Abdulkadir Dan Bawa shi ne Sarkin Fulani na 8 a jihar à Ilorin. Ya gaji mahaifinsa, Shuaib Bawa a matsayin Sarki a shekara ta 1919. An nada Bawa a matsayin Sarki bisa shawarar mai rikon kwarya na Ilorin, Kenneth Elphinstone. Ya yi sarauta daga shekara ta 1920 zuwa shekara ta 1959, kuma ya ga yawancin sauye-sauyen tsarin mulki da aka fara bayan kafuwar Najeriya a shekara ta 1914. An ba da sanarwar shawarar Bawa game da Masarauta ba da daɗewa ba bayan mutuwar mahaifinsa a Nuwamban shekara ta 1919, Hugh Clifford ne ya ɗora shi a ƙa'ida a watan Fabrairun shekara. ta 1920. Mulkinsa ya fara ne a lokacin da yake mulkin kai tsaye kuma saboda haka ya kasance shugaban hukumar 'yan asalin Ilorin. Mulkinsa ya yi dai-dai da gina manyan tituna a cikin garin Ilorin, gami da hanyoyin da suka hada masarautar Ilorin zuwa Lafiaji, Jebba da Kogin Neja . A shekara ta 1935, majalisar masarautar Ilorin ta sami rikici wanda zanga-zangar Mogaji Aare, Baloguns da Baba Isale suka fara, wadanda dukkaninsu sarakuna ne masu martaba a garin.