Audu Bako

Audu Bako (1924–1980) was a Nigerian police officer and the first Governor of Kano State during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon after the state was formed from part of Northern Region.[1]

Audu Bako
Governor of Kano State
In office 28 May 1967 – July 1975
Preceded by	Hassan Katsina (Northern Region)
Succeeded by	Sani Bello
Personal details
Born	24 November 1924 Kaduna, Northern Region, British Nigeria
Died	1980
Occupation	Police officer Administrator

Background

Audo Bako was born in 1924 at the Kaduna police barracks. His father had served in the police force for 36 years and was chief of the Sabon Gari (non-Hausa people) in Kaduna. He was educated to the Kaduna Government School and the Zaria Middle School.

Bako enlisted in the Nigeria police force on 24 June 1942, became an instructor in police law at the Kaduna Police College, then prosecuting officer and later was appointed deputy commissioner of police in charge of all Native Authority police in the former Northern Region.[2]

Governor of Kano State

Appointed military governor of the old Kano State in May 1967, Bako undertook reforms of the local governments which had been dominated by the traditional emirs. He sought to improve professionalism among local government employees while transferring some responsibilities to the State government. He said the reforms would strengthen the position of the Emirs in their traditional role as religious leaders.[2]

Bako built most of modern Kano's landmark structures. The state government secretariat and the Audu Bako School of Agriculture in Dambatta were named after him.[3] Baku was a strong supporter of women's education.[4] Using the teachings of the Shehu as justification, Bako established primary, secondary and teachers training colleges for women and children.[5] He produced the first plan for developing and promoting tourism in the state in 1967.[6] He established the Trade and Industry Division under the Ministry of Finance in 1968.[7]

In 1969 Bako started construction of the Bagauda Dam to supply the Kadawa Irrigation Project, precursor to the Kano Irrigation Project. Between 1970 and 1973 his administration built the much larger Tiga Dam, aiming to boost agricultural production through irrigation.[8]He has been called the father of Kano's green revolution.[9] However, although well-intentioned the dams caused considerable problems in the downstream Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, and turned out to have negative net economic value.[10] His Tomas Danbatta Water Supply Scheme was later abandoned, only to be rehabilitated in 2008 and used to provide drinking water to communities in Dambatta, Makoda and Minjibir local government areas.

Hassan Lemu served as his Provincial Secretary, Audi Howediy as the Secretary to the Military Government (SMG), Bashari Gumel as the Principal Secretary, Muhammadu Ibrahim served as Secretary to the Kano State Executive Council 1968-1969, Sabo Sarki Mohammed as Press Secretary, Ibrahim Bello and Isyaku Umar Tofa served in the post of Principal Private Secretary, the Personal Secretaries were Abba Dutse, Babagana Adamu and Umaru Abdulwahab, the Chief Protocol included Ali Ahmed and Ismaila Yaro Dandago.[11]

Legacy

Bako retired in 1975 after the coup that brought General Murtala Muhammed to power, and began farming in Sokoto State. He died in 1980 leaving a widow and eleven children. After his death, the Tiga dam was renamed the Audu Bako dam.[12] The Audu Bako prize is awarded each year to the winner of the Kano International Polo Tournament.[13] Bako was widely respected, and was considered an example of moral integrity.[14]

References

1. "Nigerian States". WorldStatesmen. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
2. John N. Paden (1973). Religion and political culture in Kano. University of California Press. p. 339ff. ISBN 0-520-01738-2.
3. Ibrahim Ado-Kurawa. "Brief History of Kano 999 to 2003". Kano State Government. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
4. Waheed Odusile (13 April 2010). "Yerima's madness". The Nation. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
5. Sue Ellen M. Charlton; Jana Matson Everett; Kathleen A. Staudt (1989). Women, the state, and development. SUNY Press. p. 105. ISBN 0-7914-0064-6.
6. Mohammed Mousa-Booth (1987). Kano State, 20 years of progress. Kano State, Ministry of Home Affairs, Information, and Culture. p. 77.
7. "Business". Kano State Tourism. Archived from the original on 1 November 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
8. Ujudud Shariff (17 March 2009). "Food Security and Kano Irrigation Project". Daily Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
9. Dele Shobowale (28 January 2001). "Heroes of the 20th Century: Alhaji Audu Bako". Vanguard. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
10. Edward B Barbier (7 November 2002). "Upstream Dams and Downstream Water Allocation – The Case of the Hadejia'Jama'are Floodplain, Northern Nigeria" (PDF). Department of Economics and Finance, University of Wyoming. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
11. Sule Ya'u Sule Suleysule (16 January 2009). "How Kano Observed New Islamic Year". Daily Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
12. Raph Uwechue (1981). Africa who's who, Volume 1. Africa Journal Ltd. for Africa Books Ltd. p. 71. ISBN 0-903274-14-0.
13. Ukeme Ekpenyong (17 July 2009). "Boys, What boys". Next. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
14. Beverly Blow Mack (2004). Muslim women sing: Hausa popular song. Indiana University Press. p. 66. ISBN 0-253-21729-6.