GEORGE TAUBMAN GOLDIE-THE FOUNDER OF NIGERIA

History does not exist in a vacuum, and in most areas of the world whose history had been

brutally shaped to serve the interests of foreign powers, the area known today as Nigeria, was

created or formed as part of the outcome of the industrial revolution and the America

independence of 1776. These events forced the European barons to look for other markets for

their goods. Africa was seen as an important strategic stopgap between the British -India

imperial axis, and its subsequent extension to Australia and the Fareast. Following the

discovery of quinine, the threat of malaria receded. This coupled with the discovery of gold

in South Africa.

Prior to this, there had been trade being carried on between the coastal African

dwellers, acting mostly as middlemen and Europeans, which are not controlled by the later.

This was frowned upon by the Europeans, but as they could not penetrate the hinterland

because of the biological barrier posed by mosquitoes, there was not much they could do.

The three most notorious European players in this regard were the French, British and

the Germans. The intense rivalry between these Europeans countries almost led to war, as

British and France attempted to control Egypt, because of its strategic access to the middle

and Far East. Britain usurped the French in 1882, by unilaterally taking over Egypt. In 1870,

Prussia defeated France in the Franco –Prussian war.

The France then turned eye to Africa , quietly egged on by the German Chancellor

Otto von Bismarck , as it raised hostility between the French and the British, who also had

their eyes on Africa , even though ,the subterranean efforts made by Bismarck to secure the

basin of the lower Niger and lake Chad were more dangerous to British interest. These

growing tensions led to the negotiating table, where these powers decided to carve up Africa.

The Berlin West Africa conference took place from 1884 to 1885. West Africa countries

were portioned into separate and vague European spheres of influence. It was now left to a

party to establish its authority before its rival could intervene.

THE ROLE OF TAUBMAN GOLDIE

As it most often happen during the course of British history, an individual arose within this

period that changed the course of events, leading to the creation of what is now called

Nigeria. That man was Taubman Goldie.

Dashwood Taubman Goldie was born at the nunnery in the Isle of Man, Scotland in

1846. He conceived the idea of adding to the British Empire, the then unknown region of the

lower Niger and the Benue basin. He devoted over twenty years of his life to this concept and

his method of reviving of an old British tradition that was jettisoned for free trade ,and had

been used earlier by the east India company- government by chartered companies throughout

the empire . Goldie also introduced indirect rule earlier used by the Romans to administer

conquered territories. He believed that civilization was a product of increasing prosperity as

he set out to achieve his goals amidst contending interests of the then Europeans powers and

African rulers.

GOLDIES METHODS

He is reputed to have landed on the coast of West Africa in 1877. He realized the

nature of the competition posed by the traditional Efik and Brass traders of the oil

rivers, and other European traders, and to circumvent this, he utilized monopoly,

which in this case could only come about through amalgamation. He bought out

several French traders including Holland Jacques and company, and formed a new

company to create the United Africa Company

This company then bought the assets of the member firms which received shares

according to the proportion of the assets it sold, with a caveat that such companies

would not operate within a thousand miles of Akaasa on the Nun river branch, with

the exception of the miller brothers and James Pinnock. These were allowed to pursue

their other activities in the oil rivers at Opobo and Benin, and were allowed to trade

independently outside a limit of twenty five miles of any of the mouths of the Niger.

Goldie lent his private fortune to the company to break the will of other

recalcitrant traders, by trading at a loss. The largest French company de l‟afrique

equatoriale, held out until a week before the Berlin conference, where it agreed to

amalgamate after lengthy negotiations, with the National African Company (NAC) in

like manner to that of the original firms that forced UAC in 1879.

This monopolistic strategy gave Goldie a greater bargaining power with the

primary producers. The NAC was renamed the Royal Niger Company (RNC) in 1886,

when received the charter, which placed it under direct British protection, with Henry

Austin Bruce (later Lord Abedare) as governor, and Goldie as vice governor .On Lord

Abedare„s death, Goldie became the governor of the company, which he had created.

He thus solved the headache for the British government by making sure that France

and Germany were denied a foothold or access to this area. He thus succeeded in

bringing these areas under the British „sphere of influence‟, the first reference to such

an expression in an international act and the obligations attached, as contained in the

Berlin act. In June 1885, a British protectorate was notified over the coast lands

known as the oil rivers.

MAJOR EVENTS IN NIGERIA SINCE 1900

1990: The protectorate of Northern Nigeria was proclaimed with Sir Frederick lord Lugard as

the High commissioner. The Niger coast protectorate which covered the central and the

eastern part of what later became southern Nigeria became the protectorate of southern

Nigeria, with Sir Ralph Moor as High commissioner.

The colony of Lagos and its protectorate, which consisted of the western part of the future

southern Nigeria mainly Yoruba land, remained separate under its own governor, Sir William

MacGregor

.

1901: Sir Frederick Lord Lugard pacified the Northern Nigeria and introduced the system of

indirect rule.

November 1901: There was the passage of William MacGregor Native Council ordinance

which led to the creation of native councils including the Central Native Council in Lagos.

1903: Press and sedition laws were introduced to control African criticism of erring public

servants and questionable administrative policies.

May 1906: The colony of Lagos and protectorate of southern Nigeria to form the new colony

and the protectorate of southern Nigeria.

1906: The two southern protectorates were merged together to form the colony and

protectorate of southern Nigeria, with Sir Walter Egerton as Governor. Lugard was

transferred to Hong Kong and was succeeded first by Sir Percy Giroud.

1907-1911: The Northern line from Baro-Kano (350miles) was constructed

1908: The Lagos Market Women Association (LMWA) of Nigeria, under the able leadership

of Alimotu Pelewura protested colonial authority through petitions, meetings, boycotts and

demonstrations.

1909: Sir Hesketh Bell succeeded Sir Percy Giroud as the High Commissioner of the

Northern Nigeria.

1912: Lugard returned to Nigeria as Governor of each of the protectorates.

1912: The first phase of Nigeria Railway construction was undertaken with the laying of the

line from Lagos to the Niger and from the Niger to Kano.

1913: A number of administrative changes were introduced to improve local government

efficiency.

1914: The British had succeeded in making herself the new paramount ruler over most of

Nigeria.

1914: The protectorates of the Southern and Northern Nigeria were amalgamated to become

the colony and protectorate of Nigeria, with Lugard as Governor General. Egbaland,

previously an independent state, joined the protectorate.

June 1915: Subuki, a younger brother of the deposed Emir of Bussa, led some six hundred

armed men in an attack on Bussa which resulted in the killing of several members of the

newly imposed local administration.

June 30, 1916: The Montol rebellion in the central Plateau area over the administrative

reforms. They attacked and killed Rapman, the Chief Ankwe district, along with two of his

younger brothers. Also killed were Mr. F.E Maltby, the assistant district officers and fifty

others. This was followed by a devastating punitive expedition which finally silenced the

Montol.

1918: Paper money currency became a legal tender in Nigeria

1919: Sir Hugh Clifford succeeded Lugard and became governor of Nigeria.

1919: The Royal Niger Company decided to establish a headquarter building in Lagos.

1922: A new legislative council was introduced for the whole country. This included for the

first time in the history of British West Africa as number of elected members.

September 20th, 1923: A frontline nationalist, Sir Herbert Macaulay established the first

political party in Nigeria, the Nigeria National Democratic Party (NNDP) and the first

political election conducted.

1924: Part of the former German territory of the Cameroon came under the rule of Nigeria

1924: The Emir Jibrin reigned till 1924 when he too was deposed shortly after Borgu was

transferred to Ilorin province.

1925: Sir Graeme Thompson became Governor General of Nigeria.

1926: The first Airplane landed in Nigeria.

1927: There was the anti-tax riot in Warri.

1929: A world financial and trade depression began to affect Nigeria and hold up

advancement in education and other fields. There were serious riots by women in Aba and

other parts of eastern Nigeria, who feared that they were going to be taxed.

1931: Sir Donald Cameron became governor. He introduced a number of reforms in the

administration of the North, and in the whole system of law court and justice. He encouraged

the participation of educated Nigerians in central and local government.

1931: Sir Donald Cameron, the Governor General introduced two principles in the

application of indirect administration. The principles of tradition and acceptability.

1932: The Benue Bridge was completed in Markurdi.

1934: The provincial courts were replaced by a series of Magistrate courts and a High Court

for the protectorate.

1934: The Lagos Youth Movement was formed against the Yaba High College was turned

into a national organization and renamed the Nigeria Youth Movement.

1935: Sir Bernard Bourdillion became the Governor General of Nigeria.

April 1st, 1939: The Government of Sir Bernard Bourdillion splited the former southern

provinces into Eastern and Western provinces.

1939: Nigeria troops fought beside the British against the Italians in Ethiopia and against the

Japanese in Burma. The war stimulated the growth in nationalist activity.

1939: The Western provinces were formally applied to the region.

1943: Sir Arthur Richards became the Governor General of Nigeria

1943: The Nigeria Union of Students organized a rally at Ojokoro to which all the political

leaders were invited and it called upon the NYM to offer leadership for national cause.

March 26th, 1944: Dr Nnamdi Azikwe founded the National Council of Nigerian and

Cameroon (NCNC) with Herbert Macauley as president.

1945: The High Court of the protectorate was abolished.

1945: Pa Michael Imoudu, the fire fighting president of the railway workers union assumed

leadership of the entire Nigerian workers and saw them through a 45-day general strike of far

reaching consequences.

1947: The Richards constitution came into effect. The North was now included in the central

legislature, and regional councils were created for the north, the east and the west. The

legislative council contained, for the first time in Nigeria, a majority of unofficial members.

February 25th, 1947: Arthur Creech Jones, the Secretary of State for the colonies passed a

circular letter with the aim to interest the masses in British dependencies in the ten-year

development which were planned under the Colonial Development and Welfare Act (1945).

July 28-27 1947: Women demonstration led to the abdication of Alake Ademola II

1947: The Central Government ceased to interest itself directly with the indirect

administration.

November 29-30 1947: More than 10,000 women led by Funmilayo Ransome Kuti mounted

an all night vigil outside the palace of Alake of Egbaland against taxation and the activities of

the Ogboni chiefs and tax collectors.

1948: The University College, Ibadan was established.

1948: Sir John Macpherson became Governor General of Nigeria.

September 1948: The four commodity marketing boards used the department of marketing

and exports as their executive and shipping agency.

1949: the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) was formed by the Sarduana of Sokoto, Sir

Ahmadu Bello.

November 16, 1949: The Nigeria Tribune newspaper was established by Chief Obafemi

Awolowo in the pursuit of nationalist struggle.

1950-1959: The Central (later federal) Government established the Nigeria Coal

Corporations, the Electricity Corporation, the Nigeria Ports Authority, the Federal Loans

Board, the Niger Delta Development Board, the Nigeria Airways Corporation and the Nigeria

National Shipping Line.

1950: The Eastern region and later the Western region reorganized the preceding “Native

administration” structures in their respective areas in favor of local government councils

which allowed the elective principle for membership.

January 1950: There was the All-Nigeria Constitutional Conference of Northern and

Southern delegates in Ibadan under the chairmanship of the attorney general, Sir Gerald

Howe. The conference drew up a series of recommendations, mainly that of a federal system

consisting of three existing region should be setup and Lagos be created an independent

municipality.

1951: The British government began to make concessions to the demand made by Nigerians

for self government.

1951-1952: The first general election was held and the Action Group party was formed in the

west in addition to the NCNC and the NPC. The NCNC won in the east, the action group in

the west and the NPC in the north.

1952: The Macpherson constitution came into effects with half the central legislature of 148

members from the north, and more power given to the three regions.

February 2, 1953: The NCNC controlled Eastern House of Assembly moved a vote of no

confidence in the regional ministers. The motion was carried by 60votes to 13.

March 1953: Chief Anthony Enahoro, an Action Group member of the House of

Representatives in Lagos moved a motion that the house should accept as its primary

objective the attainment of self government in 1956.

1953: The London Conference regarding Nigeria federal formula took place.

January 19, 1954: The constitutional conference re-assembled, this time in Lagos to settle

issues not fully settled at the previous constitutional conference. These issues included the

discussion of the report of the fiscal commission was accepted

1954: Another constitution came into force. The central legislature was enlarged to 184 and it

was to be elected every five years. Lagos became a Federal Capital Territory and each region

was to have a premier.

1954: With the adoption of a new federal constitution, federal and regional public services

emerge.

1954: The appellate jurisdiction of the West African Court of Appeal ended and the Privy

Council however continued to hear appeals from the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

1955: Sir James Robertson became the Governor General. The Queen of England visited

Nigeria.

January 19, 1957: The Forster-Sutton commission was inaugurated to investigate the crises

in the Eastern House of Assembly. The commission found Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe guilty of

misconduct. The report of the commission was followed by the dissolution of the house at the

request of the government.

May 23, 1957: At the London Constitutional Conference reforms were agreed. The West and

the East were to have self-government as soon as they wanted it, the North in 1959. The

Federal House of Representatives was enlarged again to 320, by direct election (except that in

the north, the women would still have no vote. Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa became the

first prime minister. The Willinks commission( for minorities) recommended that the people

should be under national rather than the regional control, and that a plebiscite be held whether

Ilorin and Kabba should remain in the North or join up in the West.

September 29- October 1958: A new conference was summoned to examine its

recommendation and the report of the other commission which had been setup in 1957. These

were the Constituencies Delimitation Commission and the Fiscal Commission.

1958: The Colonial Government abolished the Central Marketing Board and reallocated its

functions to the federal minister of commerce and industry.

1958: The Central Bank was established by the CBN act of 1958 and commenced operations

on July 1st 1958 with Roy Pentelow Fenton as the first governor.

1959: Federal elections were held and the NPC joined the NCNC in forming a coalition

government. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, leader of the Action Group and premier of the

Western region, entered the federal government, leaving Chief Ladoke Akintola to replace as

premier of the Western region.

Oct 1st 1960. Nigeria became an independent state and Dr Nnamdi Azikwe became the

Governor General. Riots among the Tiv, the regional government was dissolved.

October 8th, 1960: The Tafawa Balewa administration acceded the membership of the United

Nations in New York. Nigeria was the 99th member of the UNO.

November 1960: A large contingent of Nigeria soldiers and policemen took part in the UN

peacekeeping operations in the Congo. The UN Congo reconciliation commission was

chaired by Hon. Jaja Wachukwu.

January 1961: Nigeria broke diplomatic relations with Paris over the continued French

atomic tests in the Sahara.

January 1962: The opposition in the parliament and public opinion condemned the bilateral

defence pact the Tafawa Balewa government had with the British and the plan was abrogated.

1962: Disintegration of the Action Group: at the Jos congress of the party, there was split,

Obafemi Awolowo, party leader and preemier Akintola of Western region led the battalion,

thenceforth, peace deserted the region.

1962: The controversial population census fuelled crises and ethnic tensions.

1962: Treason Felony Trial- The Federal Government claimed it had uncovered an arm plot

against it, fingered in the plot were Chief Obafemi Awolowo and top leaders of his party. The

plot was uncovered in the Coker Commission of inquiry was about to find him guilty of

corruption charges. After the trial, Awolowo was sentenced to imprisonment.

Oct 1st, 1963- Nigeria became a republic on this day and the Supreme Court replaced the

Privy Council as the highest court of the land. The queen ceased to be the Head of State.

1963: Creation of Mid-Western region- A new state was carved out of the Western region.

Chief Dennis Osadebey became the premier of the region.

December 1st, 1964: Federal election was held. The first Civilian-to-Civilian national

election.

1965: Elections in the Western region.

1964: There was a further riot in the Tiv region and military government replaced the civil

power.

December 1965: Operation Wet E- Following massive rigging of regional elections by

Akintola NNDP against Awolowo AG, crises broke out in the region (West). It was called

operation Wet E. there was massive blood letting. Homes and properties were in flames as

armed thugs were on rampage.

January 15, 1966: First military coup- It was a black day for Nigeria. Political leaders lost

the grip. A group of military interlopers led by Major Chukwuemeka Nzeogwu plot the

mutiny. Major General Aguiyi Ironsi became the first military Head of State.

January 1966: Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa organized and hosted the first Commonwealth

summit ever held outside London to discuss the resolution of the Rhodesian problem.

1966: The military government of Ironsi barred Portuguese ships and aircraft going and

coming from South-Africa from using ports facilities and airspace as a form of opposition

against apartheid.

July 29, 1966: First counter coup- General Ironsi was murdered in Ibadan along with his

host, Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. Major General Yakubu Gowon became the Head of State.

1967: Ethno religious violence between the Igbo Christians and Hausa/Fulani Muslims in the

East and North, triggered by the migration of Igbo‟s to the East.

May 30, 1967: State creation- General Yakubu Gowon created 12 states and announced 11

military governors and as administrator, Ukpabi Asika for the East Central state.

July 6, 1967: Civil war- Civil war broke out following the succession of Eastern region by

Col. Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the military governor who declared the republic of Biafra.

1969: For the first time in the North, adult women in Kwara state (Ilorin and Kabba) became

eligible to vote and be voted for.

November 20, 1969: Nigeria airways BAC VC10 crashed landed killing 87 on board

January 8th, 1970: General Odumegwu Ojukwu fled the country into exile; his deputy Philip

Effiong became acting president of Biafra.

January 15, 1970- End of civil war- After the futile attempt at legitimizing Biafra, the

rebels led by Col. Colonel Philip Effiong surrendered to the third marine commando boss,

Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo. Gowon proclaimed „No victor, No vanquished‟ and began

reconciliatory efforts.

June 1970: Nigeria was the Africa‟s richest country and Africa‟s most prominent member of

the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. (OPEC).

October 1970: Nigeria earned the status honorary of a “Frontline State” because of her active

participation and involvement in the liberation of the Southern African states (Angola,

Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Namibia) from colonialism and opposition to Apartheid.

1971: The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation was established

1972: Nigeria changed from left to right hand drive.

1972: Nigeria offered to supply about 30,000 kilowatts of electricity to Niger from Nigeria‟s

own hydro electric dam at Kanji.

Jan 1st 1973: Naira was introduced to replace the pound at two naira to one pound. Nigeria

thus became the last country to abandon the British current system. The currency

denominations released by the CBN were 50kobo, 1, 5, 10 and 20 naira and coins of 1,5,10

and 25kobo.

January 22, 1973: Royal Jordanian Airlines flight 707 carrying 171 Nigerians Muslims

returning from Mecca and 5 crewmen died in the crash in Kano, Nigeria

June 1973: General Yakubu Gowon was elected OAU chairman in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

July 1973: Nigeria hosted the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states conference in

Lagos.

1973: The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was established by General Yakubu

Gowon in the pursuit of his reconciliatory agenda after the civil war.

1974: France had spent about 4,300 million importing Nigeria goods as opposed to the 1,724

million francs and 1,153 million francs on imports from Ivory Coast and Senegal

respectively.

April 1st, 1974: The first indigenization decree in Nigeria took effect.

May 28th, 1975: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was

established in Lagos with the initiatives of Nigeria and Togo under the leadership of General

Yakubu Gowon and General Gnasingbe Eyadema respectively.

July 29, 1975: Gowon toppled- Gowon who failed to handover power as promised was

toppled in a bloodless coup by his Brigade of Guards commander, Colonel Joe Garba, his

kinsman. He was attending the Organization of African Unity (OAU) meeting in Kampala,

Uganda; Brigadier Murtala Mohammed became the Head of State.

October 4, 1975: Beginning of transition programme- The constitutional drafting

committee (CDC) was set up by the federal government to fashion out a new constitution for

Nigeria. It was headed by Chief Rotimi Williams. (SAN)

August 6, 1975: Irikefe state creation panel- Headed by the late Justice Ayo Irikefe, the

panel was setup to make recommendations on state creation in the country.

1975: General Murtala Mohammad declared a renewed commitment towards a strong afro-

centric posture in foreign policy.

November 1975: Nigeria sent a fact finding mission to Luanda to asses the situation on

ground. The shocking revelation that about 2,500 South African troops had moved into

Angola since October 23 assisted the Mohammed government on November 26 to announce

its dramatic recognition of the MPLA.

February 13, 1976: Murtala assassinated –Coup plotters led by Colonel Dimka killed the

Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed in Lagos on his way to the mosque. It was a

Friday. General Olusegun Obasanjo became the Head of State.

1976: Following the Soweto massacre, the Nigerian authorities literally imported hundreds of

the “Soweto kids” and scores of other South African black youths into Nigeria and placed

them in the country‟s educational institutions on scholarship. It was a significant contribution

to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.

1976: Nigeria spearheaded the African boycott of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal,

Canada.

1976: Operation Feed the Nation OFN was introduced by General Olusegun Obasanjo.

February 3, 1976: Abuja became FCT- A decree establishing Abuja as the new Federal

Capital Territory was announced. The committee that headed the relocation of FCT from

Lagos to Abuja was headed by Justice Akinola Aguda.

February 1976: The traditional cordiality of Anglo-Nigeria relations was pit into severe test

when Britain was accused of complicity in the abortive coup d‟etat that resulted in the

assassination of General Murtala Mohammed.

May 25, 1976: A woman who had been deeply moved by the graphic portrayal of the horrors

of apartheid contributed the sum of hundred naira (100) during the celebration on African

day; this action triggered the largest fundraising campaign in Nigeria. This sum was the

initial seed money that led to the establishment of the South African Relief Fund (SARF).

September 14, 1976: CDC report- The report of the CDC chaired by Chief Rotimi Williams

was submitted to General Olusegun Obasanjo.

1976: Local government reforms- Etsu Nupe Ndayako committee on local government

reforms submitted his report to the Head of State.

January 15th - February 12th 1977: Festival of Arts and Culture was held in Lagos.

February 11th, 1977: A new bank denomination of the value of 20 naira was issued. The

20naira note was the highest denomination and also the 1st currency to bear the portrait of a

Nigerian citizen-the late Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed.

August 1977: Nigeria hosted the UN sponsored World Conference for Action against

Apartheid in Lagos.

October 6, 1977: Inauguration of Constituent Assembly- The constituent assembly was

inaugurated to review and fine tune the draft constitution by the CDC.

March 1st, 1978: Nigeria Airways crashed in Kano killing 16.

1978: Nigeria boycotted the Commonwealth games in Edmonton, Canada.

September 21, 1978- Lifting of ban on politics- Federal government lifted the ban on

political activities after 12 years. After the announcement, political parties were formed by

politicians to contest elections.

1979: A new national anthem was introduced.

March 1979: The Olusegun Obasanjo administration regime deployed Nigeria troops to

Chad and they were there maintaining law and order till June when it was withdrawn.

July 2nd, 1979- New currency notes of three denominations of 1naira, 5naira and 10naira were

introduced.

July 31, 1979: The General Olusegun Obasanjo administration went ahead with the

nationalization of the assets of the British Petroleum Company of Nigeria, the eve of the

scheduled Commonwealth summit in Lusaka, Angola.

July- August 1979: General elections- General elections into the House of Representatives,

Senate; 19 states Houses of Assembly and governorship and presidency were held by the

federal electoral commission (FEDECO) chaired by the late Chief Michael Ani.

October 1st 1979- Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) was sworn in

as the first executive president of Nigeria under the 1979 constitution.

October 19th, 1979- Dele Giwa was killed in a letter bomb

March 30, 1980: Death of Tarka- Middle Belt leader, Senator Joseph Tarka passed on in a

London hospital.

June 24, 1981: Impeachment of Musa- Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Balarabe Musa was

impeached by the state House of Assembly after a year of executive/legislative feud. He was

elected governor on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), while the NPN was

in control of the house.

July 6, 1981- Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) chairman, Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya gave

termination of the NPN/NPP accord. Some NPP ministers resigned from Shagari cabinet

afterwards while the speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke

produced by the party under the accord continued in his position.

May 18, 1982- Pardon for Biafra leader- President Shehu Shagari granted pardon to

Ojukwu. The ex-warlord returned to Nigeria and joined NPN.

1983: The Shagari government had initiated a discussion with the IMF for a loan facility of

about $2.2billion before the regime was overthrown.

April 1983: Death of Aminu Kano- NEPU and PRP leader, Alhaji Aminu Kano, former

federal commissioner for communications passed on. He was PRP presidential candidate.

November 28th 1983: Nigeria Airways F28-1000 crashed on approach to Enugu killing 53 on

board.

December 31, 1983: Shagari toppled- The military intervened in governance, sacking

legitimate authorities. The coup which brought General Mohammad Buhari to power was

announced by Brigadier Sani Abacha, the General Officer commanding, second mechanized

brigade, Ibadan. Brigadier Ibrahim Bako died in the coup.

April 17th, 1984: The Buhari regime promulgated decree No4, the “Public Officer‟s

Protection against False Accusation” Decree, which made it an offence to ridicule the

government by publication of false information.

1984: The Buhari government issued Decrees No, 20, 21 and 22 of 1984. These decrees

prescribed harsh penalties, including death by firing squad, for a variety of economic crimes

such as illegal oil bunkering, tampering with the free flow of petroleum products, tampering

with electricity and NEPA installations, cocaine addiction and drug trafficking, currency

counterfeiting and human trafficking etc.

July 4th, 1984: News broke out that Umaru Dikko was abducted from his home in Porchester

Terrace, drugged and put in crate marked for delivery to the Federal Ministry of External

Affairs, Lagos.

1985-1987: ECOWAS elected Babangida as the Chairman for three consecutive terms, an

action unprecedented since the organization came into existence in 1975.

1985: The Buhari regime ordered the expulsion of illegal aliens from the country. These

aliens were actually nationals of ECOWAS states, principally from Ghana, Togo, Benin and

Niger republic, who were staying in Nigeria without legal permits.

August 27, 1985: Buhari toppled- It was a palace coup announced by Brigadier Joseph

Dongoyaro. General Ibrahim Babangida became the military president.

April 1986: There was the All-Nigerian Conference on Foreign Policy held at the National

Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, Plateau state, which brought together the

nation foremost intellectuals in the field of international affairs to discuss and analyze all the

aspect of Nigeria‟s foreign policy.

August 1986: Nigeria boycotted the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland. This

massive boycott which about thirty Commonwealth members including prominent ones like

Ghana, Kenya and India took part.

October 16th, 1986: Professor Wole Soyinka won the Noble Prize for literature

May 9, 1987: Awolowo passed on- The former premier of the Western region and leader of

the opposition in the first republic, Chief Obafemi Awolowo died in his home town, Ikenne,

Ogun State.

August 1987: Creation of new states- Akwa Ibom and Delta States were created by the

Babangida administration.

April 4th, 1988: The Nigerian Police uniform was changed to black by the Babangida

administration.

June 1988: General Babangida paid a two-day official visit to Equatorial Guinea to signal the

restoration of cordial bilateral relations.

August 8th 1989: Nigerian football star, Sam Okwaraji slumped and died in the National

stadium during a match.

October 1989: Imposition of two parties- The Babangida administration which pre-

occupied the politicians with the formation of political parties turned round to decree two

parties; Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Redemption Party (NRC) into existence.

April, 1990: Middle Belt Christian officers, led by Major Gideon Okar, attempted to

overthrow Ibrahim Babangida in an unsuccessful coup.

August 1990: The Babangida regime was responsible for the deployment of ECOWAS

Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) into Liberia.

1991: The treaty establishing the African Economic Community was signed in Abuja.

June 1991: The treaty establishing the African Economic Community was signed in Abuja.

July 11th, 1991: Nigeria Airways DC8-61 crashed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from system

failure killing 261 on board.

August 27, 1991: General Ibrahim Babangida created nine more states making a total of

states in Nigeria 30.

1991: Both the 50kobo and 1naira notes were coined.

August 1991: Third Republic election- Elections were held in 30 states on the platform of

SDP and NRC.

December 12, 1991: The Federal Capital Territory was moved from Lagos to Abuja.

September 26, 1992: Nigeria Air force A C-130 plane crashed minutes after taking off from

Lagos. All 200 on board killed

April 1993: Emergence of Presidential candidates – Chief Moshood Abiola of the SDP

and Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the NRC emerged as the presidential candidates.

June 12, 1993: Presidential elections- The most credible, freest and fairest Presidential

election was held. The Electoral Commission boss was Prof. Humphrey Nwosu

June 23, 1993: Annulment of the election- Crises broke out following the annulment of

June 12, 1993 Presidential elections by General Babangida. It was won by Chief MKO

Abiola.

August 26, 1993: Babangida steps aside- The Military President succumbed to pressure to

bow out of office. He appointed Ernest Shonekan former UAC chairman who was already the

head of the transition council as interim Head of State.

November 17, 1993: Shonekan sacked- Defence secretary General Sani Abacha of the

Provisional Ruling Council dismantled the interim contraption headed by Shonekan.

May 28, 1994: Constitutional conference- Elections into the Constitutional conference was

held nationwide.

June 11th, 1994: Chief MKO Abiola declared himself President and was arrested and

detained.

June 27, 1994: Constitutional conference inaugurated- The delegates assembled in Abuja

to begin a new process of constitutional making.

September 1st, 1994: Ray power commenced broadcasting service in Nigeria

March 13th, 1995: General Olusegun Obasanjo was arrested for allegedly supporting a secret

coup against the Abacha government.

June 24th 1995: Harka Air Services Tupolev 34 crashed on landing in Lagos killing 16

June 27, 1995: Constitutional conference report- The report was submitted to General Sani

Abacha.

November 10th 1995- Human and environmental rights activist Ken Saro Wiwa and eight

other Ogoni activists were hanged by the Sani Abacha government.

April 20, 1996- Ibrahim Dasuki, former Sultan of Sokoto was deposed.

May 11, 1996: Zik passed on- Frontline nationalist and Nigeria first President, Dr. Nnamdi

Azikwe, passed on into eternity and was buried on 16th of November 1996.

June 4th 1996: Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Chief MKO Abiola was killed by assassins.

August 4th, 1996- Under 23 national football team wins the Atlanta Olympic gold medal.

October 1st, 1996: Creation of states- Six additional states were created by General Sani

Abacha. They were Ebonyi, Ekiti, Balyesa, Nassarawa, Zamfara and Gombe.

December 21, 1997: Alleged coup plot against Abacha by General Oladipo Diya

December 1997: Death of Yar’adua- General Musa Yar‟adua passed on.

June 8, 1998: Abacha died- Military Head of State General Sani Abacha died in Aso rock.

He was succeeded by Chief of Defence staff, General Abdusalami Abubakar.

June 15th 1998: Former Head of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was released from prison

July 7, 1998: Abiola passed on- The winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, chief

MKO Abiola died in prison custody.

July 20, 1998: New transition plan- General Abdulsalami Abubakar lifted the ban on

political activities and announced a transition programme and exit date to return to civilian

rule.

February 27, 1999: Return of Obasanjo- General Olusegun Obasanjo became President-

elect on the platform of People‟s Democratic Party (PDP).

May 29, 1999: Fourth Republic- Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in as the civilian

President.

November 20th, 1999: President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered troops to raid the town of Odi in

the Niger-Delta, in the murder of 12 policemen by local militia; the troops razed down the

town of Odi.

December 1999: 100naira note was introduced with the portrait of frontline nationalist, Chief

Obafemi Awolowo.

January 27th, 2000: Sharia law was established in the predominantly Muslim Zamfara state,

11 northern states followed suit.

May 2000: Religious crises erupted in Kaduna over the implementation of the Sharia law.

June 5th 2000: The Obasanjo administration established the Niger Delta Development

commission NDDC to tackle human and ecological issues in the Niger Delta region of

southern Nigeria.

November 2000: 200 naira note was introduced with the portrait of the Sardauna of Sokoto

and former premier of the Northern region, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello.

February 9th, 2001: GSM operators were licensed to commence operation in Nigeria.

April 2001:500 naira note was introduced with the portrait of the Governor General at

Nigeria independence, Chief Nnamdi Azikwe.

November 17th 2001: Miss Agbani Darego became the first African to win the Miss World

beauty competition.

January 27th, 2002: Bomb explosion hit Ikeja Cantonment.

February 2nd 2002: The Nigeria police force embarked on a strike action for the first time.

2002: Religious riots erupted over the Miss World pageant hosted in Abuja. The pageant was

subsequently moved to London.

October 10th 2002: The International Court of Justice sitting in Hague, Netherlands ruled in

favor of Cameroon over the disputed oil rich Bakassi peninsula territory.

May 29, 2003: Obasanjo’s second term- Obasanjo was sworn in as President for a second

term.

September 2003: Nigeria first satellite, NigeriaSat1, was launched by Russian rocket.

December 2003: The Commonwealth of Nations Heads of Government meeting held in

Nigeria with the Queen of England in attendance.

May 2004: Ethno religious crises erupted in Plateau and a state of emergency was declared

by President Olusegun Obasanjo in the Central Plateau as violence escalates.

August 13th 2004: The dreaded Okija shrine in Okija, Anambra state was demolished by the

police.

July 2005: Paris club of rich lenders agrees to write off two-thirds of Nigeria $30bn foreign

debt.

October 22nd 2005: Bellview plane crashed at Lisa Village near Ifo in Ogun State killing over

200 passengers on board.

October 23rd 2005: Former First Lady (Stella Obasanjo) died after surgery operation in Spain

October 2005: 1000 naira note was introduced with the portraits of the first and second

indigenous Governors of the Central Bank, Aliyu Mai-Bornu and Clement Nyong Isong

respectively.

December 1st, 2005: Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) 25billion naira consolidation deadline

was given to Nigerian banks.

December 9th, 2005: The embattled former governor of Balyesa state became the first

governor to be impeached in that political dispensation on the allegation of gross misconduct.

December 10th 2005: Sosoliso plane crashed in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state killing over 150

passengers on board.

March 6th, 2006: 4 expatriate oil workers held hostage by Niger-Delta militants were

released.

March 21st 2006: Third National head count of persons and houses tagged Census 2006 took

place nationwide headed by Alhaji Wakama.

March 29th, 2006: 5th solar eclipse of the Sun appeared in Nigeria.

April 2006: Helped by the record oil prices, Nigeria became the first African nation to pay

off its debt to the Paris club under the initiative of the minister of finance then, Mrs. Ngozi

Okonjo Iweala.

May 16th, 2006: The Senate rejected proposed changes to the constitution on tenure

elongation under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. (Aborted third term bid).

June 13th, 2006: President Olusegun Obasanjo met his Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya,

and the UN Secretary General, Koffi Annan in New York to resolve the dispute over the

Bakassi.

July 27, 2006: A PDP Governorship aspirant in Lagos State, Chief Funsho Williams was

strangled and stabbed at his Dolphin Estate home in Ikoyi, Lagos state.

August 1st, 2006: Nigerians troops began to move out of Bakassi; Bakassi became

Cameroonian territory under the terms of a 2002- transitional arrangement.

August 14, 2006: A PDP governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Dr. Ayodeji Daramola was

killed by yet to be identified killers in his country home in Ijan Ekiti.

September 23rd 2006: A popular Yoruba actress Hassanat Taiwo Akinwande aka Wunmi

excreted 92 wraps of cocaine after the NDLEA operatives arrested her at the Murtala

Mohammed airport in Lagos.

October 2006: Spiritual leader of millions of Nigerians Muslims the Sultan of Sokoto was

killed in a plane crash, the country‟s third major civilian disaster in a year.

October 19th 2006: President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Ekiti state

following the impeachment of former governor Ayo Fayose.

February 28th 2007, 50naira, 20naira, 10naira and 5naira were re-issued with a new design,

while a new denomination of 2naira coin was introduced.

March 15th, 2007: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), released the

names of 24 candidates for the presidential election. Vice president Atiku Abubakar was

excluded from the list.

April 14, 2007: Election of State governors and Houses of Assembly were held Nationwide

April 21, 2007: Elections for presidency and National Assembly were held and Umar

Yar‟adua, Governor of Katsina State, was elected as the President of Nigeria.

May 29, 2007: Yar‟ adua became president- Former Katsina State governor Umaru Yar‟adua

assumed the reins as president.

June 28th, 2007: President Umaru Musa Yar‟adua publicly declared his personal assets after

about four weeks in office. He was the first public officer and president of Nigeria to make

his assets public.

July 26th, 2007: A Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced the former governor of Balyesa

state, Diepreye Alamieseigha to 12years imprisonment for false declaration of assets and

money laundering.

August 30th, 2007: A high powered federal government delegation led by the Secretary to the

Federal Government, Baba Gana Kingibe arrived in Pretoria, South Africa capital on a secret

mission believed to be linked with a probe of some ex- governor‟s assets.

September 2007: The rebel Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND)

threatened to end a self-imposed ceasefire and to launch fresh attacks on oil facilities and

abductions of foreign workers.

October 4, 2007: The Minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the economy

Dr.Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was appointed as one of the Managing Directors of the World Bank.

October 28th, 2007: 50 people were killed in a tanker fire accident on Lagos-Ibadan

expressway.

November 2007: A suspected Nigerian militant killed 21 Cameroon soldiers in Bakassi

Peninsula.

November 22, 2007: The Nigerian Senate rejected the transfer of the oil rich Bakassi

peninsula to Cameroon by the administration of President Olusegun Obaasanjo.

December 2007: Anti- corruption Chief of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission,

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was sidelined, but a high profile graft-related arrest follows after.

January 2008: Oil prices soar- Oil trades at $100 a barrel for the first time, with violence in

oil producing regions helping to drive up prices.

January 11th, 2008: President Umaru Musa Yar‟adua directed the former chairman of the

Economic Financial and Crimes Commission Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to hand over to the

commission Director of Operations, Alhaji Ibrahim Lamorde.

February 14th, 2008: MEND leader Henry Okah and Edward Atata was extradited from

Angola on suspicion of involvement in attacks on oil companies. Report that Okah was

subsequently killed in custody proved to be untrue.

April 2008: Two former Health ministers and a daughter of President Olusegun Obasanjo

who was then the Chairperson Senate Committee on Health were among the 12 top health

officials who was charged with embezzling around 470million naira (4m dollars) of public

health funds.

June 19th, 2008: Niger Delta militants attacked Shell Petroleum Development Company

Bonga Oil Field- Nigeria biggest- forcing the shutdown of 225.000 barrel per day oil export.

August 30, 2008: The wreckage of the missing Beehcraft 1900AD aircraft, which

disappeared on March 15, 2008 during a flight between Lagos and Bebi airstrip, near Obudu

cattle ranch in Cross River state was found.

September 2008: Militants in the Niger Delta step up their attacks on oil installations, in

response to what they describe as unprovoked attacks by the military on their bases.

October 2008: The government announced major budget cuts following steep falls in oil

prices.

November 2008: At least 200 people were killed during clashes between Christians and

Muslims in the Central Nigerian town of Jos.

January 2009: The main Militant group in Niger-Delta MEND called off four month

ceasefire after army attacks camp of an allied group.

March 2009: Nineteen opposition political parties proposed to form a „mega party‟ to

compete against the domineering nature of the Peoples Democratic Party. (PDP)

May 2009: Niger Delta militant group MEND rejected government offer of amnesty and

declared offensive against the Nigeria military.

July 2009: Hundreds of people died in North Eastern Nigeria after an Islamic fanatic group

known as the Boko Haram launches a campaign of violence in a bid to have Sharia law

imposed on the entire country. Security forces stormed the movement stronghold and killed

the movement leader, Muhammadu Yusuf.

July 2009: Government freed the leader of the Niger leader militant group MEND after he

accepted an amnesty offer.

July 11, 2009: President Barrack Obama embarked on his first official visit to Africa as he

chose Ghana over Nigeria as a result of Nigeria epileptic and fraudulent electoral system.

August 2009: Two months offer of a government amnesty for Niger Delta militants came

into force.

August 14th, 2009: The Central Bank governor Mallam Lamido Sanusi sacked 5 chief

executives of Nigerian Banks namely Union Bank Plc, Intercontinental Bank Plc, Oceanic

Bank Plc, Afri Bank Plc and Fin Bank Plc.

September 5th, 2009: The fire fighting human rights activist and lawyer, Chief Gani

Fawehinmi passed on in Lagos. He was aged 71.

October 5th, 2009: A notorious Niger Delta militant Government Ekpomukpolo otherwise

known as Tompolo accepted the Federal Government amnesty offer; surrenders 40bombs and

143 guns.

November 2009: Yar’Adua absent- President Umar Yar‟adua traveled to Saudi-Arabia to

be treated for a heart condition. His extended absence triggered a constitutional crisis and led

to calls for him to step down.

December 25th, 2009: A 23year old Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutalab was arrested in the

United States when he attempted blowing up the Northwest airline on Christmas day in

Detroit, US.

January 21st, 2010: There was multiple bomb attack and shootings in Kano which killed

over 160 people. The highest figure of death toll in the history of bombing in Nigeria.

January 2010: At least 149 people were killed during two days of violence between

Christians and Muslims gangs in the Central city of Jos.

January 30th, 2010: The Super Eagles claimed their fourth bronze medal in five Nations cup

finals when they defeated Algeria 1-0 in the third place match of Angola 2010.

March 2010: More than 120 people were killed in the clashes between Christians and

Muslims in the flashpoint city of Jos.

April 18th 2010: A massive blast killed 40, injures others in Kaduna during the Christian

Christmas celebration.

May 5th 2010: President Umar Yar‟ adua died after suffering from a protracted illness.

May 6th 2010: Vice President Goodluck Jonathan succeeded him as the substantial President

of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

May 24th, 2010: Former Delta State Governor, James Ibori seeked asylum in Dubai. This

action caused a row between the government of Nigeria and UAE.

June 10th, 2010: The Ondo State government deposed the Deji of Akure, Oba Oluwadare

Adesina for openly assaulting his Olori Bolanle in Akure.

June 24th, 2010: The Senate confirmed the appointment of Prof. Attahiru Jega as the new

chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

August 11th, 2010: The federal Executive Council approved $154million (about

N234.07billion) for the purchase of two Falcon 7x and one gulfstream G550 aircraft. This

action drew public criticism.

October 1st, 2010: Bomb blasts close to the Eagles Square, Abuja during the Independence

Day celebration killing 12 and injured scores of people, Movement for the Emancipation of

the Niger Delta (MEND), a militant group claimed responsibility.

October 16th, 2010: The spokesman of the Movement of the Emancipation of Niger Delta

(MEND), Charles Tombra Okar (Jomo Gbomo) was arrested in Lagos by operatives of the

State Security Service.

December 15th, 2010: Chief Anthony Enahoro that first moved the motion of Nigeria self

government in 1953 died in his sleep at his residence. He was aged 87

December 25th 2010: Christmas and New Year bomb blasts in Jos and Abuja respectively.

Nobody claimed the responsibility.

February 12th, 2011: No fewer than 20 persons lost their lives in Port Harcourt in a stampede

during a PDP presidential rally.

February 18th, 2011: Osogbo High Court brought down the curtain of the reign of the Ataoja

of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun ordering him to vacant the throne.

April 18th, 2011: Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was declared the winner of the 2011

presidential election thus making him the 5th elected leader since independence.

July 14th, 2011: The German Chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel came on a state visit to Nigeria.

June 16th, 2011: A suspected suicide bomber targeted and bombed the Nigeria police

headquarters in Abuja. Six people were killed and 73 vehicles burnt. It was the first suicide

attack in Nigeria.

August 18th, 2011: The Nigeria Judicial Council sacked the President of the Court of Appeal,

Justice Ayo salami.

August 26, 2011: A suicide bomb attack on the United Nations building in Abuja left at least

18 people dead and several others injured. Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram

claimed responsibility.

November 2011: Nigerians lawmakers began inquiry on increase in fuel subsidy payments

from a budgeted N250billion to 1.3 trillion naira ($7.67billion) in 2011 and invited Minister

of Finance and coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Minister of

Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deziani Alison Madueke, and Central Bank Governor, Mallam

Sanusi Lamido for clarification.

December 2011: President Goodluck Jonathan submitted the 2012 budget to the National

Assembly and fuel subsidy cost was absent.

December 25th, 2011: There was a bomb blast attack at a Christian Christmas service at St.

Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger state. Over 48 people were killed.

January 1st, 2012: President Goodluck Jonathan announced the immediate removal of

subsidy on fuel. The reaction from Nigerians culminated in protests and strikes which

allegedly cost the country and the economy 13lives dead and billions of naira respectively.

January 2nd, 2012: First Occupy Nigeria demonstrations in Abuja and Lagos. In Abuja, 11

protesters including the former member of the House of Representatives Dino Melaye was

arrested and later released.

January 3rd, 2012: Nigerians youths kicked off an occupy Nigeria movement in different

states in the country. The first protester to be killed by security forces was Mr. Muyideen

Mustapha in Ilorin, Kwara state.

January 5th, 2012: The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced the”mother of all

strikes”. All offices in the country were closed down including banks and educational

institutions. The country was grounded and the economy was brought to a halt.

January 6th, 2012: Government obtained an industrial court injunction to stop the NLC strike.

NLC responded; refers to government injunction as “Black Market” and vowed to go ahead

with the strike.

January 7th, 2012: President Goodluck Jonathan in a nationwide broadcast urged Nigerians to

embrace the new pump price of N141 per litre.

January 12th/13th 2012: Nigeria Labour Congress entered meeting with the government and

announced a 2day break. No agreement was reached.

January 16th 2012: President Goodluck Jonathan addressed the nation on the reduction of the

petrol price from N141 to N97 per litre.

January 16th 2012: NLC called off streets protests and later ended all forms of strike action.

January 27th 2012: The Supreme Court in Abuja sacked five governors of Kogi, Balyesa,

Sokoto, Imo and Sokoto state.

April 17th 2012: The former governor of Delta State, James Ibori was convicted by a London

court to 13years imprisonment for money laundering of $250million.

May 7, 2012: Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State dismissed 788 doctors who

participated in a three-day warning strike between April 11 and 13 in the state.

June 22, 2012: The United States Department of State designated leader of the Islamic sect

Boko Haram as a terrorist.

July 22, 2012: Tragedy struck in Jos, as no fewer than 35 people were confirmed dead

following a flood disaster that ravaged the town. 200 houses were destroyed.

October 1st, 2012: President Goodluck Jonathan in a nationwide Independence Day television

broadcast announced the renaming of the University of Lagos to Moshood Abiola University.

October 21st, 2012: Humanist and co-founder of Mayflower School in Ikenne, Ogun-State,

Mrs. Tai Solarin died in Ogun-State.

November 14th 2012: Abubakar Olusola Saraki, Medical Director, former Senate leader and

Elder statesman who was widely known as the godfather of kwara politics died in Lagos. He

was aged 79.

January 17th 2013: The Nigerian Senate gave nod for the deployment of 1,200 troops to

Mali, which a war is raging to flush out insurgents from the North.

February 4, 2013: Nigerians rejected single tenure of seven years for president, states

creation, according to a report by the House of Representatives.

March 12th, 2013: The Federal Government granted pardon to many high profile convicts.

Among the beneficiaries of the council of state‟s reprieve is a former government of Balyesa

State, DSP Alamieseigha, a former chief of state Major-General Shehu Yar‟adua, former

Chief of General Staff, General Oladipo Diya.

March 21st, 2013: Literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe passed on in Boston,

April 11, 2013: The fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram rejected the planned amnesty for his

members, saying it should be the one to pardon the government.

April 17th, 2013: Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN) President, Datti Ahmed

rejected the membership of the federal government amnesty committee for Boko Haram

members.

June 3rd, 2013: The United States posted up to $23million in rewards to help capture five

leaders of militants groups which have spread terror in West-Africa and Nigeria.

NIGERIA: SO FAR SO POOR

In another one year now, Nigeria will be 100years as a country amalgamated together in 1914

by Lord Fredrick Lord Lugard. The challenge of nation building has been enormous and

myriads reasons have been adduced for failure to mould the many nations and ethnic groups

into one.

Perhaps the most widely adduced reason is that the colonial authorities deliberately

drew a wedge between the ethnic groups by using political geography as a potent weapon. By

design, it is held, the north which was run by a region in the pre independence era was made,

by physical size, more than double the two.

By so doing, a cardinal principle of federalism was breached. Consequently, too, the

demographic facts were delicately manipulated to favor the north. All the accepted

population censuses till date have indicated that the north, now comprising the south east,

east and south-south.

The flaw may indeed be fundamental. But, is the country so lacking in patriots that

the bequeathed colonial yoke has remained unbroken in 100years? First, ten solid decades

have rolled by, the questions to ask are of two-fold: where is Nigeria in the comity of

nations? And has the country made progress in political re-engineering? Unless the questions

are satisfactorily answered, there can be no movement forward.

There could be no motion, as indeed there has been in the nearly ten decades of

nationhood, but here will be no movement. There could be razzmatazz, but there will be

substance. Forms of government may change, personnel in charge of institutions will change,

but Nigerians will continue to be ashamed of identifying with their country outside the shores

of the country.

NIGERIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE

CHALLENGE OF LEADERSHIP

Is it any surprise that, every phase of the Nigeria political journey has thrown up about the

worst possible material to run the state? It is interesting to note that the first central executive

council constituted after the 1951 Macpherson constitution was promulgated , had such men

as chief Bode Thomas , Arthur Prest and Ladoke Akintola from the Action Group; A.C.

Nwapa , Dr. Eni Njoku and Okoi Arikpo from the National Council of Nigeria and

Cameroon( NCNC) and the Lordly Mallam Muhammadu Rabidu , Shettima Kashim and

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa from the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) , Dr. E.M.L Enderly

represented the Cameroons which was then part of Nigeria.

But, that cabinet served merely as an advisory body to the colonial officials. Sir. John

Stuart Macpherson, the governor was fully incharge as Nigeria was still a colonial territory.

He was supported in decision making by Lt. Gov East; Lt Gov, North and Lt. Gov, West. The

Chief Secretary to the Government, Attorney General and financial secretary were also key

members of the administration.

In real terms, therefore, the first Nigerian Executive Council, even though still under

colonial authority, was established in 1957 after the Lyttleton Constitution of 1954 and a host

of constitutional conferences and all embracing deliberations. At the head of that government

was Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

Following independence in 1960, only few cosmetic changes were made by Tafawa

Balewa remained as the head. Other members of the administration were Alhaji Muhammadu

Ribadu who was put in charge of Lagos affairs, Festus Okotie- Eboh in finance, Raymond

Njoku in charge of transport and aviation, Inuwa Wada in works and survey, T.O.S Benson

handled the information portfolio, Maitama Sule was handed the mines and power ministry

and Shehu Shagari was in charge of economic development.

Also in the cabinet were Mallam Musa Yar‟adua who was put of pensions and

Matthew Mbu in charge of state. By the composition, the cabinet was denied the contribution

of the AG which had stormed out in 1953 over the Enahoro „Motion for independence in

1956 „

Secondly, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello who was the premier of the North and strongman of

the NPC refused to move to Lagos to take charge as prime minister. His appointee lacked the

full powers to independently take decisions. Thirdly, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa was weak. Those

who know him say he was nice, but lacked the experience, knowledge and charisma to lay the

foundation for national development. Nigeria thus missed the first crucial step in nation

building.

Throughout the first republic, the ship of state sailed in troubled water. The men who

ran the country, at the federal and regional levels, who controlled the political parties

exhibited pettiness, arrogance and unfortunately lacked the gift of foresight. Most were

politicians not statesmen, as the events of the 1962 crises, the census crises of 1963, the hotly

disputed 1964 federal elections, the Western parliamentary elections of1965, the travails and

trial of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the five years before military take over showed.

The first republic was an era of missed opportunities; Nigeria had the size, population

and resources to drive Africa to greatness. What Japan became as a role model of sort, in

Asia, Nigeria could have been for Africa, but the leaders chose to fritter away from the

chances. The raw food was available, the ingredients were not lacking but the cook had had

too much to drink and thus fell into a deep sleep.

The military leaders who emerged were the jackals. They lacked all qualities needed

to heal wounds and knit a divided country together. They had been trained to inflict injury

and snuff out life, not to bring, and build. In due course, it became clear, too, that they were

mostly soldiers of fortune. The officers treated Nigeria as a conquered territory, and resources

as spoils of wars. Today, the wealthiest Nigerians are former military rulers, the civilians who

served under them and their protégés and fronts. Nigeria is a giant with clay feet. After

13years, the military thought it had had enough and decided to hand the baton of the relay

race to the civilian wing of the ruling elite. And, who emerged as the foreman? Alhaji Shehu

Shagari. Although he had been part of government almost without a break since 1954 when

he was elected into the House of Representatives, he was never seen or regarded as one the

stars.

Even in the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), where he was drafted into the

presidential race, he was not one of the best materials. Men such as Alhaji Maitama Sule,

also, an old hand, Dr Abubakar Saraki who got introduced to politics since 1964 and the

middle belt warrior, Chief Joseph Tarka had indicated interest in the coveted office, while

Shagari preferred to go to the senate. The question is, why Shagari?

Like Tafawa Balewa in the first republic, those who schemed to put Shagari in charge

knew he would make a weak leader. As it was in the first republic, so was the fate of the

second republic. Corruption reined freely, the people suffered, elections were shamefully

rigged and the operators of government were incompetent. On December, 31, 1983, the

Shagari regime collapsed as the military successfully staged a coup d‟etat.

A staged-managed transition programme by General Ibrahim Babangida who

emerged through a palace coup on August 27, 1985 brought about the best opportunity to

build a modern, progressive Nigeria on June 12, 1993. But, that was not part of the plot.

Chief M.K.O Abiola who clearly won the presidential election conducted that date was

denied the prize, incarcerated and eventually allowed to die in prison.

The carefully arranged events led to the enthronement of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a

former military Head of State, on May 29, 1999. But unlike his predecessors, Obasanjo could

not be described as weak. Rather, he has been accused of arrogance. He ruled as he did as a

military leader. He had no clear idea of what the political structure should look like as

humility is not one of his qualities, he had no reason to learn from others. The economic

reforms he brought about were more plastic than real. By general consensus, he failed.

President Olusegun Obasanjo, the third elected civilian head of government left the country

worse than it was in 1999

The manner of transition to another civilian leadership underlined a basic flaw in the

president‟s character. State institutions were unleashed to pave way for the emergence of

Katsina State governor, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar‟adua. That was after a failed vain and

unconstitutional attempt at self-succession.

Yar „adua died on May 5, 2010 and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan who was the vice-

president of the former was sworn in on May 6 as the new president. For 52years, the country

has been dancing round in a circle; so many energy has been expended doing basically

nothing.

Wobbling, fumbling, at least one leg to the tripod has been consistently knocked down at

every point. The result has been instability.

Today, Nigeria is faced with the challenge of responsibly resolving the Niger delta

crises, terrorist‟s activities in the North-Eastern region, resuscitating the educational sector

and breathing life into the healthcare delivery. The roads are death traps, corruption in high

places is rife and utter confusion and planlessness over the land.

In 52years, Nigeria independence has remained meaningless. Nigerians do not see

themselves as belonging to one sovereign state. They remain Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa, Ijaw,

Tiv, Urhobo and Kanuri. Not Nigerians, many would gladly work for American interest in

preference to national pride. What should be done? What is being done? What can the

incumbents do? So far, the outlook appears bleak. But, with Yar‟adua in the mould of Tafawa

Balewa and Shehu Shagari, Nigerians may begin to pray and work towards laying a new

foundation after 2011 or 2015 .Till then; it is a long way to real freedom, genuine

independence and evolution of a true nation. ONLY TIME WILL TELL…….

Compiled by; OLALEYE OLANIYI

Olaleyeolaniyi25@gmail.com