Federation of Nigeria
The Federation of Nigeria was a predecessor to modern-day Nigeria from 1954 to 1963. It was an autonomous region until independence on 1 October 1960.
Federation of Nigeria | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960–1963 | |||||||||
Motto: "Unity and Faith" | |||||||||
Anthem: Nigeria, We Hail Thee | |||||||||
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| Capital | Lagos | ||||||||
| Government | constitutional monarchy from 1960 | ||||||||
| Queen | |||||||||
• 1954–1963 | Elizabeth II | ||||||||
| Governor-General | |||||||||
• 1955-1960 | Sir James Wilson Robertson | ||||||||
• 1960–1963 | Nnamdi Azikiwe | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1960–1963 | Abubakar Tafawa Balewa | ||||||||
| Legislature | Parliament[1] | ||||||||
• Upper house | Senate | ||||||||
• Lower house | House of Representatives | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
• Independence | 1 October 1960 | ||||||||
• Republic | 1 October 1963 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
| 923,768 km2 (356,669 sq mi) | |||||||||
| Currency | Nigerian pound | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | NG | ||||||||
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British rule of Colonial Nigeria ended in 1960, when the Nigeria Independence Act 1960[2] made the federation an independent sovereign state. The British monarch, Elizabeth II, remained head of state as the Queen of Nigeria as well as Queen of the United Kingdom and other independent states. Her constitutional roles in Nigeria were delegated to the Governor-General of Nigeria. Two people held the office of governor-general:
- Sir James Wilson Robertson October 1960 - 16 November 1960
- Nnamdi Azikiwe 16 November 1960 – 1 October 1963
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa held office as prime minister (and head of government).
The Federal Republic of Nigeria came into existence on 1 October 1963.[3] The monarchy was abolished and Nigeria became a republic within the Commonwealth. Following the abolition of the monarchy, former Governor-General Nnamdi Azikiwe became President of Nigeria.
Elizabeth II visited Nigeria:
- 1956 (28 January–16 February)
- 2003 (3–6 December)
See also
References
- "The Constitution of the Federation of Nigeria (1960)" (PDF). Worldstatemen.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- Nigeria Independence Act 1960, 8 & 9 Eliz. 2 c.55
- Nigeria Republic Act 1963, c. 57
External links
- "Nigeria: Polity Style: 1954-2017". Archontology.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Nigeria: Governors-General: 1954-1963". Archontology.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "Nigeria: Heads of State: 1960-1963". Archontology.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- Ben Cahoon. "Nigeria". Worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "COMMONWEALTH PRIME MINISTERS' CONFERENCE (Hansard, 4 July 1960)". Hansard.millbanksystems.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "NIGERIA (REPUBLIC) BILL (Hansard, 17 December 1963)". Hansard.millbanksystems.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
- "ROYAL COMMISSION (Hansard, 18 December 1963)". Hansard.millbanksystems.com. 1963-12-18. Retrieved 2017-01-26.