Nigeria is created

Nigeria is created as a unified territory through the amalgamation of Britain’s colonial possessions in the region.

In 1960 Nigeria attains independence

Nigeria attains independence in and is widely considered one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most promising postcolonial states. The potential for development seemed boundless in the democracy of roughly 45 million people, where large amounts of high-quality oil reserves had been discovered shortly before the end of colonial rule.

Nigeria struggles establishing a post-colonial government

Two British legacies combine to impair the evolution of a stable political system and social relations; colonial rule divides the population along ethnic lines, but incorporates the groups thus defined in a centrally governed federal state.

Errors made by then British when handing over control:

• Established Nigeria as a federal state, postcolonial Nigeria was split into three main regions, each dominated by one or two ethnic groups: Hausa-Fulani in the north, Yoruba in the west, and Igbos in the east. Hundreds of other ethnic minorities of different size made up the rest of the population
• Left the territorial and ethnic borders that marked Nigerian colonial society still in place when  

A Midwestern state is formed

In 1963 the federation was separated into four states when the multi-ethnic Midwestern State was carved out of parts of the Western Region.

Partly parallel with these political borders, what many perceived as a religious divide cut through the territory:

• The south was predominantly Christian
• The north was widely Islamic dominated

The optimism of decolonization begins to fade

The optimism of decolonization had begun to crumble by the mid-1960s.

The growing participatory options for the population weakened the postcolonial democracy because:

1. At the regional level, a system of patronage was created along ethnic lines.
2. At the national level, the three ‘mega-tribes’ competed for state resources that had become increasingly lucrative thanks to the revenues from oil and other commodities.
3. The Eastern Region, geographically in the country’s southeast, was increasingly isolated in particular. This developed into a deepening rift which eventually severed the north and the southern regions.
4. Political mistrust developed and in all regions politicians feared the possible domination of their counterparts from other parts of the country. Federal and national elections developed into fiercely fought battles for power; ballot rigging and other forms of manipulation were omnipresent.

A coup by Igbo army officers leads to military rule which was the catalyst of the Nigeria-Biafra war

In January 1966, an Igbo-dominated putsch by a group of army officers initiated a series of coups and counter-coups that led to the installation of military rule.

• Rebellious officers purge a number of high-ranking officials
• Power is transferred into the hands of the highest-ranking officer, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, general commanding officer of the Nigerian army. The new head of state and most of his advisors were Igbo.

A counter-coup results in then capture and killing of the new head of state

Many in the north considered Ironsi’s government as a continuation of the southern-instigated coup and, in the last days of July 1966, he was captured and killed in a counter-coup by a group of northern officers and soldiers.

The remaining officers selected Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon as the new head of state. The coup d’état was a success, except in the Igbo-dominated Eastern Region, where military governor general Ojukwu remained in power.

Igbos are massacred in northern towns

Repeated outbursts of violence between June and October 1966 peaked in massacres against Igbos living in the Sabon Gari, the ‘foreigners’ quarters’ of northern Nigerian towns.

• This violence drives a stream of more than a million refugees to the Eastern Region, the ‘homeland’ of the Igbos’ diasporic community.

The Eastern regions begins to call autonomy amid the massacres

The massacres were one of the key events in the unfolding of the civil war. Amidst rampant fears among the Igbos in particular, the Eastern Region began to call for more autonomy. Ever since the end of colonialism had become imaginable; the leaderships of all regions had at times pondered secession.

Biafra declares independence

On 30 May 1967, the east’s political leadership around Ojukwu declared its independence as the Republic of Biafra, named after the Bight of Biafra, a bay on the country’s Atlantic coast.

The Nigeria-Biafra war begins

On 6 July, the Nigeria-Biafra war began with the advance of federal troops into secessionist territory.

Nigeria-Biafra war ends after Biafra surrenders

In early 1970, Ojukwu and some of his followers fled to the Ivory Coast. After two and a half years of fighting, the remaining Biafran regime surrendered on 15 January 1970.