authors subject. The author meticulously traced Abubakar's life from his family background, birth, childhood. through his education at home and in the UK, political association until he became a member of the House of Assembly in 1947. The second part, made up of five chapters, deals with his career as an education officers with increasing involvement in the politics of Northern Nigeria, particularly constitution making and the formation of the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC, the premier Northern political party, until he became a minister in the central government in 1952. This was a self-rule government, enjoying a substantial degree of autonomy, that was on its way to independence as colonialism came to an end. Part three, constituting some ten chapters, then concentrates on this very eventful and busy period up to independence in 1960. This was a period of political turmoil as the emerging nation tried to sort itself out of the complex problems, characterised by series of constitutional conferences, native authority reforms, conflicts and riots. It was also a period of extensive external contacts as sir Abubakar travelled abroad to United States, UK and to Makka and Madina for the pilgrimage.

The fourth part, made up of six chapters, started from Abubakar's assumption of the prime Ministership of the newly independent Nigeria and followed the PM very closely as he tackled the array of intricate problems both domestic and international. From the formation of his cabinet, the creation of institutions for the independent country like the central bank and legal reforms through dealing with the local squabbles and opposition to issues of foreign policy on matters like South Africa, Congo upheavals and Cameroon's withdrawal. The ideological differences with Nkrumah which were coming to the fore were also discussed in this part. In part five these issues were taken further with greater details in some eight chapters. The deepening fractures and mistrusts among the political parties which were largely reflections of differences in culture, world view and orientation were already threatening the new republic. Similarly the relationship of independent Nigeria other nations like Israel and ideological blocks like the Casablanca and Monrovia group generating a lot of heat. The rejection of Israeli aid by the Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto (P 603), after the central minister of finance had almost accepted one, was one such mess that had to be cleared. The role of the Prime Minister in steering clear from these difficulties and pulling the new nation out of the myriad of problems was discussed with impressive details. The sixth and the last part, aptly titled, 'the lonely Leader of a short-lived republic', concentrated in eleven chapters on the events at home that eventually led to military intervention in 1966, in which the subject of the biography along with his political team became the target and the victim. The issues that precipitated the crisis were discussed chronologically and objectively with amazing details. The last chapter which discussed the brutal end of this honest and dedicated statesman was particularly moving.

In the epilogue, the author pursued the corpse of his subject until it was laid to rest in Bauchi. He caught a glimpse of sombre atmosphere among the family of the deceased Prime Minister as well as the Northern Nigeria generally. He then proceeded to assess the reactions to this death first within the country and then among African leaders, especially Nkrumah, who was oblivious that his was also near, and later in Britain and international community. While the author made no efforts to hide the slowness of the British establishment in expressing their grief and even when they eventually found it expedient to do so, did it very reluctantly, he made no efforts to discuss the issue or attempt to offer explanations. NKrurnah' s reluctance in showing any grief was fairly understandable, for he ideologically belonged to the opposite Casablanca block, who saw the Monrovia block as delaying their progress in Africa, or so Nkrumah thought. Even on this the author could have offered a few words to put Nkrumah's reaction in context.

One interesting feature of this biography is the relationship between the author and his subject. The understanding, sympathy nay love of the author for his subject is intriguing when we realise that the author is part of the British colonial administration whose primary objective is to conquer and exploit the natives and British contempt for natives is legendary. More so when his subject is one of those natives who, as a Muslim, was not

quite enthralled with the European ethos and resiliently maintained the independence of a mind cast securely within an Islamic world-view. The author and his subject shared more understanding and sympathy than any of them did with the Southern Nigerian Christian natives whose minds are cast in Euro-Christian world-view. In fact it is the hands of these Southern Christians, who were not only unable but clearly unwilling to understand, much less sympathise with, their Northern Muslim colleagues, that Abubakar Tafawa Balewa met his brutal and tragic end.

How do we explain this irony? One explanation may be found in the first of the three epigraphs quoted in the book: "If you cannot understand a man, you cannot crush him. And if you do understand a man, you probably will not wish to crush him", attributed to G K Chesterton. Perhaps the author having been close enough to understand his subject and his cultural background had come to appreciate him more than the Southern Christians or even the author's contemporaries in far away Britain. Another explanation may be found in the observation of a leading Northern Nigerian Scholar, that despite the vast differences in beliefs and world-views, the British and their Muslim colonial subjects had mutual appreciation of each other because they both had a culture and civilisation and it takes someone with a culture and civilisation to appreciate one. There could be more, let us hope someone will probe this further.

It is indeed remarkable that author was able to bring together so much details about the life and times of this great statesman and weave it into a coherent narrative. Of course no matter how the author tried, as a European, there were certain things that were beyond his grasp. But even then, it remains remarkable that the author had put together these enormous data so successfully that the reader is hardly bored. Part of the secret may be found in the simple style, subtle humour and cross reference to contemporary events taking place in other parts of the globe. The maps and pictures did help also. On the whole this is a remarkable book on a remarkable Statesman for which the author as well as the publishers need to be congratulated. For Nigerian readers the book is, particularly timely, coming at a time when the whole country is searching for its bearings once again, having lost it in the wake of the several military interventions in politics. It is a compulsory reading for anyone who wants to understand contemporary Nigeria or contemporary African Politics.

Usman Bugaje

Kaduna, Nigeria.

November, 1995.