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Alhaji, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the elder whose image appears on the Five Naira note, was the first head of government in Nigeria after independence. He took over from Queen Elizabeth II of England on October 1, 1960. His six-year tenure as prime minister of an independent Nigeria laid the foundation for national development and economic growth. However, he was plagued by political and ethnic conflicts that eventually led to his assassination by the military in a failed coup attempt.