30 Jun 1849 Bight of Biafra British protectorate
1 Feb 1852 Bight of Benin British protectorate
6 Aug 1861 Bights of Biafra and Benin British protectorate
6 Aug 1861 Lagos a British colony.
1885 - 1893 Oil Rivers protectorate
5 Jun 1885 - 10 Jul 1886 Niger Districts Protectorate (under United African Company).
10 Jul 1886 - 9 Aug 1899 Niger River Delta protectorate (under Royal Niger Company).
1 Jan 1900 British Nigerian colonies.
1 Jan 1900 Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria.
16 Feb 1906 Lagos incorporated into the Southern Nigeria Protectorate.
1 Jan 1914 Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria
1 Oct 1954 Federation of Nigeria (autonomous).
1 Oct 1960 Independence from Britain (Nigeria).
1 Oct 1963 Federal Republic of Nigeria
24 May 1966 Republic of Nigeria
31 Aug 1966 Federal Republic of Nigeria
30 May 1967 Secession of
Biafra (not internationally recognized).
12 Jan 1970 Reintegration of Biafra.
Northern Nigeria
5 Jun 1885 Niger Districts Protectorate (under United African Company).
10 Jul 1886 - 9 Aug 1899 Niger River Delta protectorate (under Royal Niger Company).
9 Aug 1899 Becomes the British Northern Nigeria protectorate
(effective 1 Jan 1900).
1 Jan 1914 Part of British Nigeria Colony and protectorate as
northern provinces.
1962 Incorporated into Nigeria.
Director
5 Jun 1885 - 10 Jul 1886 Sir George Goldie
Governors
10 Jul 1886 - 25 Feb 1895 Baron Aberdare
25 Feb 1895 - 1 Jan 1900 Sir George Goldie
High commissioners
1 Jan 1900 - Nov 1906 Frederick John Dealtry Lugard (b. 1858 - d. 1945)
Nov 1906 - Apr 1907 Sir William Wallace (acting)
Apr 1907 - 1908 Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard (b. 1867 - d. 1932)
Governors
1908 - 28 Sep 1909 Edouard Percy Cranwill Girouard (s.a.)
28 Sep 1909 - 1912 Henry Hesketh Joudou Bell (b. 1864 - d. 1952)
1912 - 1 Jan 1914 Frederick John Dealtry Lugard (s.a.)
Southern Nigeria
![[Oil Rivers Protectorate]](ng_orp.gif)
- 1885 - 27 Aug 1899
30 Jun 1849 Bight of Biafra British protectorate.
1 Feb 1852 Bight of Benin British protectorate.
6 Aug 1861 Bights of Biafra and Benin a united British protectorate.
with Lagos as a British colony.
5 Jun 1885 British Oil Rivers protectorate over Brass, Bonny, Opobo,
Aobh, and Old Calabar (excluding Lagos).
13 May 1893 Renamed Niger Coast Protectorate
27 Aug 1899 Becomes the British Southern Nigeria protectorate
(effective 1 Jan 1900).
16 Feb 1906 Lagos joined to Southern Nigeria Protectorate.
1 Jan 1914 Part of British Nigeria Colony and Protectorate
as Southern provinces.
Consuls of the Bight of Benin
May 1852 - 1853 Louis Fraser
1853 - Apr 1859 Benjamin Campbell
Apr 1859 - 1860 George Brand
1860 - Jan 1861 Henry Hand
Jan 1861 - May 1861 Henry Grant Foote
May 1861 - 6 Aug 1861 William McCoskry (acting)
Consuls of the Bight of Biafra (from 6 Aug 1861, Bights of Biafra and Benin)
30 Jun 1849 - 10 Jun 1854 John Beecroft
10 Jun 1854 - 1855 James Lynslager (acting)
1855 - 1861 Thomas Joseph Hutchinson
1861 - Dec 1864 Richard Francis Burton
Dec 1864 - 1873 Charles Livingstone
1873 - 1878 George Hartley
1878 - 13 Sep 1879 David Hopkins
13 Sep 1879 - 5 Jun 1885 Edward Hyde Hewett
Consuls-general of Oil Rivers
5 Jun 1885 - 1 Jan 1891 Edward Hyde Hewett
1 Jan 1891 - 3 Aug 1891 Synge (acting)
Commissioners of Oil Rivers (to 3 Aug 1891 then of Niger Delta)
3 Aug 1891 - 1896 Claude Maxwell MacDonald (b. 1852 - d. 1915)
(from 1892, Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald)
1893 - 13 May 1893 Ralph Denham Rayment Moor (1st time) (b. 1860 - d. 1909)
(acting for MacDonald)
1896 - Nov 1896 Ralph Denham Rayment Moor (2nd time) (s.a.)
Nov 1896 - 4 Jan 1897 Phillips (acting)
4 Jan 1897 - 1 Jan 1900 Ralph Denham Rayment Moor (3rd time) (s.a.)
(from 1897, Sir Ralph Denham Rayment Moore)
High commissioners of Southern Nigeria
1 Jan 1900 - 1900 Ralph Denham Rayment Moor (1st time) (s.a.)
1900 Henry Gallwey (acting)
1900 - Aug 1904 Ralph Denham Rayment Moor (2nd time) (s.a.)
Aug 1904 - 28 Feb 1906 Sir Walter Egerton (b. 1858 - d. 1947)
Governors
28 Feb 1906 - 1907 Sir Walter Egerton (1st time) (s.a.)
1907 James Thorburn (acting)
1907 - 1912 Sir Walter Egerton (2nd time) (s.a.)
1912 - 1 Jan 1914 Frederick John Dealtry Lugard (s.a.)
Niger Rivers District
1879 United African Company (U.A.C.) formed to exploit resources in
the Niger Rivers District.
1882 Renamed National African Company Limited (N.A.C.)
1886 Renamed Royal Niger Company Chartered & Limited (R.N.C.)
and was granted a Royal Charter by Britian allowing it
to exploit and administer the region.
1 Jan 1900 Charter revoked, incorporated into Southern Nigeria Protecotrate.
Senior Agent
1879 - 1882 David McIntosh (b. 1844 - d. 1888)
General Agents
1882 - 1888 David McIntosh (s.a.)
1888 - 1 Jan 1900 Joseph Flint (d. 1925)
Lagos
- to 16 Feb 1906
6 Aug 1861 Lagos British colony as Lagos, but dynasty continues
(see under
Nigerian traditional states)
(subordinated to
Sierra Leone 1866-74,
and to the
Gold Coast 1874-86).
19 Feb 1866 - 24 Jul 1874 Lagos settlements a territory of British West Africa.
24 Jul 1874 Part of Gold Coast Lagos colony.
13 Jan 1886 Lagos a separate colony.
18 Oct 1887 Lagos protectorate on hinterland.
16 Feb 1906 Lagos colony united with Southern Nigeria protectorate.
Governors
6 Aug 1861 - 22 Jan 1862 William McCoskry (acting)
22 Jan 1862 - 1863 Henry Stanhope Freeman
1863 - 1864 W. R. Mullinar (acting)
1864 - 19 Feb 1866 John Hawley Glover (b. 1829 - d. 1885)
(acting to Apr 1865)
Administrators
19 Feb 1866 - Feb 1866 Charles George Edward Patey (b. 1813 - d. 1881)
Feb 1866 - 1870 John Halwey Glover (s.a.)
1870 Miles Cooper (acting)
1870 - 1871 W.H. Simpson (acting)
1871 - 1872 J. Gerrard (acting)
1872 Henry Fowler
1872 - 1873 George Berkeley (b. 1819 - d. 1905)
1873 Charles Cameron Lees (1st time) (b. 1831 - d. 1898)
(acting)
1873 - 1874 George Cumine Strahan (b. 1838 - d. 1889)
1874 - 24 Jul 1874 John Shaw (acting)
24 Jul 1874 - 1875 Charles Cameron Lees (2nd time) (s.a.)
1875 - 1878 John d'Arcy Dumaresq (acting)
1878 F. Simpson (acting)
1878 Malcolm Brown (acting)
1878 - 1880 Cornelius Alfred Moloney (acting) (b. 1848 - d. 1913)
Lieutenant-governors
1880 William Brandford Griffith
1880 - 1883 C. D. Turton
(administrator acting)
Deputy-governors
1883 Corneilus Alfred Moloney (acting) (s.a.)
1883 Fred Evans
1883 - 1884 William Brandford Griffith
1884 R. Murray Rumsey
1884 - 1885 R. Knapp Burrow
1885 - 13 Jan 1886 C. Pike
Governors
13 Jan 1886 - 1889 Cornelius Alfred Moloney (s.a.)
(1st time)
1889 - 1890 George Denton (acting)
1890 - 1891 Sir Cornelius Alfred Moloney (s.a.)
(2nd time)
1891 - 1897 Sir Gilbert Carter (b. 1848 - d. 1927)
1897 - 1899 Henry Edward McCallum
1899 - 1902 Sir William MacGregor (b. 1847 - d. 1919)
1902 - Aug 1904 Henry Reeve (acting to 1903)
Aug 1904 - 16 Feb 1906 Walter Egerton (b. 1858 - d. 1947)
(from 1905, Sir Walter Egerton)
Nigeria
Governor-general
1 Jan 1914 - 8 Aug 1919 Frederick John Dealtry Lugard (s.a.)
Governors
8 Aug 1919 - 13 Nov 1925 Sir Hugh Charles Clifford (b. 1866 - d. 1941)
13 Nov 1925 - 17 Jun 1931 Sir Graeme Thomson (b. 1875 - d. 1933)
17 Jun 1931 - 1 Nov 1935 Sir Donald Charles Cameron (b. 1872 - d. 1948)
1 Nov 1935 - 1 Jul 1940 Sir Bernard Henry Bourdillon (b. 1883 - d. 1948)
1 Jul 1940 - 1942 Sir John Evelyn Shuckburgh (b. 1877 - d. 1953)
1942 - 18 Dec 1943 Sir Alan Cuthbert Maxwell Burns (b. 1887 - d. 1980)
18 Dec 1943 - 5 Feb 1948 Sir Arthur Frederick Richards (b. 1885 - d. 1978)
5 Feb 1948 - 1 Oct 1954 Sir John Stuart Macpherson (b. 1898 - d. 1971)
Governors-general
1 Oct 1954 - 15 Jun 1955 Sir John Stuart Macpherson (s.a.)
15 Jun 1955 - 16 Nov 1960 Sir James Wilson Robertson (b. 1899 - d. 1983)
16 Nov 1960 - 1 Oct 1963 Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe (b. 1904 - d. 1996)
President
1 Oct 1963 - 16 Jan 1966 Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe (s.a.)
Heads of the Federal Military Government
(from 24 May to 31 Aug 1966, National Military Government)
16 Jan 1966 - 29 Jul 1966 Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (b. 1924 - d. 1966) Military
1 Aug 1966 - 29 Jul 1975 Yakubu Gowon (b. 1934) Military
29 Jul 1975 - 13 Feb 1976 Murtala R. Muhammad (b. 1917 - d. 1976) Military
14 Feb 1976 - 1 Oct 1979 Olusegun Obasanjo (b. 1937)
President
1 Oct 1979 - 31 Dec 1983 Alhaji Shehu Shagari (b. 1925) NPN
Chairman of the Supreme Military Council
31 Dec 1983 - 27 Aug 1985 Mohammed Buhari (b. 1942) Military
President and chairman of the Armed Forces Ruling Council
(from 4 Jan 1993, president of the National Defense and Security Council)
27 Aug 1985 - 26 Aug 1993 Ibrahim Babangida (b. 1941) Military
Interim president
26 Aug 1993 - 17 Nov 1993 Ernest Shonekan (b. 1936)
Chairmen of the Provisional Ruling Council
17 Nov 1993 - 8 Jun 1998 Sani Abacha (b. 1943 - d. 1998) Military
9 Jun 1998 - 29 May 1999 Abdulsalami Abubakar (b. 1942) Military
President
29 May 1999 - Olusegun Obasanjo (s.a.) PDP
Chief ministers
May 1952 - 1 Oct 1954 Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe (s.a.)
1 Oct 1954 - 30 Aug 1957 see
Nigerian Regions
Prime ministers
30 Aug 1957 - 15 Jan 1966 Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (b. 1912 - d. 1966) NPC
(from 1 Jan 1960, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa)
15 Jan 1966 - 17 Jan 1966 Mallam Dipchairina (acting)
15 Feb 1976 - 31 Dec 1983 Shehu Musa Yar Adua
30 May 1967 Secession of Biafra from Nigeria (not internationally recognized).
12 Jan 1970 Reintegration Nigeria.
Presidents
30 May 1967 - 8 Jan 1970 Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (b. 1933)
8 Jan 1970 - 12 Jan 1970 Philipp Effiong (acting)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Republic of Benin
![[Flag of Rep. of Benin, 1967]](ng-ben67.gif)
6 Aug 1967 Biafra occupied the Nigerian state of Mid-West.
20 Sep 1967 Reoccupied by Nigeria.
20 Sep 1967 Secession from Nigeria as Republic of Benin.
21 Sep 1967 Reincorporated into Nigeria.
Military Administrator
6 Aug 1967 - 20 Sep 1967 Albert Okonkwo
President
20 Sep 1967 - 21 Sep 1967 Albert Okonkwo
![[Flag of Nigeria]](ng.gif)
![[Flag of Biafra]](ng-biaf.gif)