NIGERIA AT 59
Intro
Nigeria, a power house with great human capital and
resources. A big tree with many branches standing tall at 59 despite the raging
storms. The world earnestly awaits the realization of your great potentials.
The history of Nigeria can be traced to the prehistoric
settlers living in the area as early as 1100BC.
The history of Nigeria has been crucially impacted by the
transatlantic slave Trade, which started in Nigeria in the late 15th
century. At first, Europeans captured Nigerians who lived in the coastal
communities. Later, they used local brokers to provide them with slaves. This
trade method escalated into conflicts among the different ethnic groups in the
region and disrupted older trade patterns through the Trans-Saharan route.
Lagos was invaded by the British Forces in 1851 and formally
annexed in 1861. Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901. Thereafter
colonization lasted until 1960, when an independence movement succeeded in
gaining Nigeria its independence. The
motion for the independence had been passed by the 312 members of the House of
Representatives on January 14, 1960. Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa served as prime
minister, a position he had held since 1957, while Doctor Benjamin Nnamdi
Azikiwe took the largely ceremonial position of president of the Senate. During
the occasion marking the independence at the Race Course, now Abubakar Tafawa
Balewa Square, Lagos, where hundreds of Nigerians thronged, Prime Minister
Tafawa Balewa gave the historic independence speech.
(insert Independence Day)
The period between October 1, 1960 and January 15, 1966 when
the first military coup d’etat took place is generally referred to as the first
republic. It operated in parliamentary democracy modeled along British lines
that emphasized majority rule. The constitution included elaborate bills of
right, unlike other African states that adopted one party system immediately
after independence. The country had a functional, although regionally based
multiparty system. On October 1, 1963, Nigeria severed the remaining political
ties she had with Britain, thereby becoming a sovereign nation, Republic of
Nigeria.
The Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO, had been established
in 1960, the regulatory body for elections which conducted the immediate
post-independence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965.
Nigerian’s political development would never be complete
without the mention of numerous Military coup d’etats executed in the country.
First was a consideration of the January 15, 1966 coup, Nigeria’s first coup
ever, carried out mostly by Igbo Army leaders, chief of them, Major Chukwuma
Kaduna Nzeogwu. The coup led to the fall of the first Republic. The first and
only Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir
Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of Western region, Chief Samuel Akintola and the
Finance Minister, Chief Okotie-Eboh were among those murdered during the coup. The
electoral body, Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO was dissolved after that
coup. Consequently, military regime was introduced, with Major- General Johnson
Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi as pioneer military Head of State.
(General Aguiyi Ironsi insert)
Six months later, on July 29 same 1966, another military coup
hit Nigeria, tagged 1966 counter-coup. This second coup spear- headed by
Northern officers mostly, led to the assassination of Head of State, General Ironsi
and host Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. Ironsi was succeeded by General Yakubu
Danjuma Gowon.
(Gowon
insert)
Twelve states were in 1967 created out of the four regions,
with twelve sons of the land made governors.
The young independent Nigeria suffered political, economic,
ethnic and religious tension. The embers of war were fanned by disagreements
over who should control the rich crude oil deposits in Nigeria, and whether the
Igbos should remain as part of Nigeria or not. From June through October 1966,
an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Igbos were allegedly murdered in the north of
the country, including women and children, causing more than a million to two
million fleeing to the Eastern Region. Extensive negotiations took place
between Colonel Emeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu, military governor of Eastern Region and
Head of State, General Gowon, producing substantial results. And when
the centre could no longer hold, on 30th May 1967, Ojukwu declared independence
of the Republic of Biafra, and on the 6th of July, the Nigerian
civil war broke out.
The civil war which was also known as the Biafran war began
in the form of ethno-religious riot in northern Nigeria, as well as mass
homeward return of people from different parts of the country. In under three
years of the Nigerian civil war, the country witnessed about 100,000 military
casualties while 500 to 2 million Igbos died of starvation. There had also been
bloodshed, accusations and counter accusations laced with lots of hardship.
That war which started on July 6, 1967, ended on January 13, 1970 and two days later,
January 15, Head of State, General Gowon announced the end of the war.
(insert Gowon ends the war)
Gowon held power until July 29, 1975, when he was overthrown
in a bloodless coup. Brigadier Murtala Ramat Mohammed who was later promoted to
a general, succeeded Gowon. Months later, on February 13, 1976, Mohammed was
assassinated by Buka Suka Dimka and other plotters in a violent coup attempt, although
the plotters failed to kill Olusegun Obasanjo who then succeeded Mohammed as
head of state.
The Supreme Military Council was formally dissolved when General Obasanjo handed power to the elected
Shehu Shagari, ending the military regime and establishing a Nigerian Second
republic.
On 1st October, 1979, Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari was sworn in as the first president
and commander in chief of the federal republic of Nigeria.
(insert Shagari).
However, on December 31, 1983, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad
Buhari succeeded Alhaji Shagari, introducing the dreaded War Against
Indiscipline, WAI, and on 27th August, 1985, Major General Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida assumed power following a bloodless coup. Major General
Babangida who was promoted to a general, presented to the public and the media
the image of an affectionate and considerate leader. This was followed by the announcement of a
transition programme in 1986, that was to terminate in 1990, though later
extended to 1993. General Babangida had introduced the third Republic in 1992 which
ended in 1993, an unsuccessful attempt to restore Nigeria to democracy. A presidential
election was slated for June in 1993 between two pro government candidates, Chief
M.K.O Abiola of Social Democratic Party, SDP and Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the
National Republican Convention, NRC.
The election was held on schedule, June 12, 1993 , widely
acclaimed free and peaceful and won by Chief Abiola , but Gen. Babangida
annulled the results before they became official. This turned out to be a
serious miscalculation that forced him out of power on August 26, 1993 and an
Interim National Government (ING) was instituted, led by Yoruba business man,
Ernest Shonekan.
After three months, Minister of Defence, General Sani Abacha
became head of state on 17th November, 1993, following a palace coup which
sacked the Interim National Government, ING, replacing the civilian governors
with military administrators.
On June 11th
1994, Chief M.K.O. Abiola had been hunted down after declaring himself president,
leading to grave political tension in the country. Abiola had died in detention
in 1998.
Following the death of General Sani-Abacha in June 1998, his
successor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar ensured the transition from military
rule to democracy on May 29, 1999, under the leadership of Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP . Chief Obasanjo was also
returned president in 2003 after his four-year tenure. In May 2007, having
attained the maximum two tenure of four years each, Obasanjo handed over to
Alhaji Musa Yar’ Adua, whose election on 21st April of that year,
was considered controversial. Yar’Adua created the Ministry of Niger Delta
Affairs as a way of tackling insurgency in the Niger Delta region and went
ahead to introduce amnesty for repentant militants. Following the death of Yar’Adua
on 5th May, 2010, Goodluck Jonathan became the third president of
the fourth republic. Doctor Jonathan later won the election the following year,
his closest rival being Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigerian Peoples Party,
ANPP. Jonathan however, lost to Buhari on 28th March 2015. This came
on the heels of the merger of the ANPP and some opposition parties into the All
Progressives Congress, APC. Buhari later went ahead to be reelected this year, 2019
for a second term, becoming the current president.
The refrain, “though tongues and tribes may differ, in
brotherhood we stand”, may long have been forgotten by many Nigerian citizens. Yet,
as the nation marks 59 years of nationhood, Nigerians at large, should continue
to strive for greater socio- political, economic, educational, social and
technological advancement and as well, uphold our unity in diversity as the
basis on which our collective independence was signed.
This documentary was written by staff of Programmes
Department, supervised by Rachel Onah and our executive producer has been Jonas
Emechebe.
On behalf of staff of Radio Nigeria South South zone, this is
wishing Nigerians happy independence anniversary.
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