Aliyu Sabo Bakin Zuwo (December 31, 1934 – February 15, 1989) was a Nigerian politician of the

People's Redemption Party The People's Redemption Party is a social democratic political party in Nigeria. The Second Republic reincarnation of the Northern Elements Progressive Union and the Fourth Republican reincarnation of a similar namesake, the party was cre ...

(PRP). He was a Senator in the

Second Nigerian Republic The Second Nigerian Republic was a brief formation of the Nigerian state which succeeded the military governments formed after the overthrow of the first republic. Background Contested elections and political turbulence in the Western region ...

and was elected governor of

Kano State Kano (Hausa language, Hausa: ) is one of the 36 States of Nigeria, states of Nigeria, located in the Northern Region, Nigeria, northern region of the country. According to the national census done in 2006, Kano State is the List of Nigerian st ...

in October 1983, holding office briefly until the military coup on 31 December 1983 that brought General

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

to power.

Background

Zuwo's origins could be traced to Barebari from

Kanem–Bornu Empire The Kanem–Bornu Empire was an empire based around Lake Chad that once ruled areas which are now part of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, and Chad. The empire was sustained by the prosperous trans-Saharan trade and was one of the ...

where his ancestors migrated to Kano, where he was born and raised. His father's name is Abubakar, his grand father's name is Yusuf and his great-grandfather's name is Ibrahim; his mother Salamatu is from Gunduwawa in Minjibir Local Government.

Early political career

He had no formal education, but said that he attended "Mallam

Aminu Kano Mallam Aminu Kano (9 August 1920 — 17 April 1983) was a Nigerian radical opposition political leader, teacher, poet, playwright, and trade unionist from Kano. He played an active role during the transition from British colonial rule t ...

Political School, Sudawa, Kano." Zuwo enrolled himself at the age of sixteen at Shahuchi Primary School Adult Literacy Class in 1950 to 1954; among his tutors was

Maitama Sule Yusuf Maitama Sule (1 October 1929 – 3 July 2017), known by his title Dan Masani of Kano, was a traditionalist Nigerian statesman and diplomat who was one of the foremost politicians from northern Nigeria between the independence period and ...

. Zuwo also attended Igbo Community School Sabon Gari Kano and a course on Local Government administration at the Institute of Administration Kongo Campus of

Ahmadu Bello University The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) is a public research university located in Zaria, Nigeria, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. It was opened in 1962 as the University of Northern Nigeria. The university has four colleges, three schools, 18 faculties, ...

. He missed the opportunity to acquire western education at an early age but was able to acquire a little of it when he became an adult. In the run-up to the Second Republic, Zuwo, an outspoken politician, was said to had made effective use of the radio more than any other politician in Northern Nigeria. Elected to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1979, Zuwo sponsored more bills than any other senator.

Governor of Kano

In the 1983 Kano State gubernatorial elections, he defeated former governor

Abubakar Rimi Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi (1940 – 4 April 2010) was a Nigerian politician who was the governor of Kano State during the Second Nigerian Republic. He also served as Federal Minister of Communications from 1993 to 1995 during the military r ...

, who had resigned earlier that year and defected to the

Nigerian People's Party {{Short description, Political party in the Nigerian Second Republic The Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) was one of the major political parties that contested elections in the Nigerian Second Republic. The party was made up of three major groups: the ...

(NPP). One of Zuwo's first acts as governor was to remove all the Emir's installed by Rimi. In a popular gesture, he closed down the Palace Cinema in Kano, which had become a venue for young men to take drugs and engage in sex, and converted it to a clinic.

Corruption

He was arrested by the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari which came to power in a coup on 31 December 1983. N3.4 million was said to be found "stacked up" in Zuwo's home when it was searched by the new military government. In 1985, a Special Military Tribunal found him guilty of three charges and sentenced him to 23 years in jail for each offence but they would run concurrently.

Death

He died in 1989. Before his death he had aligned with the People's Front of Nigeria led by General

Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Shehu Musa Yar'Adua (; 5 March 1943 – 8 December 1997) was a Nigerian general and politician who was the ''de facto'' vice president of Nigeria as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters when Nigeria was under military rule from 1976 to 1979. H ...

together with some Kano State politicians, such as his deputy Governor Wada Abubakar,

Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila (23 March 1946 – 11 January 2003) was a Nigerian politician and administrator. One of the first administrators to inherit the post first republican administrative structure instituted by the military, he served the Local ...

, and

Rabiu Kwankwaso 200px, Nigeria.html" ;"title="Kano State in Nigeria">Kano State in Nigeria Mohammed Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, (born 21 October 1956) is a Nigerian politician who served as governor of Kano state from 1999 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2015. After he ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuwo, Sabo Bakin 1989 deaths Governors of Kano State 1934 births