The Labour of Our Heroes Past

In the course of Nigerian history, several leaders have had the opportunity to rule over Nigeria. In hopes of reforming their country, these men gained power through some of the most aggressive and brutal coups, others were handed power to them, and others through majority votes in elections.

When Nigeria gained independence from the British in 1960, the new constitution established a federal system with an elected prime minister and a ceremonial head of state. The NCNC party headed by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, formed a coalition with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa's NPC party. Balewa, whose face is familiar from the 5 Naira note, continued to serve as the prime minister, a position he had held since 1957.

Azikiwe took the largely ceremonial position of president of the Senate. On October 1, 1963, Nigeria became a republic. Azikiwe became president of the country, although as prime minister Balewa was still more powerful. Azikiwe is portrayed on the 500 Naira note and another notable individual on the 100 Naira note is Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the AG party who played the opposition role.

In the following years, cultural tensions, discontentment with the ruling officials, and rumors of corruption were on the rise. Finally, in January of 1966, Chukwuma Nzeogwu, an officer in the Nigerian army along with several other accomplices instigated a coup against the federal government, the first coup in Nigerian history. This coup claimed the lives of Prime Minister Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Samuel Akintola, and several others. This coup brought Major Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi into power. He had escaped the coup plotters the night of the coup and also subdued the coup later on as he was the General in Command of the Nigerian army.

However, the losses incurred were seen in a cultural context; prominent northern leaders were assassinated, not many of the coup plotters were punished and Ironsi, the current leader, was of the same ethnicity as the coup plotters. The military intervention worsened the political situation, as the army itself split along ethnic lines, its officers clashed overpower, and the instigators and leaders of the January coup were accused of favoring Igbo domination.

Six months later, in July, a coup instigated by Lt. Col Murtala Mohammed and several others led to the death of over 300 soldiers. The counter-coup resulted in the murder of Nigeria's first military Head of State; General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi.

Upon the termination of Ironsi's government, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon was appointed Head of State by the July 1966 coup conspirators. Gowon is known for leading Nigeria in the Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970) between the government of Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence from Nigeria in 1967, led by Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu. The war had a death toll of around a hundred thousand and around 3 million people were displaced as refugees. the government and the installation of Major General Muhammadu Buhari as head of state. Nigerian rule was once again under the military. Buhari was strict with his policies and against corruption. The military coup of Buhari shortly after the regime's re-election in 1984 was generally viewed as a positive development but only lasted till 27th August 1985. He was overthrown in another coup and placed under house arrest in Benin until 1988 by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. nigeria has had 13 head of states, among which 2 were assassinated, 2 have ruled twice at 2 different times as army officials and civilians in 2 consecutive terms, and one went from vice president to president. the past events are filled with deception, murder, luck, and fear, reality nothing short of a captivating drama or movie.

On the 29th of July 1975, a faction of junior Armed Forces officers overthrew General Yakubu Gowon in a bloodless military coup. At the time of the coup, Gowon was attending the 12th OAU Summit in Kampala, Uganda. The coup plotters appointed Brigadier Murtala Mohammed as head of state, and Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo as his deputy. Nigeria under Murtala presided throughout rampant economic prosperity and he also added 7 more states to Nigeria and unveiled plans for the demilitarization of politics.

On 13 February 1976, General Muhammed was assassinated along with his aide-de-camp by a group of soldiers at Ikoyi in Lagos. The assassination was part of an attempted coup led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka who was executed on 15 May 1976. Today, Muhammed's portrait adorns the 20 Naira note.

Following the coup of 1983, Babangida started scheming to overthrow the military head of state General Muhammadu Buhari. The palace coup of 1985 was orchestrated with a degree of military deftness hitherto not seen in the history of coup plotting. The whole affair carried out by Babangida as ringleader was planned at the highest levels of the army cultivating his strategic relationship with allies: Sani Abacha, Aliyu Gusau, Halilu Akilu, Mamman Vatsa, Gado Nasko, and younger officers from his days as an instructor in the military academy.

Muhammed was succeeded by the Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ Olusegun Obasanjo. He ruled from Feb 1976 to Sept 1979. He completed his plan of an orderly transfer to civilian rule by handing power to Shehu Shagari on 1 October 1979 and the second republic of Nigeria was born. The Shagari government became viewed as corrupt by virtually all sectors of Nigerian society. In August 1983 Shagari and the NPN were returned to power in a landslide victory. But the elections were marred by violence, and allegations of widespread vote-rigging and electoral malfeasance led to legal battles over the results.

The 1983 military coup took place on New Year's Eve of that year. It was coordinated by key officers of the Nigerian military and led to the overthrow of

Babangida justified the coup in a speech describing General Muhammadu Buhari's military regime as "too rigid". Babangida ruling by a decree promulgated his official title as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He established the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) as the highest law-making council serving as Chairman. He promised to end military rule by 1990 but the date was subsequently pushed back to 1993.

IBB had overcome a coup attempt on April 20th, 1990 in which Sani Abacha also luckily escaped execution. Hundreds of people, including some civilians, were arrested after the coup attempt and the death toll involved in the shootouts between the rebel forces and the government troops coupled with the post-trial executions that took place made it the bloodiest coup in Nigeria's history. Gideon Orkar and 41 of his co-conspirators were captured by government troops. They were convicted of treason and on 27th July 1990, they were executed.

In the spring of 1989, IBB lifted the ban on political activity, which had been in place since the coup of 1983. Two political parties were established; the center-right National Republican Convention and the center-left Party.

The presidential election was postponed until 12 June 1993 due to political unrest. MKO Abiola won a decisive victory in the presidential elections on the SDP platform. Abiola won in over two-thirds of Nigerian states. Men of northern descent largely dominated Nigeria's political landscape after independence and the win by Abiola, a southern Muslim, remains unequaled today.

IBB eventually bowed to pressure from his inner circle and resigned from office on 23 August 1993. Ernest Shonekan assumed the office of the presidency as the head of the interim national government which would help transition into the Third Nigerian Republic. Shonekan was unable to manage the political turmoil which ensued in the post-IBB months and was quietly removed from office by Minister of Defense, General Sani Abacha on 17 November 1993.

On 11 June 1994, president-elect Abiola, declared himself president and went into hiding. The Abacha administration hunted Abiola down and arrested him on charges of treason. Abiola remained in prison until he died in 1998 and is known as the 'president who never ruled'.

Sani Abacha who was born in Kano, came into power on 17 November 1993. Abacha's administration oversaw an increase in the country's foreign exchange reserves with other development activities as well. He was also accused of fund embezzlements and was known to terminate or arrest anyone who stepped across his path. He died in office and numerous speculations surround the circumstances of his death. After Abacha's death, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became head of state, whose short tenure ushered the Fourth Nigerian Republic into existence. He was the 11th president of Nigeria from 9 June 1998 till 29 May 1999.

Enter Obasanjo. During Sani Abacha's Reign, Obasanjo advised Abacha several times on decisions made by the military government. He was later seen as a potential conspirator by Abacha’s government and on 14 July, the court sentenced Obasanjo to 25 years in prison. After US President Bill Clinton stated that his country would embargo Nigerian oil if the court orders took place, Abacha reduced Obasanjo's sentence to 15 years. After Abacha's death, a week into power, Abubakar ordered Obasanjo's release, Now a free man, Obasanjo regained his international trust and was seen as an ideal candidate for leading Nigeria into the 4th republic. He won the elections with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was sworn into office as Nigeria's 12th president on 29 May 1999. Seeking a northerner as the PDP's vice-presidential candidate, Obasanjo selected Atiku Abubakar. Obasanjo was re-elected in a tumultuous 2003 election that had violent ethnic and religious overtones.

His main opponent was fellow former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari. His hopes for a 3rd-time presidency were not successful and he stepped down after the April 2007 general election. Umaru Musa Yar'Adua won the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007 and was sworn in on 29 May 2007 He previously served as the governor of Katsina and was a member of the PDP. He died on 5 May 2010.

Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan served as Vice President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010 under the administration of Yar'Adua. Following President Yar'Adua's death, acting President Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as the substantive president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 6 May 2010. A year later, on 29 May 2011, he was sworn in as President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, becoming Nigeria's 14th Head of State.

Reenter the current president of Nigeria; Muhammadu Buhari. Jonathan lost the 2015 presidential election to the former military head of state and was the first incumbent president in Nigerian history to concede defeat in an election. Buhari of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) assumed office on 29 May 2015 and became Nigeria’s 15th President. He went on to also win the 2019 elections against Atiku Abubakar.

Nigeria has had 13 head of states, among which 2 were assassinated, 2 have ruled twice at 2 different times as army officials and civilians in 2 consecutive terms, and one went from vice president to president. Although a lot of conspiracy theories exist behind the rise and fall of several leaders, the past events are filled with deception, murder, luck, and fear, reality nothing short of a captivating drama or movie.

Unconditional Love of Mom

I am tired of merely surviving, This World may be cruel one, But you will always love me, No matter what you must sacrifice, You will always protect me, Even if the end, it all falls apart, You will never doubt my convictions, To be righteous means to hold in my heart, And to have an ironclad faith in myself.

Two ways, Two paths

Dad & Mom

Dear dad, I love you dad.

You are my super hero always. You are a perfect man like no other. I am very lucky to have the world's greatest dad. I love you so much dad.

Dear mom, I love you mommy

You are so kind, caring & strong. I want to hold you tight & Hug you. Your love is like a sea.

I am so lucky to have the Wonderful & super mom. I love you mommy. Peace shall not be taken for everyone

Your passion, your fate; one for everyone

Though as for that the passing there Can only chose one path, thinking that’s not fair And that has made all the difference

Two roads, two paths, two ways

“No choice for everyone"; I shall say The daylight leaves in good time

The cold breeze is our incubus A tramp will do anything for a dime

Ways and paths, only to the light Follow the fervour, only to the light Diligent and flair, thy shall have the triumph Full of exhilaration, just a slice of oomph Joy nor wonder, God have mercy on the souls

Two ways, two paths, two roads