Children of First Republic leaders speak out ‘Life after our great fathers’
Abubakar Saddik Balewa described growing up with the late Prime Minsiter, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, as some of the best memories as he was among the two of his sons who were with him in Lagos. “I have a very vivid recollection of the times we spent with the Prime Minister because I and my […]
Abubakar Saddik Balewa described growing up with the late Prime Minsiter, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, as some of the best memories as he was among the two of his sons who were with him in Lagos. “I have a very vivid recollection of the times we spent with the Prime Minister because I and my brother, Muktar, stayed with him in Lagos. We were very close to him and we still have good memories of him. In fact, one of the memories that are enduring is that of October 1, 1960. Because we were in the royal box at the Race Course which is now Tafawa Balewa Square and we were with Muktar’s mother, Hajiya Inde, who was my father’s senior wife, our grandmother and Princess Alexandria who represented the queen. I cannot forget that day because of the excitement and the fireworks later in the evening. It is something that has remained in my mind up to today. In fact, for a long time, every 1st October brings tears in my eyes because I remember the emotions of those years.”
Saddik said the Prime Minister, though very busy, still found time to play with them. “I and Muktar were in primary school then in Lagos. Sometimes we had breakfast with him in the morning. He gave us access to his house at anytime. You know he was very busy because he travelled a lot, but in between his travels, he made time for us. We ate together, played together. He liked to play football or tennis with us and that kind of a thing. Apart from that whenever he travelled around Nigeria especially to Bauchi we used to go with him on the train. Most time, during these journeys he always made stop-overs in Kaduna to see the Premier. We have a recollection of those days and the kind of people around. One thing which was very clear is that he always insisted that we never take money from all those who came to visit him. It was a rule of his. If you want to see the Prime Minster angry collect money from visitors, and we adhered strictly to that.”
Saddik told Weekly Trust that the late Prime Minister had 20 children, out of which two died and 18 are now remaining.
He said the pension of the late Prime Minister was paid 44 years ago but government has always held the Prime Minster in honour. “Like any public servant in the country, he is entitled to a pension and it has been paid 44 years ago. The pension has been reviewed by successive governments. You know the condition of 44 years ago cannot be the same with what it is today. The family house in Bauchi is still there, and like I said 44 years is a long time. All the children of the prime minister have all grown up and have found their different bearings in life. We are talking of half a century. It’s a long time. The house has been renovated a few times. Government does what government can do. You see, like anything in Nigeria there is no continuity in government. Policies keep on changing but one thing that is consistent is the obligation by government to honor the family because of the sacrifices that the Prime Minister had made. There have been several governments with different inclinations and agendas.”
The house of late Joseph Tarka is a simple architecture but it is famous in Gboko and Benue at large because of the legacy left by Tarka in the politics of Benue State and beyond. Presently, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership in Gboko is using one of the rooms at the frontage as its Local Government Secretariat, although its party flags that stand in front of the house are torn and chocked by the mango tree, and dirt.
John Tarka, a politician like his late elder brother, lives there still with his wife and children as well as other relatives and the extended family. He told our reporter that relatives of the late political leader could not have expected a better deal because he taught them good virtues of humility, self control, respect to whom it is due, and above all, “to be God-fearing.” He said the house was given a facelift by former state governor, and now Senator George Akume who is also Mbakor as Tarka.
“The state government does not remember that J.S. had a house here. There is no assistance from them. Even the Tarka Local Government Area does not turn its eyes in this direction. Members of the family, both nuclear and extended, live a contented lives, not expecting anything from governments”, he added. Tarka Local Government was created by General Sani Abacha who also linked Wannune, the headquarters to the National Grid. The former Head of State was there to commission the electricity project himself, during which he recalled how J.S. Tarka influenced his reinstatement in the Army after he was thrown out on frivolous grounds in the 60s.
One of his sons, Joseph Tarka Jnr, is a member of the Benue State House of Assembly, representing Tarka constituency, but his victory at the bye-election did not enjoy the influence of state powers. He said Governor Gabriel Suswam is close to members of the Tarka family, but there was no need for him to come into the election which he is not a voter. “The governor has a long standing relationship with the Tarka family, but he did not delve into the affairs of the electorate in Tarka during my election. You know we are trying to do away with the culture of rigging, to enthrone the culture of one man, one vote. Besides, the need for him to come into the election did not arise. He did not oppose my candidature, he did not show support. I didn’t get to see the governor until I emerged the party’s (PDP) candidate. There was no influence by him because the need for it did not arise”, Joseph Tarka Jnr said. He said there is no material benefit from the federal, state and local governments, just as he added that no family member has ever looked up to governments for any gain.
“The goodwill of Tarka still hovers over us all. The name opens many doors especially at the national level. Once we are identified as a member of the Tarka family, things work, things happen. But again, like I said earlier, we were taught good virtues. So, we do not misuse this goodwill and privilege; we don’t abuse the name by seeking favours around. We work and earn anything we have.”
He spoke also of the virtues of humility and modest lifestyle taught all family members by the late nationalist. “To a large degree, the virtues of my father have serious impact on all family members. I don’t think you can find any Tarka family member displaying arrogance, and living ostentatious life, cut off from the people. No, we are not like that. Well, as a person, he was a flamboyant politician, but he was stylist and fashionable in politics. So, he did not allow his position get into his head, or the heads of his children and relatives. We all live a modest lifestyles. There was no barrier between us and the rest of the society, not what you witness these days: armed policemen and other guards around a politician and his children. We did not have policemen. J.S. did not have policemen around him.
Abubakar Jolly Tanko, the first grandson of late Ambassador Jolly Tanko Yusuf, said he stayed with his grandfather for twenty years and had some lasting memories of him. “I have a lot of memories about him because fortunately for me I am his first grandson and I was brought up by him. I was very close to him. I spent more than 20 years with him. I remember that he jogged every morning 5-6 am. When he was old he took a quick walk. I remember watching him take those walks. I am the one that used to serve most of his guests. I love politics so I am always by his side to hear him talk any time I’m free. I remember all those stories he told us about the different countries he had visited and the kinds of development taking place there and how he wished Nigeria could do the same. He talked about the different kinds of heads of state he had met in the course of his diplomatic career. He talked about Nigeria a lot. He was also a very jovial man. He was quick to observe the irregularities in Nigeria and his desire for a united country. The unity of the country was something he was passionate about. He bemoaned the crisis of leadership in the country and how things would have developed if we had the right kind of leaders. He loved the late Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello. He talked about him a lot. He was one of the Christians in the north who was privileged to be close to the Sardauna. He was one of the few Christians who worked with the Sardauna and was never discriminated against. The major challenge he had was that leadership values of the Sardauna was never imbibed by subsequent leaders. That era was an era of honour where the leaders had integrity. He decried the degenerating values in the country.”
Abubakar told Weekly Trust that one of the values he cherished is keeping to time. “He was a very forward-looking man. He valued honesty and appreciated people who are honest. He told us how he detested lies and people who told lies. One of his outstanding legacies was time. He valued time so much. It is one of his qualities that many Nigerians have not been able to copy. The Ambassador never played with time. If he was going to be somewhere at 10 o’clock, he will be there at 10 o’clock. If he couldn’t make it, he would apologize and let you know. He was particular about keeping to time and keeping to his words. If he said something he would do it. He loved hard work. He used to tell us about his background and how his hand work and dedication took him to where he got to. He never tolerated laziness. He would reward us anytime we achieved something.”
Abubakar said his grandfather was the only one he knew who built a conference hall in his personal residence where he hosted political and community meetings. “He was always holding one meeting or the other. I am sure that informed the construction of a conference room at his residence in Kaduna where most of the political meetings took place. A lot of people have been to that house. I have met former President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Ibrahim Babangida in that house. Professor Jerry Gana was also a frequent visitor to the house. Everywhere I go today a lot of people tell me how they had benefitted from him one way or the other.”
Speaking to Weekly Trust, Yomi Awoniyi, son of late Sunday Awoniyi, said he feels like a king sharing the same birthday with the country and feels opportuned to be born on the day Nigeria was liberated. But on the same note, he says he does not believe Nigeria can boast that it has attained the level it deserves to be at the age of fifty. “Nigeria has done a lot of good if not for anything, that we have remained as a country despite all the challenges and hurdles we go through. If not for the recent bomb blast at the venue of the independence celebration yesterday, we would have beat our chests to say at least, in the last couple of months, Nigeria had seen some relative peace.
“We’ve been able to pull through thick and difficult crisis and I believe that there will be light at the end of the tunnel for Nigeria. I believe in the country so much and I believe there is a lot of promise to be fulfilled for the country.
“At my age, my generation should be allowed to participate fully in moving the country forward. We do not need old hands and the same faces to keep on running things in the same way over and over again. I believe the day will come where all Nigerians will be proud to be called Nigerians. Nigeria will rise again.”