HISTORY OF NIGERIA

HISTORY OF NIGERIA

PRE-INDEPENDENCE HISTORY OF NIGERIA

1851: The British Annexed Lagos

1861: Lagos was ceded to the territory of Britain, which becomes a British crown colony.

1865: British established a consulate at Lokoja, Kogi State.

1886: The Royal Niger Company was chartered.

1887-1900: Nigeria was brought under British colonial rule as protectorates of southern and Northern Nigeria.

1900: The Royal Niger Company’s territory came under the control of the British government.

1903: The Sokoto Empire becomes part of the British protectorate of Northern Nigeria.

1906: The Colony of Lagos merges with the protectorates of Southern Nigeria.

1914: The colony of Lagos and Protectorate of southern Nigeria was merged with the protectorate of Northern Nigeria as a colony and protectorate of Nigeria. Administratively, Nigeria remained divided into the northern and southern provinces and Lagos colony.

1939: Governor Bourdillion divides Southern Nigeria into Eastern and Western Provinces, which later became Eastern and Western Regions.

1953: On April 1, Action Group Member, Chief Anthony Enahoro moved a motion for Nigeria’s independence.

1954: The Lyttleton constitution, establishing Nigeria as a Federation of three (3) regions; Eastern, Western and Northern regions, goes into effect.

1956: Oil was discovered in Nigeria in commercial quantity in Olobiri.

1959: Elections were held in Nigeria in preparations for independence. With Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe emerging as the first Ceremonial President-elect and Sir Abubakar as the first prime Minister-elect of Nigeria.


POST INDEPENDENCE HISTORY OF NIGERIA

October 1, 1960: Nigeria granted independence as a Federation of three (3) Regions (Northern, Eastern and Western). With this development, it became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and joining the United Nations.

1961: The Northern Cameroon elected to become a province of the Northern region of Nigeria.

October 1, 1963: Nigeria altered its relationship with the United Kingdom by proclaiming itself a Federal Republic. With this, a new constitution promulgated. This same year, a fourth region, the mid-west region was created.

January 15, 1966: Army officers, mostly from Southern Igbos, overthrown the government and assassinated the Federal Prime Minister and the Premiers of the northern and western regions. General Aguyi Ironsi became the president of Nigeria.

On July 29, there was a coup which resulted in the killing of General Aguyi Ironsi and Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi. 1967: Lt. Col. Emeka Ojukwu, who was then the military Governor of the Eastern region, and who emerged as the Leader of Igbo Secessionist, declare the independence of the eastern region as the “Republic of Biafra”. Which resulted in the Nigerian Civil war on 6th July.

General Gowon divided the four regions of Nigeria into 12 States.

On 1st of August, the leader of the 1966 January coup, Major Nzeogwu was killed.

January 1970 Biafra was defeated by the Federal government of Nigeria after 31 months of Civil war.

April 22, 1972: Nigeria changed from right hand drive to left hand drive.

1973: On 1 January, Nigeria’s currency was changed to Naira and Kobo.

On 22 May, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was introduced under decree 24 of 1973.

July 29, 1975: General Murtala Muhammed and a group of fellow officers stage a coup thereby overthrowing Gowon’s government and ending its nine-year rule.

1976: On 3 February, General Murtala Muhammed created seven additional states increasing the total number of states in Nigeria from 12 to 19.

General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated. His Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo succeeded him as the Head of State of Nigeria.

Seven (7) new states were created in Nigeria bringing the total number of states in Nigeria to 19.

1977: On 15 February, Nigeria hosts Africa through the Festival of Arts and Culture(FESTAC) held in Lagos.

1979: President Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to a civilian government headed by Alhaji Shehu Shagari. This signify the beginning of the second Republic.

December 31, 1983: Alhaji Shehu Shagari lead government was peacefully overthrown by a military government headed by General Muhammadu Buhari. He was the leader of the Supreme Military Council (SMC), the country’s new ruling body.

December 20, 1984: The Head of State, General Buhari and his Deputy Idiagbon introduced the War Against Indiscipline (WAR).

August 1985: The Buhari’s government was peacefully overthrown by Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

December 1990: Elections were held in Nigeria at the Local Government Levels.

1991: Gubernatorial and State legislative elections were held.

June 12, 1993: Presidential elections were held in Nigeria with M.K.O. Abiola winning a decisive victory.

On June 23, the then Military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, annulled the election.

On August 27, Babangida retires and handed power to an interim government headed by businessman Ernest Shonekan.

On November 17, General Sani Abacha assumed power, forcing Shonekan to resign.

1996: On May 11, first President of Nigeria, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe died at the age of 92 years.

On June 4, M.K.O. Abiola’s wife, Alhaji Kudirat Abiola was assassinated.

On October 1, the Head of State, General Sani Abacha created six (6) additional states bringing the total number of states in Nigeria to 36 .

June 8, 1998: General Sani Abacha died while still in office and was replaced by another military ruler, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

May 29,1999: Former Military Head of State, Olusegun Obasanjo won the presidential election conducted by the Independent National Electorial Commission (INEC) and subsequently, he was inaugurated as the First democratically elected president of Nigeria.

August 2006: Nigeria handed over the oil rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, in compliance with a 2002 world court ruling.

2007: On April 14, Gubernatorial and States House of Assembly elections were conducted nationwide.

On April 21, Presidential and National House of Assembly election was conducted in Nigeria. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was declare the winner.

On May 29, the President-elect, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was sworn-in as the president of Nigeria, signifying the beginning of the fourth Republic.