jorre osadebay ncnc akintola sardauna ahmadu aguiyi balewa ironsi tafawa azikiwe buhari akanu bym ibiam nepu awolowo igbira nnamdi npc ifeajuna obasanjo nndp 356,669 okpara nzeogwu sokoto abubakar shonekan eyo
when did nigeria got her independent and republic
First Nigerian Republic - wikipedia First Nigerian Republic This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . ( November 2014 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message ) Nigeria This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Nigeria Constitution ( show ) Human rights Government ( show ) President ( list ) Muhammadu Buhari Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Cabinet Federal Parastatals National Assembly ( show ) Senate House of Representatives Judiciary ( show ) Supreme Court Subdivisions ( show ) States State governors Local Government Areas Elections ( show ) Recent elections Presidential : 2011 2015 2019 Parliamentary : 2011 2015 2019 Political parties Foreign relations ( show ) Minister of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic missions of Nigeria to Nigeria Passport Visa requirements Other countries Atlas The First Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1963 and 1966 governed by the first republican constitution . Contents 1 Founded ( 1963 ) 2 Presidents 3 Prime ministers 4 Political parties 5 Politics 6 Notable politicians 7 The coup 8 Civil war and beyond : 1966 -- 79 9 See also 10 References Founded ( 1963 ) ( edit ) Although Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom on October 1 , 1960 , the nation retained the British monarch , Elizabeth II , as titular head of state until the adoption of a new constitution in 1963 declaring the nation a republic . The name `` Nigeria '' is derived from the word `` Niger '' -- the name of the river that constitutes the most remarkable geographical feature of the country . Nigeria is a country of 923,768 square kilometres ( 356,669 sq mi ) , bound to the west by Benin , to the north by the Niger and Chad Republic , east by the Republic of Cameroon , and south by the Gulf of Guinea . The country gained independence from the British government on October 1 , 1960 , and became a republic in 1963 . The journey to independence started with some constitutional developments in Nigeria , these constitutional developments saw the country attaining self - rule in some quarters in 1957 and total independence on October 1 , 1960 . Presidents ( edit ) Presidents during the Nigerian First Republic President Term Party Nnamdi Azikiwe October 1 , 1963 - January 16 , 1966 NCNC Note : Nnamdi Azikiwe resigned from NCNC to become the First Governor - General of Nigeria from November 16 , 1960 - September 30 , 1963 . Prime ministers ( edit ) Prime Ministers during the Nigerian First Republic Prime Minister Term Party Abubakar Tafawa Balewa October 1 , 1963 - January 16 , 1966 NPC Political parties ( edit ) Action Group ( AG ) Borno Youth Movement ( BYM ) Democratic Party of Nigeria and Cameroon ( DPNC ) Dynamic Party ( DP ) Igala Union ( IU ) Igbira Tribal Union ( ITU ) Midwest Democratic Front ( MDF ) National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons / National Convention of Nigerian Citizens ( NCNC ) National Independence Party ( NIP ) Niger Delta Congress ( NDC ) Nigerian National Democratic Party ( NNDP ) Northern Elements Progressive Union ( NEPU ) Northern People 's Congress ( NPC ) Northern Progressive Front ( NPF ) Republican Party ( RP ) United Middle Belt Congress ( UMBC ) United National Independence Party ( UNIP ) Zamfara Commoners Party ( ZCP ) Politics ( edit ) The country was split into three geopolitical regions -- Western Region , Eastern Region and Northern Region -- and its political parties took on the identities and ideologies of each region . The Nigerian People 's Congress ( NPC ) represented the interests of the predominantly Hausa / Fulani Northern Region , the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons ( NCNC ) ) ( later renamed to `` National Council of Nigerian Citizens '' ) represented the predominantly Igbo Eastern Region , and the Action Group ( AG ) dominated the Yoruba Western Region . The NPC took control of the federal parliament , and formed a coalition government with the NCNC . The National Independence Party ( NIP ) formed by Professor Eyo Ita became the second political party in the old Eastern Region . Ahmadu Bello , the Sardauna of Sokoto , leader of the NPC , was poised to become the Prime Minister , but instead he chose to become the Premier of the Northern Region , and supported his deputy Tafawa Balewa 's candidacy for Prime Minister . This raised suspicions amongst the southern politicians , who resented the idea of a federal government controlled by a regional leader through his designated proxy . In the end , Tafawa Balewa of NPC was named Prime Minister and Head of Government , and Nnamdi Azikiwe of NCNC was named President . At Nigeria 's independence , the Northern Region gained more seats in parliament than both Eastern and Western regions combined -- this would cement Northern dominance in Nigerian politics for years to come . Resentment amongst southern politicians precipitated into political chaos in the country . Obafemi Awolowo , Premier of Western Region , was accused of attempting to overthrow the government . This followed a period of conflict between the AG regional government and the central government . In spite of the flimsiness of the evidence presented by the government 's prosecutors , he was convicted . With incarceration of Awolowo , Samuel Akintola took over as the Premier of Western Region . Because Akintola was an ally of Ahmadu Bello , the undisputed strong man of Nigeria , Akintola was criticized as being a tool of the North . As premier of the West , Akintola presided over the most chaotic era in Western Region -- one which earned it the nickname `` the Wild - Wild West '' . However , as late as Thursday , January 13 , 1966 , Balewa had announced that the federal government was not going to intervene in the West . However , the very next day , Akintola , premier of the West met with his ally Ahmadu Bello , the Sardauna of Sokoto , premier of the North and party boss of NPC party to which Balewa belonged . At the same time a top - level security conference in Lagos was taking place which was attended by most of the country 's senior army officiers . All of this activity created rumors that the Balewa government would be forced to crack down on lawlessness in the West using military might . Notable politicians ( edit ) Jaja Wachuku Foreign Minister ( 1961 - 1965 ) Chief S.A Ajayi OFR ( Federal Minister of Interior , minister of Forestry ( state ) The coup ( edit ) Main article : 1966 Nigerian coup d'état The political unrest during the mid-1960s culminated into Nigeria 's first military coup d'état . On 15 January 1966 , Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and his fellow rebel soldiers ( most of who were of southern extraction ) and were led by Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna of the Nigerian Army , executed a bloody takeover of all institutions of government . Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa , was assassinated along with the premier of Northern Nigeria , strong - man Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna of Sokoto , Samuel Akintola , premier of the West and Festus Okotie - Eboh , the Finance Minister . ( 1 ) . It is not clear whether President Azikiwe 's life was spared because he was out of the country at the time , or whether he had been informed about the impending coup and was out of the country so that his life could be spared . Major - General Johnson Aguiyi - Ironsi took control as the first Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria on January 16 , 1966 . Civil War and beyond : 1966 -- 79 ( edit ) The republic would be torn by the secession of Biafra and the ensuing civil war from 1966 -- 70 . After the end of the war , the nation re-unified and military rule continued for another nine years , implementing Nigerianization of foreign businesses . Eventually , elections were held in 1979 leading the way to the Nigerian Second Republic . See also ( edit ) Nigerian Civil War Nigerian Second Republic ( 1979 -- 83 ) Nigerian Third Republic ( 1993 ) Nigerian Fourth Republic ( 1999 -- present ) References ( edit ) Jump up ^ https://www.dawodu.com/const63.pdf The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria ( 1963 ) Jump up ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wilson_Robertson , retrieved August 9 , 2017 Jump up ^ John de St. Jorre , The Nigerian Civil War ( Hodder and Stroughto Publishers : London , 1972 , p. 30 Jump up ^ John de St. Jorre , The Nigerian Civil War ( Hodder and Stoughton Publishers : London , 1972 ) p. 30 . Jump up ^ John de St. Jorre , The Nigerian Civil War , p. 30 . Jump up ^ John de St. Jorre , The Nigerian Civil War , p. 30 . Jump up ^ John de St. Jorre , The Nigerian Civil War p. 36 . Jump up ^ John de St. Jorre , The Nigerian Civil War , p. 35 Jump up ^ John de St. Jorre , The Nigerian Civil War , p. 39 . THE FIRST REPUBLIC Nigeria - US State Department Profile The History of Nigeria Media Accountability and Democracy in Nigeria The inside story of Nigeria 's first military coup ( 1 ) <Th_colspan="2"> Nigerian region governors and premiers in the First Republic <Td_colspan="2"> This is a list of Nigerian region governors and premiers in the First Republic ( 1960 - 1966 ) . Nigeria became independent on 1 October 1960 and became a republic on 1 October 1963 . On 16 January 1966 a military coup brought Major General Johnson Aguiyi - Ironsi to power , terminating the first period of democratic rule . During this period an appointed governor was nominal head of state while an elected premier led the government . Region Period Governor Premier Notes Eastern Region Oct 1960 - Jan 1966 Francis Akanu Ibiam Michael Okpara Mid-Western Region Aug 1963 - Feb 1964 Dennis Osadebay Dennis Osadebay ( Administrator ) Region created from part of Western Region on 8 August 1963 Feb 1964 - Jan 1966 Jereton Mariere Dennis Osadebay Northern Region Oct 1960 - 1962 Gawain Westray Bell Ahmadu Bello 1962 - Jan 1966 Kashim Ibrahim Western Region Oct 1960 - May 1962 Adesoji Aderemi Samuel Akintola May 1962 - Dec 1962 Adesoji Aderemi Moses Majekodunmi ( Administrator ) Administrator appointed during political crisis Jan 1963 - Jan 1966 Joseph Fadahunsi Samuel Akintola <Td_colspan="2"> See also List of Nigerian Region Military Governors ( 1966 -- 1967 ) <Th_colspan="3"> Heads of State of Nigeria Queen ( 1960 -- 1963 ) Elizabeth II President of the First Republic ( 1963 -- 1966 ) Azikiwe Military regime ( 1966 -- 1979 ) Aguiyi - Ironsi Gowon Mohammed Obasanjo President of the Second Republic ( 1979 -- 1983 ) Shehu Shagari Military regime ( 1983 -- 1999 ) Buhari Babangida Shonekan ( interim ) * Abacha Abubakar President of the Fourth Republic ( from 1999 ) Obasanjo Yar'Adua Jonathan Buhari <Td_colspan="3"> * civilian ; headed transition to abortive Third Republic <Th_colspan="2"> Politics of Africa Sovereign states Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde ( Cabo Verde ) Central African Republic Chad Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea - Bissau Ivory Coast ( Côte d'Ivoire ) Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe States with limited recognition Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Somaliland Dependencies and other territories Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla ( Spain ) Madeira ( Portugal ) Mayotte / Réunion ( France ) Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha ( United Kingdom ) Western Sahara Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Nigerian_Republic&oldid=840862863 '' Categories : History of Nigeria 1960s in Nigeria Government of Nigeria Former republics Politics of Nigeria 1963 establishments in Nigeria 1966 disestablishments in Nigeria 1963 in Nigeria 1964 in Nigeria 1965 in Nigeria 1966 in Nigeria Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from November 2014 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Esperanto Français Português Yorùbá Edit links This page was last edited on 12 May 2018 , at 17 : 31 ( UTC ) . 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