Audu Bako

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

Police Commissioner (retired) Audu Bako (born 1924) was the first Administrator of Kano State, Nigeria during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon after the state was formed from part of Northern Region. He was widely respected for his moral integrity and for the tangible achievements of his administration.

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 joined the police force in 1942, became an instructor in police law at the Kaduna Police College, and then was appointed deputy commissioner of police in charge of all Native Authority police in the former Northern Region.

Kano State Governor

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.

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. Baku was a strong supporter of women's education. Using the teachings of the Shehu as justification, Bako established primary, secondary and teachers training colleges for women and children. He produced the first plan for developing and promoting tourism in the state in 1967. He established the Trade and Industry Division under the Ministry of Finance in 1968.

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. He has been called the father of Kano's green revolution. However, although well-intentioned the dams caused considerable problems in the downstream Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, and turned out to have negative net economic value. 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.

Later life

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. The Audu Bako prize is awarded each year to the winner of the Kano International Polo Tournament. Bako was widely respected, and was considered an example of moral integrity.