Bashir Tofa

<h2 id="life">Life</h2>
Tofa was born in <a href="/facts/Kano_State/1p4apEsM">Kano</a>, <a href="/facts/Colony_and_Protectorate_of_Nigeria/4MMDcBIb">Nigeria</a>, from a <a href="/facts/Kanuri_language/whvTlm58">Kanuri</a> family on 20 June 1947. He had his primary education at Shahuci Special Primary School, Kano and then continued studies at City Senior Primary School in Kano. From 1962 to 1966, he attended Provincial College, Kano. After completing his studies at the Provincial school, he worked for Royal Exchange Insurance company from 1967 to 1968.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a> From 1970 to 1973, he attended <a href="/facts/City_of_London_College/wnmsW3NI">City of London College</a>. Tofa's stay into politics started in 1976 when he was a councilor of <a href="/facts/Tofa,_Nigeria/FEBuF8wR">Dawakin Tofa Local Government Council</a>, in 1977, he was elected a member into the Constituent Assembly. During the <a href="/facts/Nigerian_Second_Republic/hn1RtaYJ">Nigerian Second Republic</a>, Tofa was at various times the secretary of the Kano branch of <a href="/facts/National_Party_of_Nigeria/7sor9fsf">NPN</a>, he later became the party's national financial secretary<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> and was a national member of the Green Revolution National Committee.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a>
During the <a href="/facts/Third_Nigerian_Republic/dG1JktaU">Third Republic</a>, he was part of the Liberal Movement which metamorphosed to Liberal Convention when it was not registered as a political party, Tofa joined <a href="/facts/National_Republican_Convention/IYQgaQ3E">NRC</a> in 1990. In 1993, when the <a href="/facts/Ibrahim_Babangida/XBCu0pnr">Babangida</a> administration introduced the Option A4 system, Tofa was elected the presidential candidate representing Kano. During the party primaries, he defeated Pere Ajunwa, Joe Nwodo and Dalhatu Tafida to clinch the NRC ticket. He was an ally of <a href="/facts/Halilu_Akilu/UmUVdDLj">Halilu Akilu</a>, the security chief at the time. His running mate in the election was <a href="/facts/Sylvester_Ugoh/PuykD26q">Sylvester Ugoh</a>, an <a href="/facts/Igbo_people/UhxvcD24">Igbo</a> and a former governor of the now defunct central bank of <a href="/facts/Biafra/s2xSPdIU">Biafra</a>. Both were members of the defunct National Party of Nigeria.
Tofa was apparently defeated in the <a href="/facts/1993_Nigerian_presidential_election/l6JIobu2">presidential election</a> by his rival <a href="/facts/Moshood_Abiola/GtATcyak">Moshood Abiola</a>, a personal friend of <a href="/facts/Ibrahim_Babangida/XBCu0pnr">Babangida</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> and a <a href="/facts/Yoruba_people/x8tcApLL">Yoruba</a> from southwest Nigeria, but the official results were never released by Babangida's government. Babangida was forced to step down in August 1993 after protests calling for the results of the election.
Tofa was a businessman, an oil trader and an industrialist. He was chairman of International Petro-Energy Company (IPEC) and Abba Othman and Sons Ltd.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a> He was also involved as a board member in Impex Ventures, Century Merchant Bank and General Metal Products Ltd.
He authored several books in <a href="/facts/Hausa_language/hQF3HW8r">Hausa language</a>, some of which are:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a>

<ul><li>Tunaninka Kamanninka (The way you think reflects in your character)</li>
<li>Kimiyyar Sararin Samaniya (Space science)  •Kimiyya da Al’ajaban Al-Kur’ani (The science and wonders of the Qur’an)</li>
<li>Gajerun Labarai (Short stories)</li>
<li>Amazadan a Birnin Aljanu (Amazadan in the land of the spirits)</li>
<li>Amazadan da Zoben Farsiyas (Amazadan and Farsiyas ring),</li>
<li>Rayuwa Bayan Mutuwa (Life after death), and Mu Sha Dariya (Let us laugh)</li>
<li>AREWA daga ina,  zuwa ina?</li></ul>
Tofa died at the <a href="/facts/Aminu_Kano_Teaching_Hospital/0svhaUHs">Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital</a> on 3 January 2022, at the age of 74.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20051205135011/http://www.irinnews.org/webspecials/nigeria/chronology.asp">Nigeria chronology</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.pbs.org/hopes/nigeria/transcript.html">"Nigeria" transcript (PBS)</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034952/http://www.notablenigerians.com/?p=2107">Profile</a>[usurped]</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">"A personal tribute to Bashir Tofa". TheCable. 9 January 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2024. <a href="https://www.thecable.ng/a-personal-tribute-to-bashir-tofa/" target="_blank">https://www.thecable.ng/a-personal-tribute-to-bashir-tofa/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Falola, Toyin (2009). Historical Dictionary of Nigeria. Scarecrow Press. p. 345. ISBN 978-1-4086-6921-1. 1947 tofa. <a href="978-1-4086-6921-1" target="_blank">978-1-4086-6921-1</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Shehu, Idris (3 January 2022). "OBITUARY: Bashir Tofa, MKO Abiola's opponent who rejected declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day". TheCable. Retrieved 14 September 2024. <a href="https://www.thecable.ng/obituary-bashir-tofa-mko-abiolas-opponent-who-rejected-declaration-of-june-12-as-democracy-day" target="_blank">https://www.thecable.ng/obituary-bashir-tofa-mko-abiolas-opponent-who-rejected-declaration-of-june-12-as-democracy-day</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">"14 things to know about late Bashir Tofa". Daily Trust. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2024. <a href="https://dailytrust.com/14-things-to-know-about-late-bashir-tofa/" target="_blank">https://dailytrust.com/14-things-to-know-about-late-bashir-tofa/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Rufai, Misbahu. (11 May 1990). A man called MKO. Muslim Journal. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Falola p345 <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Okediran, Wale (18 July 2009). "Bashir Tofa and his eight books". Daily Trust. Retrieved 4 July 2024. <a href="https://dailytrust.com/bashir-tofa-and-his-eight-books/" target="_blank">https://dailytrust.com/bashir-tofa-and-his-eight-books/</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Adewale, Murtala (3 January 2022). "Former presidential candidate Bashir Tofa is dead". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2024. <a href="https://guardian.ng/news/former-presidential-candidate-bashir-tofa-is-dead/" target="_blank">https://guardian.ng/news/former-presidential-candidate-bashir-tofa-is-dead/</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Bashir Tofa open-in-new

Bashir Tofa