Nigeria at 66: how 1 October 1960 came about, and why it still matters

On Thursday, Nigeria turns 66. The Federal Government says this year’s celebration is low-key: prayers and a world press conference last week, then a public lecture on Wednesday and a nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu on 1 October. Before the speeches begin, here is a quick refresher on how the day came to be.

The road to 1960

Modern Nigeria’s shape dates to 1 January 1914, when, on the recommendation of Sir Frederick Lugard, Britain amalgamated its northern and southern protectorates into the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, under a single governor-general based in Lagos.

In the decades that followed, a nationalist movement grew, with figures such as Herbert Macaulay and Nnamdi Azikiwe giving it a voice. After the Second World War, successive constitutions handed Nigerians more control. The Western and Eastern regions won internal self-government in 1957, and the Northern region followed in 1959. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa had become prime minister in 1957.

Midnight at the Race Course

On the night of 30 September 1960, crowds gathered at the Lagos Race Course, now Tafawa Balewa Square. At midnight the floodlights dimmed, and when they came back up, the green-white-green flag designed by Taiwo Akinkunmi had replaced the Union Jack. Princess Alexandra of Kent represented Queen Elizabeth II and handed over the constitutional instruments of independence.

In his Independence Day speech, Balewa noted that freedom had come “without bitterness or bloodshed”, the product of years of negotiation rather than war.

The 1960 constitution created a federal system with an elected prime minister and a ceremonial head of state. Three years later, on 1 October 1963, Nigeria became a republic and Azikiwe became president, although Balewa, as prime minister, remained the more powerful figure. In August that year, the Mid-West Region was carved out of the Western Region, adding a fourth region to the federation.

Every 1 October invites the same question: how far has the country come? Even the government acknowledges the mood. In explaining why this year’s events would be modest, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, pointed to the country’s socio-economic challenges. Knowing the history helps you weigh this week’s speeches against the promise of 1960.

What next: The Independence Day public lecture holds on Wednesday, 30 September, followed by the President’s nationwide broadcast on Thursday, 1 October.