Year |
Date |
Event
|
1901 |
|
Anglo-Aro war: The war began. The
Aro Confederacy began to decline. (to 1902)
|
1902 |
|
Anglo-Aro war: The war ended.
|
1903 |
January |
Capture of Kano
|
|
The
British conquered most of
Northern Nigeria, including the
Sokoto Caliphate.
|
1905 |
|
The
British conquest of Southern Nigeria ended.
|
1906 |
1 May |
Colonial Office amalgamates Lagos Colony with
Southern Nigeria Protectorate.
|
1908 |
|
German-owned Nigerian Bitumen Company began searching for petroleum off coast.
[11]
|
|
Protests against water fees in Lagos, encouraged by nationalistic journalism of
Herbert Macaulay.
[2]
|
1912 |
|
Lord
Frederick Lugard, Governor of
Northern Nigeria, established a system of
indirect rule. Creation of Southern Nigeria Civil Service Union; later, Nigerian Civil Servants' Union.
[2]
|
1914 |
January |
Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated into Nigeria. British Crown gained monopoly rights over mineral extraction.
|
|
Nigerian soldiers fight under British command in
World War I.
[2]
|
1918 |
|
The
Adubi War is fought in
Egba Land.
|
1920 |
|
National Congress of British West Africa founded in Accra.
|
1922 |
|
Clifford Constitution.
|
1925 |
|
West African Students' Union.
|
1928 |
April |
British begin direct taxation.
|
1929 |
14 October |
New governor implements plans to expand taxation.
|
November |
"
Women's War": Widespread revolt against taxation.
|
1931 |
|
Founding of
Nigeria Union of Teachers.
[2]
|
1936 |
|
Founding of Nigeria Youth Movement.
[2]
|
1937 |
|
Shell D'Arcy Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (later Shell-BP) granted petroleum exploration rights.
[11]
|
1944 |
|
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons founded by
Nnamdi "Zik" Azikiwe.
[2]
|
1945 |
|
Countrywide
general strike.
[2]
|
|
Adoption of first Ten Year Plan for economic development.
[2]
|
1946 |
|
Nigeria entered a period of decolonization and growing Nigerian nationalism.
|
1950 |
|
A conference of northern and southern delegates was held in
Ibadan.
|
1951 |
|
MacPherson Constitution.
|
|
Yoruba-aligned
Action Group founded; headed by
Obafemi Awolowo.
[2]
|
1953 |
1 May |
Northern vs. Southern violence breaks out in the Northern city of
Kano.
|
1956 |
|
Shell-BP expedition makes first discoveries of major petroleum deposits, at Olobiri and Afam.
[11]
|
1957 |
|
Nigeria held a Constitutional conference.
|
1959 |
|
Nigeria holds its first national election to set up an independent government.
Northern politicians won a majority of seats in the Parliament.
|
|
1959 Petroleum Profits Tax Ordinance establishes 50–50 split of oil revenues between corporation and government. Socony Mobil receives offshore oil license.
[11]
|
1960 |
|
The period of nationalism and decolonization ended.
|
|
Tiv uprising.
|
1 October |
Nigeria gained independence from
Britain under Prime Minister
Tafawa Balewa and
President
Nnamdi Azikiwe.
|
1961
|
11 February
|
A
referendum is held in the
British Cameroons, resulting in the Northern Cameroons joining Nigeria and the Southern Cameroons joining Cameroon.
|
1962 |
|
Tennessee Nigeria receives offshore oil license.
|
1963 |
1 October |
Nigeria severed its remaining ties to
Britain, marking the birth of the Nigerian First Republic.
|
|
Amoseas and Gulf receive offshore oil licenses.
[11]
|
1964 |
1 December |
National
parliamentary election.
|
|
SAFRAP and AGIP receive offshore oil licenses.
|
|
Another Tiv uprising heavily suppressed by police.
|
1965 |
|
Elections held in Western Region.
|
Autumn |
Refinery completed at
Port Harcourt; owned 60% by Federal Government, 40% by Shell-BP.
[11]
|
1966 |
15 January |
A military coup deposed the government of the First Republic.
Balewa, Premier of Northern Nigeria
Ahmadu Bello, and
Finance Minister
Festus Okotie-Eboh, were assassinated.
|
16 January |
The Federal Military Government was formed, with General
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi acting as head of state and Supreme Commander of the Federal Republic.
|
23 February |
Isaac Adaka Boro declared the secession of the "Niger Delta Republic". The secession was crushed by Ojukwu and 159 men were killed.
|
29 July |
A counter-coup by military officers of northern extraction deposed the Federal Military Government.
Aguiyi-Ironsi and
Adekunle Fajuyi, Military Governor of the
Western Region, were assassinated. General
Yakubu Gowon became
President.
|
1967 |
|
Killings of people of Eastern Nigerian origin claimed the lives of many thousands mostly
Christian
Igbo people. This was carried out by the
Muslim
Hausa and
Fula people. This triggered a migration of the Igbo back to the East.
|
27 May |
Gowon announces further subdivision of Nigeria, into twelve states. These include subdivision of the Eastern Region which will undermine its political power.
|
30 May |
Nigerian-Biafran War: General
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Military Governor of
Eastern Nigeria, declared his province an independent republic called
Biafra.
|
1970 |
8 January |
Ojukwu fled into exile. His deputy
Philip Effiong became acting President of
Biafra
|
15 January |
Effiong surrendered to Nigerian forces.
Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria.
|
1971 |
|
Nigeria joins
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
[2]
|
1973 |
22 January |
A plane crashed in
Kano, Nigeria, killing 176 people.
|
1975 |
29 January |
General
Yakubu Gowon was overthrown in a bloodless coup. General
Murtala Mohammed became Head of State.
|
1976 |
13 February |
Mohammed was assassinated on his way to work. His deputy, Lieutenant-General
Olusegun Obasanjo, became Head of State and set a date to end military rule.
|
1979 |
|
Shehu Shagari won election to the
Executive Presidency of the
American-style Second Republic.
|
1 October |
Shagari was sworn in as
President.
|
1983 |
|
Shagari won reelection.
|
31 December |
Shagari's government was ejected from power in a
palace coup, marking the end of the Second Republic. General
Muhammadu Buhari became Head of State and Chairman of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria.
|
1984 |
17 April |
The
Buhari regime promulgated Decree No. 4, the "Public Officer's Protection Against False Accusation" Decree, which made it an offence to ridicule the government by publication of false information.
|
1985 |
August |
Buhari was overthrown in a palace coup. General
Ibrahim Babangida became Head of State and President of the
Armed Forces Ruling Council of Nigeria.
|
1990 |
April |
Middle Belt
Christian officers, led by Major
Gideon Orkar, attempt to overthrow
Babangida in an unsuccessful coup.
|
1992 |
|
Two political parties, the
Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC) were established by
Babangida in an attempt to return to civilian rule.
|
1993 |
12 June |
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola won a presidential election.
Babangida annulled the results.
|
26 August |
Babangida stepped down due to pressure from the Armed Forces Ruling Council.
Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan assumed power as Interim Head of State.
|
17 November |
Shonekan was forced to resign from office.
Defence Minister
Sani Abacha became Head of State and established the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria.
|
1995 |
13 March |
The
Abacha administration arrested
Obasanjo for allegedly supporting a secret coup plot.
|
10 November |
Human and environmental rights activist
Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged with eight others.
|
1998 |
8 June |
Abacha died from a heart attack.
Abdusalami Abubakar became Head of State and Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria and lifted the ban on political activity.
|
15 June |
Obasanjo was released from prison.
|
1999 |
10 February |
Obasanjo was elected
President.
|
29 May |
Obasanjo was sworn in, ushering in the Fourth Republic.
|
19 December |
Obasanjo ordered the
Nigerian Armed Forces to raid the town of
Odi in the
Niger Delta, in response to the murder of twelve policemen by local militia.
|
2000 |
27 January |
Sharia was established in the predominantly
Muslim state of
Zamfara.
|
May |
Religious riots erupted in
Kaduna over the implementation of
sharia.
|
5 June |
The
Obasanjo administration established the
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to tackle human and ecological issues in the
Niger Delta region of Southern Nigeria.
|