Introduction
It has been about 57 years since the first and only Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, died but his name continues to resonate among Nigerians. While the elderly speak highly of him, stories of his person and achievements have continued to be passed down from generation to generation.
Sir Ahmadu Bello, who was also the Sardauna of Sokoto, was a reputable statesman and consummate politician, who was well-admired by many across Nigeria and beyond. He embodied purposeful governance with his people-oriented policies. His name was and is still synonymous with the masses, as he championed the cause of the downtrodden. He focused on human capital development. In fact, his watchword was “masses’’.
His people-oriented policies gained him several awards and accolades. Institutions he established include; the Arewa Textiles; Northern Nigeria Development Corporation, now known as New Nigeria Development Company; the Ahmadu Bello University, which is dubbed as the second largest university in Africa; Northern Nigerian Publishing Company; New Nigeria Investment Limited and Bank of the North. Some of these institutions have continued to serve the people in no small measure. In his quest to ensure that his people were properly informed about events across the world and that stories about the region were told in proper perspective, he set up the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria and the Nigerian Citizen Newspaper, which later became New Nigerian Newspaper. The Sardauna always worked for the upliftment of the North. Till date, leaders in Nigeria, especially the North, have continued to strive to either fit into the very large shoes he left behind or to build on the foundation he laid.
So far, we have seen some governors, legislators and leaders generally of the northern region, who, leaning on the legacy of the Sardauna, embark on some people-oriented projects to uplift the lives of the masses. As their way of keeping the Premier’s dreams of a better and more developed region alive, they have constructed schools to educate the people, initiated empowerment schemes among others.
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In this publication put together in honour of the Sardauna, we bring to you some of the projects being executed in line with the teachings and principles of the late premier.
In this third edition in our series, we took a journey to Nasarawa State, where the Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has executed some projects to improve the lives of the people.
