Nigeria At 63: A Concise Look At Her History Since 1960

SOLOMON ADE-AJAYI MICHAEL

It is the 63rd Independence Anniversary of the most populous country in the African Continent, with many different ethnic groups and cultures that contribute to its rich history and selfhood.

Nigeria, is currently the largest economy in Africa as indicated by BBC in a recent article.

The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was recently “rebased” to include previously uncounted industries, which include telecoms, information technology, music, online sales, airlines, and film production, which pushed it above South Africa as the continent’s biggest economy.

As of September 28, 2023, Nigeria’s population is estimated to be 225 Million, 93 Thousand, 271 people (225,093,271 people), which makes Nigeria the sixth most populous country in the world. The population of Nigeria is projected to grow continuously and rapidly in the coming years. According to the United Nations, Nigeria’s population is expected to reach 411 million by 2050.

Nigeria has a rich and diverse history that dates to prehistoric times. According to Wikipedia, the earliest inhabitants of Nigeria date back to at least 13,000 BC. Over the centuries, numerous ancient African civilizations settled in the region that is known today as Nigeria, such as the Kingdom of Nri, the Benin Empire, and the Oyo Empire

This article will focus on the history of Nigeria since 1960, when she gained independence.

Before Nigeria gained independence from Great Britain on October 1, 1960, it was a British colony and was ruled by a series of colonial leaders. The following is a list of the colonial leaders who ruled Nigeria before independence:

Sir Frederick Lord Lugard (1912-1919)

Sir Hugh Cliford (1919-1925)

Sir Lukmer Thompson (1925-1931)

Sir Donald Cameron (1931-1935)

Sir Bernard Bourdillon (1935-1943)

Sir Arthur Richards (1943-1948)

Sir John Macpherson (1948-1954)

Sir James Robertson (1955-1960)

Nigeria gained independence from Great Britain on October 1, 1960, after a long and complex struggle by Nigerian nationalists. The rise of Nigerian nationalism was premised on several factors and they include the education of Nigerians abroad, the growth of the Nigerian press, and the influence of other independence movements in Africa.

A new constitution was established, which created a federal system with an elected prime minister and a ceremonial head of state. The National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), now headed by Nnamdi Azikiwe, formed a coalition with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s Northern People’s Congress (NPC) after neither party won a majority in the 1959 elections. Balewa continued to serve as the prime minister, a position he had held since 1957, while Azikiwe took the largely ceremonial position of president of the Senate.

Nigeria became a republic on October 1, 1963. After independence, Nigeria started practicing the British system of government, where there was a prime minister and a ceremonial president. Nnamdi Azikiwe became governor-general on November 16, 1960, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as prime minister 3. On January 15th, 1966, a group of mutinous Nigerian soldiers led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna killed Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and 22 people. Many people died, including Tafawa Balewa, Samuel Akintola, Ahmed Bello, and Festus Okotie-Eboh. 

The president, Nnamdi Azikiwe was out of the country when the coup was taking place. The military government that assumed power was unable to address ethnic tensions or produce a constitution acceptable to all sections of the country. Its efforts to abolish the federal structure greatly raised tensions and led to another coup in July 3. The coup-related massacre of thousands of Igbo in the north prompted hundreds of thousands of them to return to the south-east, where increasingly strong Igbo secessionist sentiment emerged. In a move that gave greater autonomy to minority ethnic groups, the military divided the four regions into 12 states. 

Following the civil war, reconciliation was rapid and effective, and the country turned to the task of economic development. Foreign exchange earnings and government revenues increased spectacularly with the oil price rises of 1973 -74. On July 29, 1975, Gen. Muritala Muhammed and a group of fellow officers staged a bloodless coup, accusing Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s military government of delaying the promised return to civilian rule and becoming corrupt and ineffective. General Muhammed replaced thousands of civil servants and announced a timetable for the resumption of civilian rule by October 1, 1979.

It is noteworthy that the military history of Nigeria since the colonial rule began precisely on October 1, 1966. Nigeria has experienced several military coups and a few democratic transitions since then. The military regimes in Nigeria were characterized by authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses. As earlier mentioned, military governments were also responsible for the creation of states, also, local government areas, which helped to decentralize power and promote regional development. The last military regime in Nigeria ended in 1999, when Olusegun Obasanjo was elected president in the country’s first democratic election in over a decade, considering the annulment of the June 12, 1993, general election.

Nigeria transitioned from military to civilian rule in 1999, following the death of the brutal dictator Sani Abacha. The transition was the result of a bargain struck by an elite cabal over 1998 and 1999. The country’s modern Constitution became official in 1999. Since then, Nigeria has experienced several democratic transitions. The Fourth Republic is the current republican government of Nigeria, which has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution since 1999. Nigeria’s economy has grown six-fold since the return of civilian rule in 1999, according to World Bank data. However, despite the recent economic boom, extreme poverty is still common in the country. Nigeria’s 2023 presidential elections took place on February 25, 2023. 

Since 1999, Nigeria has had five presidents. Here are their names and the years they served:

Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007)

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (2007-2010)

Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015)

Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2023)

Bola Ahmed Tinubu (2023-present)

Let me mention also that Nigeria is currently facing several challenges. According to a report by bscholarly.com, some of the major problems facing Nigeria include:

Economic Crisis: Nigeria’s economy has been in a state of decline, with the country’s purchasing power and selling situation being dire and depressing. The country’s annual profits have decreased, significantly impacting the country’s population. Inflation is a significant issue in the country, with the annual inflation rate rising to 11.23 percent in August 2018.

Unemployment: Nigeria is regarded as Africa’s country with the highest unemployment rate. As a means of surviving, many unemployed adolescents have turned to internet fraud.

Corruption: Corruption has been a big issue in Nigeria for quite some time. Political leaders have a history of engaging in corrupt practices.

Security: Nigeria is faced with an unprecedented wave of different but overlapping security crises – from kidnapping to extremist insurgencies – almost every corner of the country has been hit by. Violence is being perpetrated in northern Nigeria by a group known as Boko Haram, which is fighting for a state-controlled by Sharia Law. The organization has kidnapped children and murdered Christians across the country.

Ethnicity: Nigeria is a country with over 250 ethnic groups, and ethnicity has been a significant challenge to the country’s unity and development.

Meanwhile, Nigeria is a country with a variety of both renewable and nonrenewable resources, some of which have not yet been effectively tapped. The most economically valuable minerals are crude oil, natural gas, coal, tin, and columbite (an iron-bearing mineral that accompanies tin). Nigeria is also blessed with an abundance of resources, including arable land, limestone, niobium, lead, and zinc 23.

According to Britannica, Nigeria’s most important source of government revenue and foreign exchange is petroleum, which was first discovered in 1956. Most of the oil output comes from onshore fields in the Niger delta, although an increasing amount of production comes from offshore reserves. Apart from petroleum, Nigeria’s other natural resources include natural gas, tin, iron ore, coal, and solar energy, which is likely to remain untapped for some time.

We hope for a better Nation in the nearest future and wish Nigeria the best of leadership and growth as I conclude with the second stanza of the National anthem:

O God of creation, direct our noble cause

Guide our leaders right,

Help our youth the truth to know,

In love and honesty to grow,

And living just and true,

Great lofty heights attain,

To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.

God bless Nigeria!

– Solomon Ade-Ajayi Michael is An Author, Certified Life Coach, Clergyman, Media Personality and Gospel Singer.