Postage stamps and postal history of Nigeria the British Commonwealth and a new definitive set was issued on 1 November 1965. Between 1960 and 1961 Nigerian definitives of 1953-57 were overprinted "CAMEROONS/U.K.T.T." for use in Southern Cameroons of the British Mandate territory of British Cameroons. This issue was also valid for use in Northern Cameroons until it joined Nigeria. In 1961, Southern Cameroons became part of Cameroon. Between 30 May 1967 and 15 January 1970, the region of Biafra attempted to secede from Nigeria and issued their own postage stamps. Eventually, after a bloody civil war they rejoined Nigeria. Postage stamps and postal history of Nigeria This
Nigeria rule beginning in the 19th century, and took its present territorial shape with the merging of the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and Northern Nigeria Protectorate in 1914. The British set up administrative and legal structures whilst practicing indirect rule through traditional chiefdoms. Nigeria became a formally independent federation in 1960. It experienced a civil war from 1967 to 1970. It thereafter alternated between democratically elected civilian governments and military dictatorships until it achieved a stable democracy in 1999, with the 2011 presidential election considered the first to be reasonably free and fair. Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of