Tomb of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

The resting place of Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, is located along Ran road in Bauchi Metropolis, the capital of Bauchi State and was declared a national monument on August 29, 1979 by the military administrator of the state at the time, Brigadier Garba Duba. From the gate, every part of this edifice tells a story either of Tafawa Belawa’s ideals, what he represented and a historic view of Nigeria’s march to independence.  There are also two staircases in the monument, one is rough and designed in a way that no one can climb it depicting the hardship experienced by the Nigerian people under colonial rule. The other staircase is much smaller and it is designed with smooth steps making it possible for people to easily climb it. This signifies the freedom enjoyed by Nigerians during independence in 1960.
The construction of the tomb and the building enclosing the grave began in 1977 and it was commissioned in July 1979. The tomb also includes a reference library and a mosque.