Resource 1: Some important historical events since independence
Background information / subject knowledge for teacher
Date | Event |
1 Oct 1960 | Independence day. |
1 Oct 1963 | Nigeria becomes a republic. Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe is president of Nigeria. |
14–15 Jan 1966 | First military coup in Nigeria. Major-General J T U Aguiyi-Ironsi becomes head of state. Several politicians killed. |
29 July 1966 | Second military coup. General Ironsi killed. Lt Col Yakubu Gowon becomes head of state. |
27 May 1967 | Lt Col Gowon creates 12 states out of the four regions of Nigeria (Western, Northern, Eastern and Mid-West Regions). |
30 May 1967 | Lt Col Ojukwu, the military governor of Eastern Nigeria, declares the East as the ‘Independent State of Biafra’. |
6 July 1967 | A civil war breaks out between those that want the country united and those that don’t. |
12 Jan 1970 | ‘Biafra’ surrenders to the federal government and the people of the Eastern Region rejoin united Nigeria again. |
29 July 1975 | Corruption and disagreement brings the third military coup. General Murtala Mohammed becomes head of state. |
3 Feb 1976 | General Murtala Mohammed creates 19 states out of Nigeria’s 12-state structure. Abuja named as the new federal capital. |
13 Feb 1976 | Another military coup. General Murtala killed. |
14 Feb 1976 | General Olusegun Obasanjo steps in as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. |
July–Sept 1979 | Preparation to return to civil rule. General elections. |
1 Oct 1979 | Alhaji Usman Aliyu Shehu Shagari is first president of Nigeria’s SecondRepublic. |
Aug 1983 | Second general elections. President Shehu Shagari returns to power. |
31 Dec 1983 | President Shehu Shagari arrested at Abuja and his government toppled in a military coup. |
1 Jan 1984 | Major-General Muhammadu Buhari becomes head of state. |
27 Aug 1985 | Military coup topples General Muhammadu Buhari’s government. Major-General Ibrahim Babangida becomes head of state. |
Oct 1987 | Two new states created by General Babangida to bring Nigeria to a 21-state structure. |
Oct 1991 | Nine new states created by General Babangida to bring Nigeria to a 30-state structure. |
Dec 1991 | Elections into the state houses of assembly held. |
12 June 1993 | Presidential election held. The results, believed to favour Basorun M K O Abiola, are withheld, and political crisis begins. |
26 Aug 1993 | Interim national government formed with Chief Ernest Shonekan as head of state. |
17 Nov 1993 | General Sanni Abacha sacks the interim national government and becomes head of state. |
Oct 1996 | Six states created by General Sanni Abacha from the 30-state structure, bringing Nigeria to a 36-state structure. |
15 March 1997 | Local government elections on party basis held throughout the country. This is after the government has formed five political parties. |
6 Dec 1997 | Elections into the state houses of assembly held. |
25 April 1998 | Elections into the national assembly held. |
8 June 1998 | General Sanni Abacha suddenly dies. |
9 June 1998 | General Abdusalami Abubakar takes over as new head of state. |
From 15 June 1998 | Many political detainees released. |
20 July 1998 | General Abubakar dissolves the five political parties, cancels all the elections and sets 29 May 1999 as the new handover date to civilian government. |
14 Dec 1998 | Three political parties are registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to participate in elections at local government, state and national levels. Alliance for Democracy (AD), All People’s Party (APP), and People’s Democratic Party (PDP). |
28 March 1999 | Chief Olusegun Obasanjo declared winner of the presidential elections on the platform of the PDP. |
29 May 1999 | Chief Olusegun Obasanjo takes over as elected civilian president. He starts a campaign against corruption and injustice. |
1 Oct 1999 | President Olusegun Obasanjo launches the Universal Basic Education (UBE), a free and compulsory primary education through junior secondary level. |
12 April–3 May 2003 | National and state assembly elections (contested by 30 registered political parties) held. |
19 April 2003 | Governorship and presidential elections held. President Olusegun Obasanjo re-elected. |
29 May 2003 | President Olusegun Obasanjo sworn in for another four-year term. |
3. Comparing African histories