Nigerian Independence Day
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Nigerian Independence Day
Nigeria's Independence Day is a public holiday observed annually on 1 October to commemorate the country's declaration of independence from British rule in 1960. It marked the end of over sixty years of colonial governance and the emergence of Nigeria as a self-governing constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. The inaugural celebrations featured a formal ceremony in Lagos, attended by Nigerian leaders and international dignitaries. Independence Day is observed nationwide through official ceremonies including military parades and flag-raising events, alongside traditional dances and cultural celebrations—a pattern mirrored by Nigerian communities abroad who mark the holiday by celebrating their heritage. Historical background Colonial era and path to independence British colonial involvement in Nigeria began with the annexation of Lagos in 1861. In 1914, the British created a centralized Nigeria by unifying the Northern and Southern protectorates wi ...
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Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, a population of more than 230 million, it is the List of African countries by population, most populous country in Africa, and the List of countries and dependencies by population, world's sixth-most populous country. Nigeria borders Niger in Niger–Nigeria border, the north, Chad in Chad–Nigeria border, the northeast, Cameroon in Cameroon–Nigeria border, the east, and Benin in Benin–Nigeria border, the west. Nigeria is a Federation, federal republic comprising 36 States of Nigeria, states and the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria, Federal Capital Territory, where its capital, Abuja, is located. The List of Nigerian cities by population, largest city in Nigeria by population is Lagos, one of the largest List of largest cities, metr ...
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Richards Constitution
Richards may refer to: *Richards (surname) In places: * Richards, New South Wales, Australia * Richards, Missouri, United States * Richards, Texas, United States In other uses: * Richards (lunar crater), on the Moon See also * Richard (other) Richard is a given name. Richard may also refer to: People *Richard (surname) Places *Richard, Saskatchewan, Canada *Richard, Iowa, United States *Richard, West Virginia, United States *Richard I and II, underground factories at Leitmeritz conce ...
* * {{disambiguation, geo ...
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United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and international security, security, to develop friendly Diplomacy, relations among State (polity), states, to promote international cooperation, and to serve as a centre for harmonizing the actions of states in achieving those goals. The United Nations headquarters is located in New York City, with several other offices located in United Nations Office at Geneva, Geneva, United Nations Office at Nairobi, Nairobi, United Nations Office at Vienna, Vienna, and The Hague. The UN comprises six principal organizations: the United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, Security Council, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations Se ...
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Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth or the common wealth – echoed in the modern synonym "public wealth"), it comes from the old meaning of "wealth", which is "well-being", and was deemed analogous to the Latin ''res publica''. The term literally meant "common well-being". In the 17th century, the definition of "commonwealth" expanded from its original sense of " public welfare" or " commonweal" to mean "a state in which the supreme power is vested in the people; a republic or democratic state". The term evolved to become a title to a number of political entities. Three countries – Australia, the Bahamas, and Dominica – have the official title "Commonwealth", as do four U.S. states and two U.S. territories. Since the early 20th century, the term has been used to name ...
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Flag Of Nigeria
The flag of Nigeria was designed by Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi and was officially adopted to represent Nigeria at midnight on 1 October 1960, the Independence Day (Nigeria), day the country gained independence. The flag was chosen as part of a nationwide open contest held by the government, with Akinkunmi's design being selected as the winner of a field of over three thousand entries. The flag is a vertical Bicolour (flag), bicolour green-white-green design, with green representing agriculture and white representing peace and unity. The flag was raised for the first time in a ceremony by Lieutenant David Ejoor of the Army Guard. History and design In preparation for the independence of Nigeria from the British Empire, a national planning committee was established which set a competition to select a national flag in 1958. In 1959, out of almost 3,000 entries, Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi won the competition with an equal green-white-green with a red quarter sun on the white stripe ...
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Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She had been queen regnant of List of sovereign states headed by Elizabeth II, 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the List of monarchs in Britain by length of reign, longest of any British monarch, the List of longest-reigning monarchs, second-longest of any sovereign state, and the List of female monarchs, longest of any queen regnant in history. Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon Abdication of Edward VIII, the abdic ...
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Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family and the only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She is also the only living granddaughter of George V, a niece of Edward VIII and George VI, and a first cousin of Elizabeth II. Alexandra's mother was also a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of Elizabeth II, making her both a second cousin and first cousin once removed of Charles III. Princess Alexandra was married to businessman Sir Angus Ogilvy from 1963 until his death in 2004. At the time of her birth, she was sixth in the line of succession to the British throne; , she is 58th. Early life Princess Alexandra was born on 25 December 1936 at 3 Belgrave Square, London. Her parents were Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary, and Princess Marina of Greece and Den ...
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Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria, Prime Minister of Nigeria. A dominant figure of Nigerian Independence, he was a conservative Anglophile. His political career spanned almost half of a century. Early years, 1912–1947 Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in the village of Tafawa Balewa in Lere district of Bauchi province, Northern Nigeria Protectorate, in December 1912. He is the eldest child. His father was Yakubu Dan Zalla, who married a Fulani woman, Fatima Inna. Balewa studied in a Madrasa at Bauchi before proceeding to an elementary school in Tafawa Balewa village and completed at Bauchi Government Provincial School. He studied at Katsina Higher College (presently called Barewa College) from 1928 to 1932 and became a secondary school teacher thereafter. In 1944 he became the headmaster of Bauchi middle school. After two years, he moved to the University of London Institute of Education, where he ob ...
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Northern People's Congress
The Northern People's Congress (NPC) is a political party in Nigeria. Formed in June 1943, the party held considerable influence in the Northern Region from the 1950s until the military coup of 1966. It was formerly a cultural organization known as Jamiyaar Mutanen Arewa. After the Nigerian Civil War of 1967, the NPC subsequently became a minor party.Sklar R.L “Nigerian Political Parties: Power in an Emergent African Nation”, pp.381-383. Africa World Press, 2004 Notable members * Sir Ahmadu Bello, party leader, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Premier of the Northern Region. * Sir Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was the deputy leader of the party and Prime Minister of Nigeria. * Makaman Bida, leader of the National Party of Nigeria in 1978. * S. A. Ajayi, Kwara state chairman of NPC, a former parliamentary Secretary to Sardauna of Sokoto. * Muhammadu Ribadu * Maitama Sule * Ibrahim Imam * Sir Shettima Kashim * Ado Bayero * Musa Yar'Adua * Waziri Ibrahim * Aminu Dantata * ...
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Obafemi Awolowo
Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first Premier of the Western region of Nigeria. He was known as one of the key figure towards Nigeria's independence movement from 1957 to 1960. Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe Omo Oduduwa as well as the Premier of the Western Region under Nigeria's parliamentary system from 1952 to 1959. He was the official opposition leader in the federal parliament to the Balewa government from 1959 to 1963. As a young man he was an active journalist, editing publications such as the Nigerian Worker and the African Sentinel, on top of others as well. He later became founder and publisher of ''Nigerian Tribune'' of African Newspapers of Nigeria Ltd. After receiving his bachelor of commerce degree in Nigeria, he traveled to London to pursue his degree in law. Obafemi Awolowo was the first premier of the Western Region and later federal commissioner for finance, an ...
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Action Group (Nigeria)
The Action Group (AG) was a Nigerian nationalist political party established in Ibadan on 21 March 1951, by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The party was founded to serve as the platform for realizing his preliminary objective of mobilizing Western Nigerians to forestall the NCNC control of the Western Region and the subsequent aim of cooperating with other nationalist parties to win independence for Nigeria. It benefited immensely from the relationships developed in the Egbe Omo Oduduwa formed in Awolowo's days in London as a student. History Background In 1941, Obafemi Awolowo nursed the Nigerian Youth Movement in Ibadan, oriented to educated elites. In 1945, Awolowo formed the group ''Egbe Omo Oduduwa'', now to forge Yoruba unity bringing together traditional and educated elites. ''Egbe'' was advertised as a nonpolitical organization for men and women of Yoruba Nationality to build the Yoruba State of Nigeria. The organization gained wide support in Western Nigeria. In 19 ...
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Nnamdi Azikiwe
Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996), commonly referred to as Zik of Africa, was a Nigerian politician, statesman, and revolutionary leader who served as the 3rd and first black governor-general of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and the first president of Nigeria during the First Nigerian Republic (1963–1966). He is widely regarded as the father of Nigerian nationalism as well as one of the major driving forces behind the country's independence in 1960. Born in Zungeru in present-day Niger State to Igbo parents from Onitsha, Anambra State, Azikiwe learned to speak Hausa which was the main indigenous language of the Northern Region. He was later sent to live with his aunt and grandmother in his hometown Onitsha, where he learnt the Igbo language. Living in Lagos State exposed him to learning the Yoruba language, and by the time he was in college, he had been exposed to different Nigerian cultures and spoke the three major Nigerian languages. Aziki ...
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