Historical country records
Nigeria historical timeline
Nigeria
| Date or term | Officeholder or event | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1861 | British colony (subordinated to Sierra Leone 1866-74 and to the Gold Coast 1874-86) | Lagos |
| 1906 | part of Southern Nigeria | Lagos |
| 1862 - 1863 | Henry Stanhope Freeman | Administrators |
| 1863 - 1864 | W.R. Mulliner | Administrators |
| 1864 - 1866 | John Hawley Glover (1st time) | Administrators |
| 1866 | Charles George Edward Patey | Administrators |
| Feb 1866 - 1871 | John Hawley Glover (2nd time) | Administrators |
| 1871 - 1872 | J. Gerrard | Administrators |
| 1872 | Henry Fowley | Administrators |
| 1872 - 1873 | George Berkeley | Administrators |
| 1873 | Charles Cameron Lees (1st time) | Administrators |
| 1873 - 1874 | George Cumine Strahan | Administrators |
| 1874 | John Shaw (acting) | Administrators |
| 1874 - 1875 | Charles Cameron Lees (2nd time) | Administrators |
| 1875 - 1878 | John d'Arcy Dumaresq | Administrators |
| 1878 | F. Simpson (acting) | Administrators |
| 1878 | Malcolm Brown (acting) | Administrators |
| 1878 - 1880 | Cornelius Alfred Moloney | Administrators |
| 1880 | William Brandford Griffith | Administrators |
| 1880 - 1883 | C.D. Turton | Administrators |
| 1883 | Cornelius Alfred Moloney (acting) | Lieutenant governors |
| 1883 | Fred Evans (acting) | Lieutenant governors |
| 1883 - 1884 | William Brandford Griffith | Lieutenant governors |
| 1884 | R. Murray Ramsey | Lieutenant governors |
| 1884 - 1885 | R. Knapp Barrow | Lieutenant governors |
| 1885 - 1886 | C. Pike | Lieutenant governors |
| 1886 - 1891 | Cornelius Alfred Moloney | Governors |
| 1891 - 1899 | Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter | Governors |
| 1899 - 1904 | Sir William MacGregor | Governors |
| 1904 - 1906 | Walter Egerton (from 1905, Sir Walter Egerton) (b. 1858 - d. 1947) | Governors |
Northern Nigeria
| Date or term | Officeholder or event | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 1900 | Protectorate of Northern Nigeria | Leaders |
| 1 Jan 1914 | united with Southern Nigeria | Leaders |
| 1 Jan 1900 - Nov 1906 | Frederick Lugard | High commissioners |
| 1907 - 1908 | Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard | High commissioners |
| 1908 - 1909 | Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard | Governors |
| 1909 - 1912 | Sir Hesketh Bell | Governors |
| 1912 - 1 Jan 1914 | Sir Frederick Lugard | Governors |
Southern Nigeria
| Date or term | Officeholder or event | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1891 | Oil Rivers Protectorate | Leaders |
| 13 May 1893 | Niger Coast Protectorate | Leaders |
| 1 Jan 1900 | Protectorate of Southern Nigeria | Leaders |
| 28 Feb 1906 | Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria | Leaders |
| 1 Jan 1914 | united with Northern Nigeria | Leaders |
| 1891 - 1896 | Claude Maxwell Macdonald Macdonald) (b. 1852 - d. 1915) | Commissioners |
| 1896 - 1 Jan 1900 | Ralph Denham Rayment Moor Rayment Moor) (b. 1860 - d. 1909) | Commissioners |
| 1 Jan 1900 - 1903 | Sir Ralph Denham Rayment Moor | High commissioners |
| 1904 - 28 Feb 1906 | Walter Egerton (from 1905, Sir Walter Egerton) (s.a.) | High commissioners |
| 28 Feb 1906 - 1912 | Sir Walter Egerton | Governors |
| 1912 - 1 Jan 1914 | Sir Frederick Lugard | Governors |
Nigeria
| Date or term | Officeholder or event | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 1914 | Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria | Leaders |
| 1 Oct 1954 | Federation of Nigeria | Leaders |
| 1 Oct 1960 | independence | Leaders |
| 1 Oct 1963 | Federal Republic of Nigeria | Leaders |
| 24 May 1966 | Republic of Nigeria | Leaders |
| 31 Aug 1966 | Federal Republic of Nigeria | Leaders |
| 1 Jan 1914 - 8 Aug 1919 | Sir Frederick Lugard | Governor-general |
| 8 Aug 1919 - 13 Nov 1925 | Sir Hugh Clifford | Governors |
| 13 Nov 1925 - 17 Jun 1931 | Sir Graeme Thomson | Governors |
| 17 Jun 1931 - 1 Nov 1935 | Sir Donald Charles Cameron | Governors |
| 1 Nov 1935 - 1 Jul 1940 | Sir Bernard Henry Bourdillon | Governors |
| 1 Jul 1940 - 1942 | Sir John Evelyn Shuckburgh | Governors |
| 1942 - 18 Dec 1943 | Sir Alan Cuthbert Maxwell Burns | Governors |
| 18 Dec 1943 - 5 Feb 1948 | Sir Arthur Frederick Richards | Governors |
| 5 Feb 1948 - 1 Oct 1954 | Sir John Stuart Macpherson | Governors |
| 1 Oct 1954 - 15 Jun 1955 | Sir John Stuart Macpherson | Governors |
| 15 Jun 1955 - 16 Nov 1960 | Sir James Wilson Robertson | Governors |
| 16 Nov 1960 - 1 Oct 1963 | Nnamdi Azikiwe | Governors |
| 1 Oct 1963 - 16 Jan 1966 | Nnamdi Azikiwe | President |
| (from 24 May to 31 Aug 1966 | , National Military Government) | Heads of the Federal Military Government |
| 16 Jan 1966 - 29 Jul 1966 | Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi | Heads of the Federal Military Government |
| 1 Aug 1966 - 29 Jul 1975 | Yakubu Gowon | Heads of the Federal Military Government |
| 29 Jul 1975 - 13 Feb 1976 | Murtala Mohammed | Heads of the Federal Military Government |
| 14 Feb 1976 - 1 Oct 1979 | Olusegun Obasanjo | Heads of the Federal Military Government |
| 1 Oct 1979 - 31 Dec 1983 | Alhaji Shehu Shagari | President |
| 31 Dec 1983 - 27 Aug 1985 | Muhammadu Buhari | Chairman of the Supreme Military Council |
| (from 4 Jan 1993, president | of the National Defense and Security Council) | President and chairman of the Armed Forces Ruling Council |
| 27 Aug 1985 - 26 Aug 1993 | Ibrahim Babangida | President and chairman of the Armed Forces Ruling Council |
| 26 Aug 1993 - 17 Nov 1993 | Ernest Shonekan | Interim president |
| 17 Nov 1993 - 8 Jun 1998 | Sani Abacha | Chairmen of the Provisional Ruling Council |
| 9 Jun 1998 - 29 May 1999 | Abdulsalami Abubakar | Chairmen of the Provisional Ruling Council |
| 29 May 1999 - 29 May 2007 | Olusegun Obasanjo | Presidents |
| 29 May 2007 - | Umaru Musa Yar'Adua | Presidents |
| 30 Aug 1957 - 15 Jan 1966 | Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (from 1 Jan 1960, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa) (b. 1912 - d. 1966) | Prime minister |
| 4 Jan 1993 - 26 Aug 1993 | Ernest Shonekan | Chairman of the Transitional Council |
Biafra
| Date or term | Officeholder or event | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 30 May 1967 | secession of Eastern Region as Republic of Biafra | Leaders |
| 12 Jan 1970 | reintegration into Nigeria | Leaders |
| 30 May 1967 - 8 Jan 1970 | Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu | Presidents |
| 8 Jan 1970 - 12 Jan 1970 | Philip Effiong (acting) | Presidents |