Sulaimanu Barau

Suleimanu Barau, OBE (1903 – 1979) was the 6th emir of Abuja. Then, the name Abuja implied the name of the emirate controlled by the Habes who had fled Zazzau during the Fulani Jihad. He was born to the family of Mohammed Gani and attended Bida Provincial School. After completing his secondary studies, he proceeded to Katsina Training College for preparatory studies on education and teaching. In 1944, he was appointed emir of Abuja, by the time of his appointment, he was the first western trained emir in Nigeria.
Life
After spending five years at the Katsina College, he earned his teaching certificate. He then taught at Keffi and Bida from 1927-1931. However, he left the teaching profession afterwards when he became the district head of Diko in 1931. From there, he worked at the Abuja Native Administration in order to assist Emir Musa, who was reaching old age.
In 1944, he was made emir. As ruler of the emirate of Abuja, he introduced modern customs to replace...