Eighty-nine-year-old retired Commissioner of Police Manya Dogo has released a book titled Governor Audu Bako: The Man of Wisdom and Foresight, a detailed account of Audu Bako's tenure as Military Governor of old Kano State from 1967 to 1975. Dogo, who served under Bako, wrote the book from firsthand experience, offering insights into Bako's administration and governance style. The book highlights Bako's role in shaping the political and administrative landscape of the then expansive Kano State, which included present-day Kano, Katsina, and Jigawa states.
Dogo's narrative presents Bako as a disciplined and visionary leader who prioritized infrastructure, education, and civil service reform. The former police commissioner recalled specific policies and projects initiated during Bako's rule, including the establishment of key institutions and the expansion of road networks. Dogo also described Bako's leadership approach, emphasizing his hands-on management and commitment to accountability. The book serves as a historical record of a critical period in northern Nigeria's development.
Manya Dogo's decision to publish a book praising Audu Bako at 89 underscores how deeply personal loyalty and historical memory shape political narratives in northern Nigeria. That a retired police commissioner would invest his twilight years in chronicling a military administrator's legacy suggests the enduring influence of that era's strongman governance.
Bako's rule from 1967 to 1975 coincided with a period of centralised authority and state-led development, and Dogo's account reflects a nostalgia for top-down efficiency. The emphasis on infrastructure and institutional building in the book aligns with how some view that period—not as authoritarian but as purposeful. Dogo's firsthand anecdotes about Bako's daily routines and decision-making offer a rare window into military governance that current generations rarely hear.
For ordinary Nigerians, especially in the North, this narrative feeds into ongoing debates about leadership quality and national direction. Younger citizens confronting bureaucratic inertia and crumbling infrastructure may find in Bako's story a contrast to today's governance. The book does not critique military rule but instead presents it as a time of measurable progress.
This fits a broader pattern in Nigeria: the re-evaluation of military regimes not through democratic ideals but through perceived delivery.
