From 1914 to 1960, the Queen of England served as Nigeria’s president. Native Nigerian presidents began running the country when it gained independence in 1960.
In this article, You will learn about all the Past Presidents of Nigeria since the country’s independence in 1960.
List of all Past Presidents of Nigeria
Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was sworn in as Nigeria’s Prime Minister, leading the nation through its early stages of nationhood.
Here’s a list of all past Presidents of Nigeria:
- Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1960-1963)
- Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe (October 1st, 1963- January 16th, 1966)
- Major General Aguiyi Ironsi (January 16th, 1966 – July 29th, 1966)
- General Yakubu Gowon (August 1st, 1966 – July 29th, 1975)
- General Murtala Mohammed (July 29th, 1975 – February 13th, 1976)
- General Olusegun Obasanjo (July 29th, 1975 – February 13th, 1976)
- Shehu Shagari (October 1st, 1979 – December 31st, 1983)
- Major General Muhammadu Buhari (December 31st, 1983 – August 27th, 1985)
- General Ibrahim Babangida (August 27th, 1985 – August 27th, 1993)
- Chief Ernest Shonekan (August 26, 1993 – November 17, 1993)
- General Sani Abacha (November 17th, 1993 – June 8th, 1998)
- General Abdulsalami Abubakar (June 9th, 1998 – May 29th, 1999)
- General Olusegun Obasanjo (May 29th, 1999 – 29th May, 2007)
- Umaru Yar’Adua (29th May, 2007 – 5th May, 2010)
- Goodluck Jonathan (6 May 2010 – 29 May 2015)
- Muhammadu Buhari (29th May, 2015-present)
- Bola Ahmed Tinubu (From May 29th, 2023)
Although each president has had different ideas for the nation, they all have shared a dedication to making Nigeria a better place for its citizens. It is hoped that the current president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be able to continue the progress that has been made in the past and ensure that Nigeria is able to reach its full potential in the future.
Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1960-1963)
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 In Bauchi State.
The title of Prime Minister has only ever been given to one person in Nigerian history, and that person is Balewa. On our list of all Nigerian presidents, he comes in first.
In 1952, Balewa made his official appearance in the Nigerian government, first as the minister of works and then as the minister of transportation.
He was chosen as chief minister in 1957, forming a coalition government with the Cameroons, the National Council for Nigeria, and the NPC. During Nigeria’s time of transition from colonial to indigenous government, he took on a significant position.
His legacy was created through interethnic cooperation and conflict resolution in other African nations. The British Crown ultimately gave up colonial power after a long period of time.
As the country’s first prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa governed Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 with Queen Elizabeth II. At this point, Nigeria became a republic.
President Nnamdi Azikiwe (1963-1966)
As soon as Nigeria became an independent republic, Azikiwe served as its first president. Then Nigeria cut its connections to Britain nearly entirely.
Nnamdi Azikiwe was born on January 16th, 1904. He is well known for advancing contemporary Nigerian and African nationalism. He is from Nnewi in Anambra State.
He entered politics after a successful publishing career, working with Sir Herbert Macaulay to form the National Council of Nigeria Citizens (NCNC), which eventually changed its name to the National Council of Nigeria Citizens.
Nnamdi Azikiwe was chosen to serve in Nigeria’s Legislative Council in 1947. He started leading the opposition to Obafemi Awolowo’s administration in 1951.
He was inaugurated as the nation’s first native president in 1960. The 1963 Constitution, Nigeria’s first constitution as a federal country, was promulgated under his administration.
He was in power for three years, from 1963 to 1966, before being overthrown by a military coup.
Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (1966)
The first military Head of State of Nigeria, Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, was born in Umuahia, Abia State, in 1924.
Later, in 1942, he enlisted in the Nigerian Army as a private. In 1964, he was promoted to Major General. On this list of all Nigerian presidents, he comes in at number three.
Aguiyi-Ironsi, a senior military officer from Nigeria, organized the military takeover of Azikiwe’s government in 1966.
The army of Aguiyi-Ironsi launched the coup. They assassinated the country’s top figures in the North and West, including the first prime minister, Tafawa Balewa.
Following the unrest caused by the 1966 coup, Ironsi took over as the country’s leader.
He was also the first military president of Nigeria to be assassinated in a subsequent coup. Young troops who were dissatisfied with the prior coup carried out the coup.
Aguiyi-Ironsi issued numerous decrees in his brief tenure. One of these, known as Constitution Suspension and Amendment Decree No. 1, suspended the majority of the Constitution’s articles.
But he never changed the parts of the constitution that dealt with freedom of speech, conscience, and basic human rights.
General Yakubu Gowon (1966-1975)
Yakubu Gowon was born in Kanke, Plateau State, Nigeria, on October 19th, 1934. Gowon is a Ngas (Angas) from the village of Lur, which is now part of Plateau State’s Kanke Local Government Area.
After the counter-coup against Aguiyi-Ironsi, he seized power by force. Gowon used genocidal methods against the Igbo people in the north not long after he gained control. This resulted in the death of almost 50,000 individuals.
After hostilities reached a breaking point in 1967, the Nigerian Civil War began. The catastrophic impacts of the Nigerian civil war marred his presidency. The fight, also known as the Biafran fight, resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 militaries and one million civilians.
The Nigerian Civil War (Biafran War) ended under Gowon’s rule. He also founded the National Youth Service Corps, which today has 37 orientation camps across the nation, and twelve new states.
Along with modernizing Nigeria and approving the creation of infrastructure around the country, he also spearheaded the first National Development Plan.
General Murtala Rufai Ramat Mohammed (1975 to 1976)
Murtala Muhammad was born on November 8th, 1938. Murtala Muhammad enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1958.
General Murtala Mohammed came to power in a coup d’etat, like the majority of Nigerian presidents of that time.
On July 29, 1975, while Yakubu Gowon attended an OAU conference in far-off Kampala, coup plotters ousted the country’s leader.
The new military leader was thereafter declared to be Murtala Mohammed. He served as the Head of the Federal Military government of Nigeria from 1975 to 1976.
He made several decisions in a span of about 200 days. These choices were hailed as some of the most significant ones made by any previous governments, and he was termed a national hero by the people.
He is credited with putting into motion plans to relocate the capital from overpopulated Lagos to Abuja.
In February 1976, he created seven additional states. His decision to abandon the 1973 census that was weighted for the north and return to the 1963 count for official purposes was one of his first actions.
Major General Olusegun Obasanjo (1976-1979)
Olusegun Obasanjo was born on March 5th, 1937, in Abeokuta, Ogun State. His ancestors are from the Ibogun-Olaogun village. On this list of all Nigerian Presidents, he is one of just two leaders that held office twice.
Despite his backing for General Mohammed at the time, Obasanjo didn’t really show much interest in the 1975 military coup.
Obasanjo was then named as Mohammed’s deputy and was targeted for murder, but he managed to flee.
Obasanjo reinstated army rule as well as peace and security in the capital.
A plan to reinstate civilian governance in Nigeria had been devised during Obasanjo’s tenure as president. Obasanjo carried through this plan, conducting national elections in 1979 and assisting in the development of Nigeria.
The transition of power to Nigeria’s first elected civilian president was undoubtedly the biggest success.
On October 1st, 1979, he announced his resignation from politics and handed Shehu Shagari the reins of state.
During Obasanjo’s presidency, industrialization began to pick up again after it had been halted by the impacts of the Nigerian civil war. From February 1976 to October 1979, he served as president.
Alhaji Shehu Shagari (1979-1983)
Shehu Usman Shagari was born in 1925 to a Fulani family in the Shagari village in the north. Aliyu is the name of his father, while Mariamu is his mother.
His grandfather, Ahmadu Rufa’i, founded Shagari Village and adopted the name Shagari as his family name. Ahmadu Rufa’i also served as the Village Head.
Shagari became the second Republic of Nigeria’s president after defeating Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the 1979 presidential election.
Prior to the beginning of the oil price decline in 1981, he also enjoyed a portion of Nigeria’s oil boom.
During his administration, he prioritized housing, businesses, transportation, and agriculture, which resulted in the building of a nationwide network of roadways.
He also started a campaign to ensure increased usage of agricultural machinery. The 6-3-3-4 education policy was also introduced by his administration.
However, his work in all of these areas would subsequently be tarnished by claims of widespread corruption, and he became the target of a barrage of attacks and insults.
A notable occurrence known as “Ghana-Must-Go” saw the removal of around 2,000,000 immigrants when the country’s economy went into a depression. The bulk of these immigrants were Ghanaians.
Major General Muhammadu Buhari (1983 to 1985)
Muhammadu Buhari was born into a Fulani family on December 17th, 1942, in Daura, Katsina State, to his mother, Zulaihat, and Fulani chief father, Hardo Adamu.
At the age of 20, Buhari was commissioned as a second lieutenant and given the position of Platoon Commander of the Second Infantry Battalion in Abeokuta, Nigeria, in January 1963.
The coup led by Lt. Col. Murtala Muhammad to remove General Aguiyi-Ironsi as head of state included General Buhari.
Buhari was well-known for being impervious to corruption at the time and was an advocate for such causes.
Most people connect Buhari with a tough anti-corruption and anti-indiscipline campaign. He had a reputation for being a “straightforward totalitarian.”
Under his rule, civil officials who arrived late for work had to perform jump squats, while soldiers had people form orderly lines at public transportation hubs.
His most infamous initiative was the “war against indiscipline.” In order to prevent the accumulation of the Naira outside the banking system, he also changed the color of the currency.
General Ibrahim Babangida (1985-1993)
Ibrahim Babangida was born on August 17th, 1941, in Minna, Niger State. He attended the elite government school Bida.
Later, in 1962, he enlisted in the Nigerian army and spent 31 years.
Babangida won the support of obedient mid-level military men whom he carefully put in advantageous positions to advance his ambitions for power.
The introduction of the austerity policy known as the Structural Adjustment Program was the government of Babangida’s significant achievement. Among other things, this featured the agriculture sector being deregulated, price controls being removed, public firms being privatized, and the Naira being devalued to increase export competitiveness.
The Babangida Government also founded the Federal Road Safety Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the National Directorate of Employment, among other things. It also opened the way for commercial broadcasting.
Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan (1993-1993)
Ernest Shonekan was born on May 9th, 1936, and served as Nigeria’s interim president until he resigned in 1993.
He was raised in Lagos, the nation of Nigeria’s capital at the time. Plans for the establishment of democracy and the removal of Nigerian troops from their peacekeeping duties in Liberia were structured during the three months of his administration.
During Shonekan’s presidency, the offensive Military Decrees 2 and 54, which permitted the imprisonment of persons without an arrest warrant and the confiscation of property on the whim of the government, were revoked.
Additionally, he released a huge number of political prisoners. He was renowned for his solitude and self-control.
Shonekan was overthrown in a coup at the royal residence by General Sani Abacha, who was serving as defense secretary at the time, due to his clear weaknesses in controlling the military.
General Sani Abacha (1993-1998)
Abacha was born and raised in Kano, Nigeria, a Borno Kanuri.
Before being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1963, he attended the Mons Officer Cadet School and the Nigerian Military Training College.
His remarkable economic successes, which seem to bury some of the more contentious features of his administration, including corruption and violations of human rights, are what define him politically.
By the middle of 1997, Abacha had increased Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion. Additionally, Abacha paid off Nigeria’s debt, which had decreased from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion in 1997.
His administration created the final six states, bringing the total number of states in Nigeria to 36, and boosted the number of local governments to 774.
General Abdulsalami Abubakar (1998-1999)
Abdulsalam Abubakar was born in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria, on June 13, 1942, to parents Abubakar Jibrin and Fatikande Mohammed.
He attended Minna Native Authority Primary School from 1950 to 1956. Before enlisting in the Nigerian Army, General Abdulsalam Abubakar attended the Kaduna Technical College.
Abubakar was inaugurated as president of Nigeria on June 9th, 1998, despite his reluctance to acknowledge and accept the position after Abacha’s death.
Nigeria needed a leader like Abubakar at that time to prevent civil war since he was a nonviolent individual who had Nigeria’s best interests at heart.
Abubakar vowed a democratic transition within a year shortly after becoming government and created the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after which control was transferred to a civilian government.
Abdulsalam Abubakar has received more than 12 honors and medals.
Chief Olusegun Mathew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo (1999-2007)
After serving as the military ruler of the state from 1976 to 1979, Olusegun Obasanjo made a significant political comeback by running for president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He defeated Olu Falaye. In 1999, when he was elected president, Nigeria officially transitioned to civilian rule.
Obasanjo received 62% of the vote, and the day of his election has since been designated as Democracy Day, a national holiday.
He is one of just two presidents to have held office twice in Nigeria, ranking as the 12th on this list of all Nigerian presidents.
Traveling extensively, Obasanjo spent the majority of his time assuring prospective investors, particularly those in the USA and UK, that Nigeria was a just and democratic nation and that the oil business was stable.
In 2003, Obasanjo defeated Muhammad Buhari, a former military pioneer, and was given a second term in government by Nigerians. He received 61% of the vote.
Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves rose from $2 billion in 1999 to $43 billion when he left office in 2007.
In his second term as president, Obasanjo strengthened democracy.
He founded the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) before departing on the Pensions Reform initiative.
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (2007-2010)
Yar’Adua was naturally exposed to an aristocratic Fulani family in Katsina; during the First Republic, his father served as a Minister for Lagos.
In 1958, he began attending Rafukka Primary School. He graduated from Barewa College with a Higher School Certificate in 1971.
From 1972 to 1975, he attended Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and graduated with a B.Sc.
Yar’Adua was chosen as the PDP’s presidential candidate for the April 2007 election on the 16 and 17th of December 2006.
Yar’Adua was declared the victor and sworn in as President of Nigeria following the contentious elections of 2007.
Yar’Adua became ill while in office and was unable to carry out his presidential duties. He has struggled throughout his life with pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium. Because of this, he was unable to participate in public life, endangering the safety of the entire country.
Yar’adua’s most significant policy framework is the 7-Point agenda. The amnesty program for Niger Delta Militants was also started by him.
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (2010-2015)
Goodluck Jonathan was born in 1957 to a family of canoe dealers in what is now the state of Bayelsa.
He graduated from the University of Port Harcourt with a B.Sc. in zoology with second-class honors, an M.Sc. in hydrobiology and fisheries biology, and a Ph.D. in zoology.
After Yar’Adua died and Jonathan was named interim president, his government’s main priorities were electoral reform and fighting corruption.
However, the majority of his government’s resources were diverted to the war against the Boko Haram insurgency. Even yet, as his term in office was coming to an end, his administration was able to keep the insurgency under control.
Jonathan received accolades for not interfering with the nation’s election results. He was also credited with bringing the nation’s comatose railway industry back under his rule.
During his tenure, telecommunications, and internet penetration both increased. It was praised by his government for effectively controlling the Ebola outbreak and averting a worsening catastrophe.
He was unable to achieve the same success for a second term in 2015 after running in and winning the presidential election in 2011.
President Muhammadu Buhari (2015-Present)
After running for president in the previous election, Buhari, a former military ruler who is now a Democrat, ultimately won the race in 2015.
Buhari, who was sworn in as president of Nigeria on May 29, 2015, is the country’s second former military leader.
Prior to being the APC candidate a coalition of many opposition parties he had already run for office three times and failed terribly each time.
The National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) were implemented by his administration to aid in economic recovery, lifting the nation out of its worst recession in 29 years despite a decline in oil prices.
Overview of Nigerian Presidential Elections February 25, 2023
On February 25, 2023, elections were scheduled for the presidency of Nigeria. Nigerians got the chance to choose their leader for the next four years during the election, which is expected to be a turning point for the nation.
There are 18 presidential candidates representing each of the 18 political parties. The main candidates include:
- Atiku Abubakar
- Bola Ahmed Tinubu
- Peter Obi
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu – The Current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (2023-2027)
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), emerged as the winner after fierce competition. His election is seen as a major victory for the supporters of progressive politics in the country.
On February 25th, 2023, elections were scheduled for the presidency of Nigeria. Nigerians got the chance to choose their leader for the next four years during the election, which is expected to be a turning point for the nation.
There were 18 presidential candidates representing each of the 18 political parties. The main candidates were:
- Atiku Abubakar
- Bola Ahmed Tinubu
- Peter Obi
Chief Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu was born on the 29th of March 1952. He is a Nigerian accountant and politician.
Tinubu’s election promises to reinvigorate a much-needed economic revitalization plan and to return stability to a nation that has been plagued by political unrest in recent years. The election of Tinubu has been described as a victory for democracy, as well as a victory for the forces of progressivism in the country.
Tinubu is a seasoned politician and has a long record of success in government and public service. He has previously served as the governor of Lagos State and as a senator in the National Assembly, and he is widely respected for his commitment to good governance and progressivism.
As Nigeria’s president, Tinubu is tasked with leading the country out of the economic recession that has crippled the nation in the past year. He has already made several promises to invest in education, infrastructure, and health care, as well as to tackle corruption and create jobs.
As the President of Nigeria, Tinubu’s challenge is to lead the nation to a more prosperous and secure future. The next four years will no doubt be an important period in the history of the Nigerian people, and all eyes are on Tinubu to deliver on his promises.
Conclusion
So there you have a comprehensive list of all the past Presidents of Nigeria. From prime minister Tafawa Balewa to the first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe to the current Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, every leader has had their own unique style and approach to governance.
These prominent figures have all made profound impacts on the country, both positive and negative. We must remember the actions of our leaders regardless of political affiliation; these past leaders were all part of making the Nigeria we know and love today. In fact, the legacy of past Presidents of Nigeria is a testament to the resilience of the country and a reminder that we must continue to strive for unity and progress.