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Historical profile
Between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, a number of Islamic Hausa kingdoms flourished in the area of modern-day Nigeria, while in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the Yoruba empire developed into a regional power, and the Ibos, with a diffuse political structure, lived in the east. The Yoruba first made contact with Europeans (Portuguese) in the fifteenth century, who, along with other European nations, began trading in slaves from West Africa.
1914 The territory that is now Nigeria was taken over by the British.
1922 A legislative council was set up. Much local power was left in the hands of traditional chiefs.
1947 A constitution established a federal system of government which attempted to take into account the interests of the three main regions of the colony – the northern and mainly Muslim Hausa and Fulanis, the predominantly Catholic Ibo in the east and the mixed Anglican and Muslim Yoruba in the west.
1960 Nigeria became independent.
1963 The Federal Republic of Nigeria was proclaimed.
1967–70 The Ibo people of eastern Nigeria attempted to gain independence, leading to the Biafran Civil War. Estimates for the death toll during the war range between 500,000 and two million.
1970s The oil boom led to Nigeria becoming one of Africa's wealthiest states until the price of oil plummeted in the early 1980s.
1985 After 25 years of political turbulence, General Ibrahim Babangida seized power, widely supported by intellectuals, the press, some former politicians and the business community. The General pledged to return Nigeria to civilian rule, but the handover date was repeatedly postponed.
1993 Elections were held, but were later annulled. President Babangida stepped down from office and Chief Ernest Shonekan was appointed head of the Interim National Government. Defence minister Sani Abacha staged a coup and became the country's ruler.
1995 General Abacha announced that the military government would remain in office until 1 October 1998. Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigerian writer and champion of the cause of the Ogoni people in eastern Nigeria, and eight other minority rights activists were executed, leading to international outrage against the government and the Shell oil company, which had allegedly polluted Ogoni land.
1998 The death of General Sani Abacha led to the appointment of General Abdulsalam Abubaker as head of state. A full electoral timetable was announced for the first time.
1999 State legislative elections, National Assembly elections and presidential elections were held. Olusegun Obasanjo was declared the winner in the presidential elections.
2000 There were ethnic clashes in Lagos between Yoruba extremists and Hausas from the north. Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria signed a treaty agreeing to the demarcation of their maritime border.
2001 The heads of Nigeria's army, navy and air force all retired. Christians rebelled in Nassarawa state, in the centre of Nigeria, and Bauchi state, in the north, when an attempt was made to impose Islamic law in the town of Tafawa-balewa. The government approved US$93 million spending towards the development of a national space programme, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA). A treaty establishing the Gulf of Guinea Commission was signed by five of the seven member states (Gabon, Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Nigeria and Angola). Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea did not sign, for which no reason was given.
2002 Legislation signed by President Obasango, which would have banned new political parties from contesting presidential and legislative elections in 2003, was unanimously rejected by the House of Representatives.
The International Court of Justice gave sovereignty of the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula, claimed by Cameroon and Nigeria, to Cameroon.
2003 The People´s Democratic Party (PDP) won large majorities in the Lower House and the Senate. President Obasanjo (PDP) was re-elected for a second term. The government's increase in the price of petrol resulted in a general strike in July, which ended after the government reduced the increase.
2004 In January, UN brokered talks were held between Nigeria and Cameroon about their disputed border and both countries agreed to start joint security patrols. After religious clashes in the central Plateau State, a state of emergency was declared in May. On 18 August, the Swiss authorities said that they would unfreeze most of the US$500 million deposited in Switzerland by the former military ruler, Sani Abacha.
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