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Nigeria gained its independence from Great Britain on October 1st 1960.
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Nigeria severed its remining ties to Britain, marking the birth of the Nigerian First Republic
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A Military coup deposed the government of the First Republic. Balewa, Premier of Northern Nigeria Ahmadu Bello, and Finance Minister Festus Oketie-Eboh, were assasinated.
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The Federal Military Government was formed, with General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi acting as head of state and Supreme Commander of the Federal Republic.
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A counter-coup by military officers of northern extraction deposed the Federal Military Government. Aguiyi-Ironsi and Adekunle Fajuyi, Military Governor of the Western Region, were assassinated. General Yakubu Gowon became President.
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Ibrahim Babanginda begins ruling Nigeria from his coup against Muhannadu Buhari.
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Babangida survives a bloody coup attempt by mainly junior army officers. In the courts martial that follow more than 200 soldiers are sentenced to death and executed.
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The Babangida government annuled the results of the election, claiming it fraud, and postponed additional elections for a year.
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Nigerians vote in presidential elections to end military rule. The candidates are Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party and Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention. Early results show Abiola with a runaway lead.
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Winner was Moshood Abiola. Believed to be the first fiar election held in the history of Nigeria. However, Babangida again claimed fraud and annulled the reults.
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Ernest Shonekan, a civilian, was appointed as president.
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Sani Abacha overthrew Shonekan.
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Lawan Gwadabe attempted a coup against Abacha. Obasanjo and Yar'Adua were suspected in aiding the coup and were sentence to 25 years in prison.
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Ken Saro-Wiwa (an environmentalist and playwright) criticized the Nigerian government for the environmental damages being inflicted by the oil industry on the land inhabited by the Ogoni people. On May 21 1994, four Ogoni chiefs were brutally murdered. Saro-Wiwa and 8 other leaders were arrested being accused of the crime and all 9 were sentenced to death by hanging. Opposition to this sentence came from all over the world, especially because it was obvious that the trail was rigged and later it
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On December 21, 1997, there was another attempted coup on the Abacha government by Oladipo Diya, and he was imprisoned.
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On June 8 1998, Abacha died of a heart attack at the age of 54.
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After Abacha died, Abdulsalam Abubakar (mentioned before) took his place on June 9 1998. He set up a transition program that would lead the country back to democracy by May 29 1999.
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On May 29 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo was declared the new democratically elected president. He continued to be the president of Nigeria until May 29 2007.