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John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA AR6711-I. President John F. Kennedy Meets with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Prime Minister of Nigeria
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA AR6711-I. President John F. Kennedy Meets with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Prime Minister of Nigeria

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

Prime Minister of Nigeria, 1957-1966, Nigerian 1912-1966
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Place of BirthBauchi, Nigeria, Africa
Place of DeathLagos, Nigeria, Africa
Nigerian political leader. He was born Mallam Abubakar. After studying to become a teacher, he held a series of posts in education and then became a member of the Northern Region house of assembly in 1947. Later (1951), he was elected to the federal house of representatives. He was appointed the first prime minister of the Federation of Nigeria in 1957. When the federation became independent (1960), he retained his office. He was a founder and deputy president general of the country's largest political party, the Northern People's Congress. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1966, he was killed in a military coup.