Nigerians Leaders After Independence And Their Achievements.

In the spirit of the 61st year of Nigeria Independence, we will be celebrating Nigerian past leaders and their achievements.

1. Nnamdi Azikiwe (1960 -1966)

Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe popularly referred to as “the Great Zik of Africa” was a Nigerian statesman and political leader who served as the first President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966, prior to his position as a president, Zik served as the governor-general from 1960 – 1963, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the prime minister.

Azikiwe was prominent for his fight against colonialism and Western imperialism,  although his roles during his leadership tenure were largely ceremonial, He established the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1960, and Queen Elizabeth II appointed him to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.

2. Sir Tafawa Balewa (1957 – 1966)

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria. He got into the government in 1952 as Minister of Works, and later served as Minister of Transport. During his tenure at the transport ministry, both the Marine and Railway departments were transformed into corporations and the designs for a bridge over the Niger and plans for the Kainji Dam were developed.

In 1957, Balewa became the  Prime Minister of Nigeria. As the Prime Minister, he played important role in the actulization of the continent’s independence. He was an important leader in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity and creating a cooperative relationship with French-speaking African countries. He was also instrumental in negotiations between Moise Tshombe and the Congolese authorities during the Congo Crisis of 1960–1964. He led a vocal protest against the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960 and also entered into an alliance with Commonwealth ministers who wanted South Africa to leave the Commonwealth in 1961.

3. Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi (January – July 1966)

Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was the first Military Head of State of Nigeria. He seized power amidst the ensuing chaos following the 15 January 1966 military coup, which decapitated the country’s leadership.

Although Aguiyi spent a short-term in power, he declared a heap of decrees, among them, was the controversial Unification Decree No. 34 aimed to unify Nigeria into a unitary state.

4. Yakubu Gowon (1966 – 1975)

General Yakubu Gowon was the second military head of the state in Nigeria and the longest-serving Head of State of Nigeria, ruling for almost nine years. He was chosen to become head of state in 1966 after the July counter-coup that led to the death of Major General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi.  Gowon presided over and ended the Nigerian Civil War (Biafran war), created 12 states, and established the National Youth Service Corps program.

5. Murtala Muhammed (1975-1976).

General Murtala  Muhammed was the third Nigerian Military head of State who led the 1966 counter-coup forces in overthrowing General Aguiyi Ironsi. On 29 July 1975,  Muhammed took power as the new Military Head of State, Overthrowing General Yakubu Gowon who attended the 12th summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Uganda.

As  The Head of state, Muhammed took federal control of the country’s two largest newspapers – Daily Times and New Nigerian and the state-run universities. On February 3, 1976, he created 7 new states and renamed others

Towards the end of 1975,  General Murtala’s administration implemented a mass purge in the Nigerian civil service due to a lack of discipline and sense of purpose.  Nigeria under Murtala presided over a period of rampant economic prosperity.

6. Olusegun Obasanjo (1976 – 1979, 1999-2007)

Olusegun  Obasanjo was a military leader who served as Nigeria’s head of state from 1976 to 1979,  and later as a civilian president from 1999 to 2007 He came into power, In February 1976, when Colonel Buka Suka Dimka launched a coup against the then government, during which General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated.

Obasanjo reformed agriculture with the ‘Operation Feed the Nation’ program, was the first Nigerian head of state to hand over power willingly, and hosted FESTAC 77, the largest cultural event ever held on the African Continent. He built the Warri refinery and Murtala Mohammed International Airport, set up the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and introduced Universal Free Primary Education (UPE). He inaugurated the constituent assembly that resulted in the promulgation of the 1979 Constitution.

Obasanjo during his tenure as a civilian president created the Niger Delta Development Commission and implemented the Universal Basic Education Program to enhance the literacy level of Nigerians. He constituted both the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Resuscitated the National Fertilizer Company in Kaduna and (Onne) Port Harcourt. Obasanjo increased the share of oil royalties and rents to the state of origin from 3 to 13 percent. He secured debt relief for Nigeria from the Paris and London Club,  introduced the Global System of Mobile (GSM), and had an extensive privatization program of public enterprises

Before Obasanjo’s administration, Nigeria’s GDP growth had been painfully slow since 1987, and only managed 3 percent between 1999/2000. However, under Obasanjo, the growth rate doubled to 6 percent until he left office, helped in part by higher oil prices. Nigeria’s foreign reserves rose from $2 billion in 1999 to $43 billion on leaving office in 2007.

7. Shehu Shagari (1979 – 1983)

Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari was the first democratically elected President of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by the military head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1979.

Shagari’s government embarked on a “Green Revolution”, distributing seed and fertilizer to farmers to increase nationwide productivity in farming, He also built the Kaduna refinery,  started the construction of Ajaokuta Steel Mill which was near completion by 1983,  the Delta Steel complex in 1982,  the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria at Ikot Abasi in 1983. Three other Steel Rolling Mills were built, they include the ones in Oshogbo, Katsina, and Jos. However, Shagari reduced the share of oil royalties and rents to the state of origin from 30 to 2 percent and  established a Petroleum Training Institute

Shagari built thirty-two thousand housing units also launched many road networks across the country including the ones leading to the Federal Capital Abuja. Others notable road networks constructed include Badagry-Sokoto, Lagos-Kano, Port Harcourt-Enugu, Kano-Bauchi, Warri-Okene, Abuja-Kaduna, Calabar-Ikom, Yola-Maiduguri, Mokwa-Bidda, Abuja-Keffi, Effurun-Patani-Kaiama, Jibia-Katsina, Kano-Kari, and Potiskum-Maiduguri.

8. Muhammadu Buhari (1983-1985, 2015- 2023)

Muhammadu Buhari is a Nigerian politician and a retired Major General who served as military head of state in Nigeria between 1983 to 1985, after taking power in a military coup d’état that led to the ousting of the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari. 

Buhari became the civilian president of Nigeria in 2015 after defeating incumbent President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in the 2015 general election, He was re-elected after defeating the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar by over 3 million votes.

Buhari’s Military regime established a Supreme Military Council, a Federal Executive Council, and a Council of States, He reduced the number of ministries to 18 while the administration carried out a retrenchment exercise among the senior ranks of the civil service and police. In addition, the military administration promulgated new laws to achieve its aim. These laws included the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Decree for the prosecution of armed robbery cases, the State Security (Detention of Person) Decree which gave powers to the military to detain individuals suspected of jeopardizing state security or causing economic adversity.

In order to reform the economy, as the military Head of State, Buhari started to rebuild the nation’s social-political and economic systems, along with the realities of Nigeria’s austere economic conditions. The rebuilding included removing or cutting back the excesses in national expenditure, obliterating or removing completely, corruption from the nation’s social ethics, shifting from mainly public sector employment to self-employment.

He broke ties with the International Monetary Fund when the fund asked the government to devalue the naira by 60%. However, the reforms that Buhari instigated on his own were as or more rigorous as those required by the IMF.

One of the most enduring legacies of the Buhari Military government was the War Against Indiscipline (WAI). Launched on 20 March 1984, the policy tried to address the perceived lack of public morality and civic responsibility of Nigerian society. Unruly Nigerians were ordered to form neat queues at bus stops, under the eyes of whip-wielding soldiers. Civil servants who failed to show up on time at work were humiliated and forced to do “frog jumps”. Minor offences carried long sentences. Any student over the age of 17 caught cheating on an exam would get 21 years in prison. Counterfeiting and arson could lead to the death penalty.

While as a civillian President, Buhari launched the National Social Investment Program, a national social welfare program. The Program was created to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable populations, including children, youth, and women. There are four programs which address poverty, unemployment and help increase economic development also the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, announced that 603 Nigerian figures had been convicted on corruption charges since Buhari took office in 2015.

9. Ibrahim Babangida (1985-1993)

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida served as the military president of Nigeria from 1985 to 1993, he overthrew the government of Major General Muhammadu Buhari through a palace coup in 1985.

Shortly after coming to power General Babangida established the Nigerian Political Bureau of 1986. The bureau was inaugurated to conduct a national debate on the political future of Nigeria. In 1986, Babangida launched the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), with support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, to restructure the Nigerian economy. In 1987, Babangida launched the Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery (MAMSER), following a recommendation from the Political Bureau, to increase self reliance and economic recovery.

Babangida also contributed to the development of national infrastructure. He finished the construction of the Third Mainland Bridge. His administration also saw the creation and completion of the Kaduna-Kano highway, the Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Station,  the Toja Bridge in Kebbi and he also created the Jibia Water Treatment Plant and the Challawa Cenga Dam in Kano. Babangida  founded the Federal Road Safety Corps and also  created 11 states Bringing the total number of states in Nigeria to thirty in 1991. He increased the share of oil royalties and rents to state of origin from 1.5 to 3 percent and moved the Federal Capital Territory from Lagos to Abuja on  the 12th  December 1991.

10. Ernest Shonekan (August 1993-November 1993)

Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan is Nigerian statesman who served as the interim President of Nigeria from 26 August 1993 to 17 November 1993.Shonekan got into power following the crisis of the third republic, he was head of transitional council and head of government under Ibrahim Babangida.

Shonekan, during his few months in power, tried to schedule another presidential election and a return to democratic rule, but his government was hampered by a national workers’ strike and a palace coup by General Abacha.  He also released political prisoners detained by Babangida and introduced a bill to repeal three major draconian decrees of the military government. Shonekan’s adminstration lobbied for debt cancellation and also initiated an audit of the accounts of NNPC, an organisation that had many operational inefficiencies as at that time.

11. Sani Abacha (1993-1998)

Sani Abacha,was a Nigerian military general who served as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 – 1998,  Abacha, who was the Minister of Defence and most senior official within the military hierarchy, forced interim president Ernest Shonekan to hand over on On 17 November 1993

Abacha’s administration oversaw an increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997, and reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997. Abacha also constructed between 25–100 km of urban road in major cities  and brought the privatisation programs of the Ibrahim Babangida administration to a halt, reduced an inflation rate of 54% inherited from Ernest Shonekan to 8.5% between 1993 and 1998, all while the nation’s primary commodity, oil was at an average of $15 per barrel. GDP growth, despite being estimated to be higher than the 2.2% growth in 1995, was largely limited to the petroleum sector.

12.  Abdulsalami Abubakar (1998-1999)

Abdulsalami Abubakar served as the de facto President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999. He was the Chief of Defence Staff between 1993 and 1998 who  succeeded General Sani Abacha upon his death.

During his leadership, Nigeria adopted a modified version of the 1979 constitution, which provided for multiparty elections. He established the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), appointing former Supreme Court Justice Ephraim Akpata as chairman.The INEC held a series of elections first for Local Government Areas in December 1998, then for State Assemblies and Governors, National Assemblies and finally for the President on 27 February 1999.  He transferred power to president-elect Olusegun Obasanjo on 29 May 1999.

13. Umaru Musa Yar’adua (2007 – 2010)

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua  was the President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. He had previously served as the governor of Katsina from 1999 to 2007; and was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The Yaradua administration established a presidential electoral reform committee to look into the legal factors, social and political institutions and security issues that affects the quality and credibility of elections in the country and also, to make recommendations on improving the credibility of elections and also  initiated the amnesty programme for Niger Delta Militants.

14. Goodluck Jonathan (2010 – 2015)

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan  is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria between 2010 to 2015.  he had previously  served as the  Vice President of Nigeria between 2007 to 2010 under the administration of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Under Jonathan’s administration, Nigeria rebased its GDP for the first time in over a decade to become the largest economy in Africa overtaking South Africa and Egypt. The administration accrued over US$454 billion while in office and oversaw the construction of new railways in the country, including the Abuja-Kaduna railway, Lagos-Ibadan railway and conceptualised high speed rail projects.

The  Jonathan Administration upgraded Akanu Ibiam Airport in Enugu into an international airport, constructed of the second Niger Bridge between Onitsha and Asaba and also contstructed and beutified many many federal roads in the country.