[78] Federal Government Prime Minister Balewa declared martial law in the Western Region and arrested Awolowo and other members of his faction charged them with treason. The neighboring Awka city-state rose in power as a result of their powerful Agbala oracle and metalworking expertise. The election was marred by electoral fraud, and denounced by other candidates and international observers.[102][103]. By the middle of the 20th century, the great wave for independence was sweeping across Africa. However, in 1962, a faction arose within the AG under the leadership of Ladoke Akintola who had been selected as premier of the West. 34 sought to do away with the whole federal structure under which the Nigerian government had been organised since independence. The Igl are one of the ethnic groups found in Nigeria. It has been in an acute stage since last January when a military coup d'tat destroyed the constitutional regime bequeathed by the British and upset the underlying tribal and regional power relationships. Ecological and political instability provided the background for the jihad of Usman dan Fodio. The Federal government was given exclusive powers in defence, foreign relations, and commercial and fiscal policy. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [14] Nigeria became a republic again after a new constitution was written in 1979. On the 31st of December 1899 the charter for the Royal Niger Company was revoked by the British government, and the sum of 865,000 was paid to the company as compensation. The federal military government that assumed power under General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was unable to quiet ethnic tensions on the issue or other issues. Gradually Borno's position weakened; its inability to check political rivalries between competing Hausa cities was one example of this decline. [86] The ensuing Nigerian Civil War resulted in an estimated 3.5 million deaths (mostly from starving children) before the war ended with Gowon's famous "No victor, no vanquished" speech in 1970. Nigeria first became a republic in 1963, but succumbed to military rule after a bloody coup d'tat in 1966. The 1965 national election produced a major realignment of politics and a disputed result that set the country on the path to civil war. On 15 January 1966, a group of army officers (the Young Majors) mostly south-eastern Igbos, overthrew the NPC-NNDP government and assassinated the prime minister and the premiers of the northern and western regions. Borno reached its pinnacle under mai Idris Aloma (ca. With the increase of resource spending and oil exportation, Nigerian GDP and HDI (Human Development Index) have risen phenomenally since the economically stagnant rule of Sani Abacha, but the primary population still survives on less than US$2 per day. Throughout the 16th-century much of northern Nigeria paid homage to Songhai in the west or to Borno, a rival empire in the east. In the 1959 elections held in preparation for independence, the NPC captured 134 seats in the 312-seat parliament. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. A sign of federalism has been the growing visibility of state governors and the inherent friction between Abuja and the state capitals over resource allocation.[97]. Nigeria. To them, being civilized meant being Christianized. Unless present army leaders and contending tribal elements soon reach agreement on a new basis for the association and take some effective measures to halt a seriously deteriorating security situation, there will be increasing internal turmoil, possibly including civil war. On 20 December 1997, the government arrested General Oladipo Diya, ten officers, and eight civilians on charges of coup plotting. There they constituted a devoutly religious, educated elite who made themselves indispensable to the Hausa kings as government advisers, Islamic judges, and teachers. There is a huge gap between the archaeological finds of Igbo Ukwu, which reveal a rich material culture in the heart of the Igbo region in the 8th century, and the oral traditions of the 20th century. He was assassinated on 13 February 1976 in an abortive coup and his chief of staff Lt. Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo became head of state. [41] They are called the Banza Bakwai meaning Bastard or Bogus Seven on account of their ancestress' slave status.[41]. [53], Archaeological evidence suggests that Nri hegemony in Igboland may go back as far as the 9th century,[54] and royal burials have been unearthed dating to at least the 10th century. The period of British rule lasted until 1960 when an independence movement led to the country being granted independence. The University of Ibadan was the first university to open in Nigeria, and its scholars set up the history departments at most of Nigeria's other universities, spreading the Ibadan historiography. 4 January 2016. [77] Unrest continued in the West and contributed to the Western Region's reputation for, violence, anarchy and rigged elections. Introduction Background In ancient and pre-colonial times, the area of present-day Nigeria was occupied by a great diversity of ethnic groups with different languages and traditions. The U.S. intelligence community concluded in November 1970 that "The Nigerian Civil War ended with relatively little rancour. The emergence of democracy in Nigeria in May 1999 ended 16 years of consecutive military rule. Olusegun Obasanjo inherited a country suffering economic stagnation and the deterioration of most democratic institutions. In this Nok work, the head is dramatically larger than the body supporting it, yet the figure possesses elegant details and a powerful focus. On December 31, 1983, the military overthrew the Second Republic. With the country sliding into chaos Defense Minister Sani Abacha assumed power and forced Shonekan's resignation on 17 November 1993. Their capital city was situated about 100km north of present-day Oyo. [43] The Fulani began to enter the Hausa country in the 13th century and by the 15th century, they were tending cattle, sheep, and goats in Borno as well. [74], The Federation of Nigeria was granted full independence on 1 October 1960 under a constitution that provided for a parliamentary government and a substantial measure of self-government for the country's three regions. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Niger African nation, named for the river Niger, mentioned by that name 1520s (Leo Africanus), probably an alteration (by influence of Latin niger "black") of a local Tuareg name, egereou n-igereouen, from egereou "big river, sea" + n-igereouen, plural of that word. The judiciary system continued to be hampered by corruption and lack of resources after Abacha's death. As a consequence, Borno lost many northern territories to the Tuareg whose mobility allowed them to endure the famine more effectively. There are reports that civilization already existed in Ile-Ife (the citadel of Yoruba civilization), Nigeria by the 8th century, centuries before the arrival of the British colonial administration. According to another legend, Eri was one of Gad's sons who traveled down to build modern-day Igboland, as described in the Bible's book of Genesis. British cultural influence is strong but its political influence is declining. [73] Western education and the development of a modern economy proceeded more rapidly in the south than in the north, with consequences felt in Nigeria's political life ever since. [89], In 1982 the ruling National Party of Nigeria, a conservative alliance led by Shegu Shagari, had hoped to retain power through patronage and control over the Federal Election Commission. [107] On 29 May 2019, Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in for a second term as Nigeria's president, after winning the presidential election in February 2019. The government alleged in early 1995 that military officers and civilians were engaged in a coup plot. Their history is reflected in the Bayajidda legend,[37] which describes the adventures of the Baghdadi hero Bayajidda culminating in the killing of the snake in the well of Daura and the marriage with the local queen magajiya Daurama. Flag. During the 14th and 16th centuries, the demand for gold increased due to European and Islamic states wanting to change their currencies to gold. Author of, Professor of Geography, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The NCNC represented the interests of the Igbo- and Christian-dominated people of the Eastern Region of Nigeria. Following the Napoleonic Wars, the British expanded trade with the Nigerian interior. The Ibadan School began to decline in importance in the 1970s. Key Facts. The Buhari government was peacefully overthrown by the SMC's third-ranking member General Ibrahim Babangida in August 1985. The oldest fossil remains found by archaeologists in the southwestern area of Iwo Eleru, near Akure, have been dated to about 9000 bce. [88], The U.S. analysts said that "Nigeria is still very much a tribal society" where local and tribal alliances count more than "national attachment. The Lake Chad basin and the coastal areas, including the Niger River delta and the western parts of the Sokoto region in the far northwest, are underlain by soft, geologically young sedimentary rocks. [46] Urbanisation was accompanied by high levels of artistic achievement, particularly in terracotta and ivory sculpture and in the sophisticated metal casting produced at Ife. Lord Lugard Created Nigeria 104 Years Ago. The forest soils represent the third zone. Almost immediately, the revenues from oil began to make Nigeria a wealthy nation. Unlike the forest-bound Yoruba kingdoms, Oyo was in the savanna and drew its military strength from its cavalry forces, which established hegemony over the adjacent Nupe and the Borgu kingdoms and thereby developed trade routes farther to the north. The initiation rite of a new king shows that the ritual process of becoming Ezenri (Nri priest-king) follows closely the path traced by the hero in establishing the Nri kingdom. The troops are poorly trained and disciplined and some of the officers are turning to conspiracies and plotting. Nigeria has a diverse geography, with climates ranging from arid to humid equatorial. His successor Askia Muhammad Ture (14931528) made Islam the official religion, built mosques, and brought Muslim scholars, including al-Maghili (d.1504), the founder of an important tradition of Sudanic African Muslim scholarship, to Gao.[32]. Author of. [14] Nigeria became a republic again after a new constitution was written in 1979. However, the Igbo rejected attempts at constitutional revisions and insisted on full autonomy for the east. [20], The Dufuna canoe was discovered in 1987 not far from the Komadugu Gana River, in Yobe State. Excavations in Ugwuele, Afikpo and Nsukka show evidence of habitation as early as 6,000 BC. In October 2001, hundreds were killed and thousands displaced in communal violence that spread across the states of Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa. From 1959 to 1960, Jaja Wachuku was the First Nigerian Speaker of the Nigerian Parliament, also called the "House of Representatives." [55] The first Eze Nri (King of Nri), fikunim, followed directly after him. [60][61], With the decline of Nri kingdom in the 15th to 17th centuries, several states once under their influence, became powerful economic oracular oligarchies and large commercial states that dominated Igboland. Hundreds of languages are spoken in the country, including Yoruba, Igbo, Fula, Hausa, Edo, Ibibio, Tiv, and English. His sudden removal would dim the prospects for Nigerian stability. By the end of the 18th century, some Muslim ulema began articulating the grievances of the common people. Respect for the priestly functions of the oni of Ife was a crucial factor in the evolution of Yoruba culture. The origin of Nigeria's educational policies dates back to the 1955 comprehensive education laws of the Western Nigeria, 1957 Universal Primary Education (UPE) of the Eastern region and the 1976 UPE national programme; the 2000 Universal Basic Education (UBE) is the baby programme which However, when the Western Region parliament met to approve this change, Akintola supporters in the parliament started a riot in the chambers of the parliament. [9][10] Local merchants provided them with slaves, escalating conflicts among the ethnic groups in the region and disrupting older trade patterns through the Trans-Saharan route.[11]. [42] According to one of the various myths about him, he founded Ife and dispatched his sons and daughters to establish similar kingdoms in other parts of what is today known as Yorubaland. Lagos, the former capital, retains its standing as the countrys leading commercial and industrial city. Political parties, however, tended to reflect the makeup of the three main ethnic groups. A state council (the Oyo Mesi) named the Alaafin (king) and acted as a check on his authority. Characteristic landforms in this region include oxbow lakes, river meander belts (see meander), and prominent levees. Shonekan was to rule until elections scheduled for February 1994. [83] The Ironsi government's efforts to abolish the federal structure and the renaming the country the Republic of Nigeria on 24 May 1966 raised tensions and led to another coup by largely northern officers in July 1966, which established the leadership of Major General Yakubu Gowon. 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