From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The First Republic was the republican
government of Nigeria
between 1963 and 1966 governed by the first republican Constitution.
The founding of
the First Republic (1963)
Nigeria gained independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, and declared
itself a republic three
years later on October 1, 1963. The constitution and Westminster
system of government were inherited from the British
colonialists.
Presidents
Ceremonial Presidents during the Nigerian First
Republic
| President |
Term |
Party |
| Nnamdi
Azikiwe |
October 1, 1963 - January 16, 1966 |
NCNC |
Prime
ministers
Prime Ministers during the Nigerian First
Republic
| Prime Minister |
Term |
Party |
| Abubakar Tafawa Balewa |
October 1, 1963 - January 16, 1966 |
NPC |
Political
Parties
Politics of the First
Republic
The country was split into three geopolitical regions — Western Region, Eastern Region and Northern Region — and its
political parties took on the identities and ideologies of each
region. The Northern People's Party (NPC)
represented the interests of the predominantly Hausa/Fulani Northern Region, the National
Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) (later renamed to
National Council of Nigerian Citizens) represented the
predominantly Igbo Eastern Region, and the Action Group (AG) dominated the
Yoruba Western Region. The NPC took
control of the federal parliament, and formed a coalition
government with the NCNC. Ahmadu Bello, leader of the NPC, was
poised to become the Prime Minister, but instead he chose to become
the Premier of the Northern
Region, and supported his deputy Tafawa Balewa's
candidacy for Prime Minister. This raised suspicions amongst the
southern politicians, who resented the idea of a federal government
controlled by a regional leader through his designated proxy. In
the end, Tafawa Balewa of NPC was named Prime
Minister and Head of Government, and Nnamdi Azikiwe of NCNC was named President. At Nigeria's
independence, the Northern Region gained more seats in parliarment
than both Eastern and Western regions combined—this would cement
Northern dominance in Nigerian politics for years to come.
Resentment amongst southern politicians precipitated into political
chaos in the country. Obafemi Awolowo, Premier of Western
Region, was charged with sedition and convicted in a controversial
trial. With incarceration of Awolowo, Samuel Akintola was elected as the
Premier of Western Region. Akintola was widely seen as a tool of
the North, and he presided over the most chaotic era in Western
Region—one which earned it the nickname "the Wild-Wild West". This
forced the Balewa government to crack-down on lawlessness in the
West using military might.
Notable politicians
in the First Republic
The Coup
The political unrest during the mid-sixties culminated into
Nigeria's first military coup d'état. On 15 January 1966, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu
and his fellow rebel soldiers led by Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna
(mostly of southern extraction) in the Nigerian
Army, executed a bloody takeover of all institutions of
government. Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, was
assassinated along with the premier of Northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello, and the
Finance Minister, Festus
Okotie-Eboh [1]. It is not
clear whether President Azikiwe's life was spared because he was
out of the country at the time, or whether he had been informed
about the impending coup and was out of the country so his life
could be spared. Major-General Johnson
Aguiyi-Ironsi took control as the first Head of
the Federal Military Government of Nigeria on January 16,
1966.
See also
References
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