History of Nigeria Leaders After Independence From 1960-1993

History of Nigeria Leaders After Independence From 1960-1993

1960

October 1, 1960 Nigeria became an independent Nation. Its first indigenous Governor – General, the Right Honourable Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, was sworn in by late Chief Justice Adetokunbo Ademola (The first Indigenous Chief Justice of the federation). Before the assemblage of distinguished Nigerians including Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Belewa, Princess Alexandria, the Queen’ personal representative and a host of other important foreign visitors Dr Zik, the orator and student of classic, espouses his dream for a new Nigeria. Independence, he said, had been won on “a platter of gold”.

After independence in 1960, Nigeria was to sign a defence treaty with Britain which would have somehow reduced the new nation to surrogate of Britain Military hegemony But, Nigeria students were quick to read by strongly “if Nigeria is truly independent it should be total”. They pressed forward their agitation by marching to the house of Representative. In the end, the Anglo-Defence pact was jettisoned.

The leadership crisis in the western House of Assembly cumulated in the violent interruption of that houses business when members resorted to throwing punches and furniture. As a result of the turn of events a state of Emergency was imposed on the region and Dr Moses Majeko-dunmi appointed administrator of the region.

In the year that Nigeria became a Republic, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, one of the three titans of Nigeria’s politics and leader of opposition was docked and found guilty of treasonable felony. He was jailed together with scores of his political associates. The trouble in the West gathers momentum.

The elections of 1964 was the first to be conducted in the country after becoming a nation – state it was the first test of how parliamentary democracy in the British style was working. It turned out that the election did not take place, but the result almost split the country as it was vehementary contested by the opposition party. This continued to brew upheavals in the West, leading to operation wetie.

Wild, wild West. These three words which reigned supreme as riots engulfed the Western Region, following intense power struggles between Chief Samuel Akintola, the Premier of Western Region and followers of jailed Chief Obafemi Awolowo, leader of opposition. Result of the federal elections was hotly disputed.

On January 15, the soldiers with smoking guns, sailed forth from their barracks into governance. Major Kaduna Chukwuma Nzeogwu and four other Majors led the nation’s coup (detat) which claimed the lives of some highly placed government and military personal.
Major General Johnson Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi assumed office as Head of State: detained the coup plotters but died six months later, in a counter coup which saw the Lt. Col, Yakubu Gowon’s rise to power. Still counting from the loss of their political leaders and their highest ranking pogrom on the Igbos. Unknowingly, the nation had taken the first decisive step towards the civil war.

A year of scandal, bloodshed and sorrows: Nigeria’s warring leaders failed to reach an agreement on the future of the country. May 27, 12 states were created out of the old four regions: May 30, the Eastern Region under Lt. Col. Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu opted out of the federation and declared itself “the Republic of Biafra”, july 6: The first shots of the civil war rang out at Gakem Ogoja, and for the 30 months Nigerians and Biafrans, killed on another leaving hunger and disease to complete the route.

This year told story of the ravage of the war that continued to rage through the Biafra enclave. The guns boomed, the booms exploded and the people, those lucky to be alive is kept running as the “land of the rising sun” turned into that of hopes unrealised.

As the civil war rage, the Biafran side suffered a fatal blow when former head of state Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, defeated to the federal side.

After nearly 30 and half months of a bitter fratricidal war, and millions of live lost, the civil war came to an end when the Biafran forces surrendered three days earlier. Ojukwu, the man at the centre of the storm, had fled in search of peace, leaving Lt. Col. Philip Effiong to sign the instrument of surrender.

Col. Olusegun Obasanjo, commander of the victorious federal forces initialled the surrender document in the presence of senior “Biafran” and Nigerian officers. Gowon declared that the war had ended with “no victor, no vanquished,” and proclaimed a policy of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation (3 Rs) to pave the way for the eventual integration of the Igbos in a post war Nigeria.

Nigeria, just emerging from a costly war, begins to rebuild her economy. Among the measures embarked upon were the indigenisation of the economy, the change over to the decimal currency and the metric system. These were years of massive construction but they were also years of sky – high corruption. In 1974, Gowon Daboh, a self-appointed crusader for probity in public life, indicted Federal Communication Commissioners Joseph Tarka for engaging in corrupt practices, forcing Tarks to resign. The stench of corruption paved the way for Gowon’s eventual over-throw in 1975.

Gowon ruled Nigeria for a recent 9 years, piloting it through the dark and difficult days of the war. However, the sun set on his regime in 1975, when he reneged on his promise to return the country to civil rule by 1976. The corruption of the nation jubilated when he was over thrown. The man of the moment was General Murtala Mohammed a no nonsense soldier, whose actions swept the nation like the harmathan wind.

Murtala’s death at the hands of assassins on February 13, 1976 shocked the nation but his successor, General Olusegun Obasanjo pledged to carry on the programmes of the regime which included preparing the nation for civil rule. In 1977, the world came to Nigeria for second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77). In 1978, Nigerian Students led by a bearded Segun Okeowo, forcibly demended to be heard in the now-famous “Ali must go” episode.

These years have been a mixed bag for the nation. In 1979, the military handed over to an elected civilian government handed by President Shehu Shagari. After a period of unprecedented boom, the economy went to a violent tailspin that has culminated in the current SAP and its attendant hardships. Massive submission of the electoral process and rampart corruption forced the army to intervene again.

Between 1984 and 1985, the duo of Buhari and idiagbon ruled the country with fists of iron. Their successor, Ibrahim Babangida promised to hand over to civilians 1992. In the 1986, a parcel bomb killed Dele Giwa, a dubious first for Nigeria. In 1987, one of the titans of Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo passed on.

1n 1989, Nigerians took to the streets to protest the hardship brought about by SAP.

1990 – 1993 saw Nigerian passing through retirements, reposting, cabinet reshuffles and downright dismissal. Thursday, August 17, 1993 President Ibrahim Babangida announced his resignation as the president and commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces during his address to the National Assembly in Abuja.

On August 26, 1993 the Babagida’s regime ended, paving room for An Interim Motioned Government with Chief Ernest Shonekan (former Head of the Government) as its Chairman.

On Wednesday 17, November, 1993 before his fellow colleagues in the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan (stressing that Interim National Government was a victim of circumstance) announced the resignation of his appointment as Head of state and commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of Nigeria.

Sequel to the resignation of the former Head of the Interim National Government, General Sani Abacha was in Abuja named the new Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

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