As Nigeria celebrate her independence today, jejeupdates.com crew takes us back to how it all started, how Nigeria got to where they ae today, all the past Head of States, their years in office and many other facts and history of Nigeria… Enjoy it….
The history of Nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers living in the area as early as 11,000 BC. Numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the region that is today Nigeria. An example of one of the civilizations that settles in Nigeria is the Nri Kingdom. Islam reached Nigeria through the Hausa States during the 11th century. The Songhai Empire also occupied part of the region.Lagos was captured by British forces in 1851 and formally annexed in 1861. Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901. Colonization lasted until 1960, when an independence movement succeeded in gaining Nigeria its independence.
Nigeria first became a [First Nigerian Republic|republic] in 1963, but succumbed to military rule in 1966 after a bloody coup d’état. A separatist movement later formed the [Republic of Biafra] in 1967, leading to the three-year Nigerian Civil War. Nigeria became a [Second Nigerian Republic|republic] once again after a new constitution was written in 1979. However, the republic was short-lived, when the military led by Major General [Muhammadu Buhari] seize again four years later.
Buhari was overthrown and a [Third Nigerian Republic|new republic] was founded in August 1993, but was dissolved once again by General [Sani Abacha] in November that same year. Abacha died in 1998 and a [Fourth Nigerian Republic|fourth republic] was later established the following year, ending three decades of intermittent military rule.
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PAST HEADS OF STATE, TERM OF OFFICE AND THEIR POLITICAL PARTIES
First Republic (1963–1966)
Under the 1963 Constitution, the first constitution of the Republic of Nigeria, the President replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state. The President was elected by Parliament for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the President of the Senate would have served as Acting President.
| President | Term of office | Political party (at time of election) |
Prime Minister(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | ||
| 1 |  |
Nnamdi Azikiwe (1904–1996) |
1 October 1963 | 16 January 1966 (deposed.) |
2 years, 107 days | National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons | Balewa |
Military rule (1966–1979)
Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu led a coup d’état in 1966 which overthrew President Azikiwe and his government.
| Head of State | Term of Office | Military | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Portrait | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Duration | |
| 2 | Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (1924–1966) |
16 January 1966 | 12 July 1966 (assassinated.) |
177 days | Federal Military Government | |
| 3 |  |
General Yakubu Gowon (1934–) |
1 August 1966 | 29 July 1975 (deposed.) |
8 years, 362 days | Federal Military Government |
| 4 | |
General Murtala Mohammed (1938–1976) |
29 July 1975 | 13 February 1976 (assassinated.) |
199 days | Federal Military Government |
| 5 |  |
Major-General Olusegun Obasanjo (1937–) |
13 February 1976 | 1 October 1979 (resigned.) |
3 years, 258 days | Federal Military Government |
Second Republic (1979–1983)
Under the 1979 Constitution, the second constitution of the Republic of Nigeria, the President was head of both state and government. The President was elected by for a four-year term. In the event of a vacancy the Vice President would have served as Acting President.
| President | Term of office | Political party (at time of election) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | |
| 6 |  |
Shehu Shagari (1925–) |
1 October 1979 | 31 December 1983 (deposed.) |
4 years, 91 days | National Party of Nigeria |
Military rule (1983–1993)
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari led a coup d’état which overthrew then-President Shagari and his government.
| Head of State | Term of Office | Military | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Portrait | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Duration | |
| 7 |  |
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (1942–) |
31 December 1983 | 27 August 1985 (deposed.) |
1 year, 239 days | Supreme Military Council |
| 8 | .jpg) |
General Ibrahim Babangida (1941–) |
27 August 1985 | 26 August 1993 (resigned.) |
7 years, 364 days | Armed Forces Ruling Council |
Third Republic (1993)
The Third Republic was the planned republican government of Nigeria in 1993 which was to be governed by the Third Republican constitution.
The constitution of the Third Republic was drafted in 1989, when General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), the military Head of State, promised to terminate military rule by 1990 – a date which was subsequently pushed back to 1993. IBB lifted the ban on political activity in the spring of 1989, and his government established two political parties: the center-right National Republican Convention (NRC) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP). Gubernatorial and state legislative elections were conducted in December 1991, while the presidential election was postponed till 12 June 1993 – due to political unrest. M. K. O. Abiola, a wealthy Yoruba businessman, won a decisive victory in the presidential elections on the SDP platm.
| President | Term of office | Political party (at time of election) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | |
| 9 |  |
Ernest Shonekan (1936–) |
26 August 1993 | 17 November 1993 (deposed.) |
83 days | Independent |
Military rule (1993–1999)
General Sani Abacha led a coup d’état which overthrown President Shonekan and his government.
| Head of State | Term of Office | Military | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Portrait | Name | Took Office | Left Office | Duration | |
| 10 |  |
General Sani Abacha (1943–1998) |
17 November 1993 | 8 June 1998 (died in office.) |
4 years, 203 days | Provisional Ruling Council |
| 11 |  |
General Abdulsalami Abubakar (1942–) |
8 June 1998 | 29 May 1999 (resigned.) |
355 days | Provisional Ruling Council |
Fourth Nigerian Republic
Under the fourth Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria, the President is head of both state and government. The President is elected by for a four-year term. In the event of a vacancy the Vice President serves as Acting President.
- Status
| President | Term of office | Political party (at time of election) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| № | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | |
| 12 |  |
Olusegun Obasanjo (1937–) |
29 May 1999 | 29 May 2007 | 8 years, 0 days | People’s Democratic Party |
| 13 |  |
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (1951–2010) |
29 May 2007 | 5 May 2010[1] (died in office.) |
2 years, 341 days | People’s Democratic Party |
| 14 |  |
Goodluck Jonathan (1957–) |
5 May 2010 | 29 May 2015 | 5 years, 25 days | People’s Democratic Party |
| 15 | |
Muhammadu Buhari (1942–) |
29 May 2015 | Incumbent | 1 year, 125 days (as of 1 October 2016) |
All Progressives Congress |
It is worth noting that at present, Nigeria’s economy is in great Recession and we hope and Pray they overcome the recession has majority of the masses are currently living in poverty.. God bless Nigeria, God bless Africa, God bless You..
The Entire jejeupdates.com crew wishes Nigeria a Happy 56th Birthday… 🙂 😀 ..