- Aondoakaa, the Justice Minister, was replaced by Goodluck Jonathan while Yar’Adua was away
- Kabiru Sokoto was re-arrested by DSS agents and soldiers after he fled from jail
- A plane carrying Nigerian peacekeepers was turned away by Togo
- Bekolari Ransome-Kuti’s death
- China-Nigeria bilateral relations
- Solar eclipse occurred midnight
History is the account of events, with credit or blame, according to American author and statesman Cotton Mather (1663–1728).
We must bravely share our tales while mindfully using the lessons learned from earlier experiences. Every civilization has a duty to consider past events in order to make new judgments and to carefully record past happenings.
But on February 10, six extraordinary things happened in Nigeria that will never be forgotten. The history of Nigeria was affected by these important events. They have influenced the historical framework of our country, for better or worse.
Aondoakaa, the Justice Minister, was replaced by Goodluck Jonathan while Yar’Adua was away
On this date in 2010, the powerful Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, was fired by Vice President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Vice President Jonathan carried out this after taking over in the absence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
It was discovered that Micheal Aondoakaa, the ousted Justice Minister and Attorney General, was one of the group of ministers that resisted Jonathan’s formal takeover of power the most vehemently.
Kabiru Sokoto was re-arrested by DSS agents and soldiers after he fled from jail
On this date, 10 February 2012, agents from the Department of State Security and soldiers conducted a raid on a residence in Mutum Biyu, Taraba state, where Kabiru Sokoto, the alleged mastermind of the Christmas Day church bombing by a radical Islamist group, was thought to be hiding.
A day after being detained, Sokoto escaped, and they subsequently discovered him hiding behind a rack of clothes drying in the laundry room.
Recall how four bombers were killed and two troops were injured in two blasts that occurred outside a customs building in Maiduguri.
A plane carrying Nigerian peacekeepers was turned away by Togo
A plane carrying Nigerian peacemakers was turned away by Togo on this date (10 February 2005), prompting threats of sanctions and defamation from Nigeria.
It was discovered that Togo was charged with impeding attempts to end a crisis that was largely viewed as a military coup.
Bekolari Ransome-Kuti’s death
Dr. Bekolari Ransome-Kuti, a medical professional and human rights campaigner, passed away on this date in 2006—February 10.
Ransome-Kuti was born in Nigeria’s Abeokuta. His mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, resisted the British colonial government’s arbitrary taxation of women. She reportedly was the first Nigerian woman to drive a car and assisted in negotiating Nigeria’s independence from Britain.
Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, his father, was a co-founder of the Nigeria Union of Teachers and an Anglican clergyman. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti was also a doctor and an AIDS activist, while Fela Kuti was a musician and activist who developed Afrobeat.
Solar eclipse occurred midnight in Nigeria
On this day, 10th February, 2010, a Lunar eclipse occurred midnight in Nigeria as projected.
According to Professor Babatunde Rabiu, a space expert, the solar eclipse expected in Nigeria and some countries on Feb. 10 and on Feb. 11 is a natural occurrence that causes no harm.
Rabiu, the Director, Centre for Atmospheric Research (CAR), Anyigba, Kogi, Rabiu on Friday disclosed that the solar eclipse was a natural phenomenon that could be exciting to watch and could not cause any harm.
He said that it happens as a result of partial covering on the moon but should not be worshipped as being done in some societies.
China-Nigeria bilateral relations started
Ten years after Nigeria’s independence from the British Empire, on this date, 10th February in 1971, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China formally started their bilateral ties.
Nigeria and China’s relations have improved due to rising bilateral commerce and strategic cooperation. China is a significant trading and export partner of Nigeria.
Despite having a representative office in Taipei and maintaining trading ties with Taiwan, Nigeria reiterated in a 2005 joint statement with China that Beijing was “the only legal government representing the entire China” and that Taiwan was an inalienable part of its territory.