Nigerian First Republic

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The First Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1963 and 1966 governed by the first republican constitution.

Founding (1963)

Nigeria gained independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, when the Declaration of Independence was signed in the main boardroom of the Federal Palace Hotel. It was declared a republic three years later on October 1, 1963. The constitution and Westminster system of government were inherited from the British colonialists.

Presidents

Ceremonial Presidents during the Nigerian First Republic

President	Term	Party
Nnamdi Azikiwe	October 1, 1963 - January 16, 1966	NCNC

Prime ministers

Prime Ministers during the Nigerian First Republic

Prime Minister	Term	Party
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa	October 1, 1963 - January 16, 1966	NPC

Political parties

• Action Group (AG)
• Borno Youth Movement (BYM)
• Democratic Party of Nigeria and Cameroon (DPNC)
• Dynamic Party (DP)
• Igala Union (IU)
• Igbira Tribal Union (ITU)
• Midwest Democratic Front (MDF)
• National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons/National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC)
• Niger Delta Congress (NDC)
• Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP)
• Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU)
• Northern People's Congress (NPC)
• Northern Progressive Front (NPF)
• Republican Party (RP)
• United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC)
• United National Independence Party (UNIP)
• Zamfara Commoners Party (ZCP)

Politics

The country was split into three geopolitical regions—Western Region, Eastern Region and Northern Region—and its political parties took on the identities and ideologies of each region. The Northern People's Party (NPC) represented the interests of the predominantly Hausa/Fulani Northern Region], the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC)] (later renamed to "National Council of Nigerian Citizens") represented the predominantly Igbo Eastern Region, and the Action Group (AG) dominated the Yoruba Western Region. The NPC took control of the federal parliament, and formed a coalition government with the NCNC. Ahmadu Bello, leader of the NPC, was poised to become the Prime Minister, but instead he chose to become the Premier of the Northern Region, and supported his deputy Tafawa Balewa's candidacy for Prime Minister. This raised suspicions amongst the southern politicians, who resented the idea of a federal government controlled by a regional leader through his designated proxy. In the end, Tafawa Balewa of NPC was named Prime Minister and Head of Government, and Nnamdi Azikiwe of NCNC was named President.

At Nigeria's independence, the Northern Region gained more seats in parliament than both Eastern and Western regions combined—this would cement Northern dominance in Nigerian politics for years to come. Resentment amongst southern politicians precipitated into political chaos in the country. Obafemi Awolowo, Premier of Western Region, was charged with sedition and convicted in a controversial trial. With incarceration of Awolowo, Samuel Akintola was elected as the Premier of Western Region. Akintola was widely seen as a tool of the North,^{[citation needed]} and he presided over the most chaotic era in Western Region—one which earned it the nickname "the Wild-Wild West". This forced^{[citation needed]} the Balewa government to crack down on lawlessness in the West using military might.

Notable politicians

• 

  
  Jaja Wachuku
  Foreign Minister
  (1961 - 1965)

The coup

The political unrest during the mid-1960s culminated into Nigeria's first military coup d'état. On 15 January 1966, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and his fellow rebel soldiers led by Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna (mostly of southern extraction) in the Nigerian Army, executed a bloody takeover of all institutions of government. Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, was assassinated along with the premier of Northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello, and the Finance Minister, Festus Okotie-Eboh [1]. It is not clear whether President Azikiwe's life was spared because he was out of the country at the time, or whether he had been informed about the impending coup and was out of the country so his life could be spared. Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi took control as the first Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria on January 16, 1966.

Civil war and beyond: 1966-1979

The republic would be torn by the secession of Biafra and the ensuing civil war from 1966-1970. After Biafra was overrun and the nation re-unified, military rule continued for another nine years, implementing Nigerianization of foreign businesses. Eventually, elections were held in 1979 leading the way to the Nigerian Second Republic.

See also

• Nigerian Civil War
• Nigerian Second Republic (1979 - 1983)
• Nigerian Third Republic (1993)
• Nigerian Fourth Republic (1999 - present)

References

• THE FIRST REPUBLIC
• Nigeria - US State Department Profile
• The History of Nigeria
• Media Accountability and Democracy in Nigeria
• The inside story of Nigeria's first military coup (1)