1966 in Nigeria

Events in the year 1966 in Nigeria.

## Military coup

[edit]

On January 15, 1966, Nigeria was jolted awake by its first military coup d'état. [1]Across the country, high-ranking politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Festus Okotie-Eboh, and Ladoke Akintola, were assassinated by young, ambitious officers. The coup was orchestrated by a group of young majors and was subsequently referred to as the "Coup of the Five Majors", after a comment made by its most visible member, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. The mutineers overthrew several cities but were overpowered and imprisoned after two days.

A new government was formed, and Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi became Head of State. However, six months later, a counter-coup occurred during which he and his host, Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, were assassinated. Yakubu Gowon succeeded him.

Individuals of Igbo descent, particularly those from the Eastern Region, were targeted in several violent attacks. Chinua Achebe's book There Was a Country provides a powerful personal account of these events.[2] He recounts how soldiers searched for him at his former address and then his office, apparently suspecting that his novel A Man of the People was connected to the coup.

According to historical accounts, in October 1966, the Federal Public Service Commission relieved 40 non-Eastern Nigerian workers of their duties, giving them an ultimatum to return to their home regions or permanently forfeit their jobs. Fearing for their safety amidst the ongoing unrest, these individuals fled the areas where they had previously been employed across the country.[3]

## Agriculture

[edit]

Agriculture in the Sixties.

Prior to the oil boom, Nigeria's economy was largely agrarian, with the Kano Groundnut Pyramids serving as a prominent feature in the northern region. These pyramids, consisting of thousands of bagged groundnuts, thrived as a hub of business activity, providing significant financial windfall for local farmers as the crop was exported globally.[4][5]

## Sports

[edit]

In November 1966, at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, Nigerian athlete Samuel Igun won the gold medal in the hop, step, and jump event, setting a new games record and placing Africa on the global sporting map.[6][7]

## Entertainment

[edit]

That same year, Nigerian musician Sir Victor Uwaifo received the first-ever gold record in Africa for his hit song "Joromi", which was presented to him by Mr. Jan Lewen, the Managing Director of Philips Records West Africa.[8][9][10]

See also: Timeline of Nigerian history

* Nigeria portal

Years in Nigeria

* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

Centuries

* 19th century
* 20th century
* 21st century

Decades

* 1930s
* 1940s
* 1950s
* 1960s
* 1970s
* 1980s
* 1990s

Years

* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

## Incumbents

[edit]

* President:
* Until 16 January: Nnamdi Azikiwe
* 16 January – 29 July: Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
* 29 July – 1 August: vacant
* Starting 1 August: Yakubu Gowon
* Prime Minister:
* Until 15 January: Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
* Starting 16 January: position abolished
* Vice President:
* Until 16 January: position not in existence
* 16 January – 29 July: Babafemi Ogundipe
* Starting 29 July: Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey
* Senate President:
* Until 15 January: Nwafor Orizu
* Starting 15 January: position abolished
* House Speaker:
* Until 15 January: Ibrahim Jalo Waziri
* Starting 15 January: position abolished
* Commissioner of Defence:
* Until 15 January: Inuwa Wada
* 15 January – 29 July: vacant
* Starting 1 August: Yakubu Gowon
* Chief of Army Staff:
* Until 15 January: Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
* 15 January – 29 July: Yakubu Gowon
* Starting 29 July: Joseph Akahan
* Chief Justice: Sir Adetokunbo Ademola

## Events

[edit]

### January

[edit]

* January 10, 1966 — Diplomats of the British Commonwealth meet in Lagos to discuss the Rhodesian secession crisis.[11]
* January 15, 1966 — The first of many military coups in Nigeria deposes the Nigerian First Republic; Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, was assassinated along with the premier of Northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello, and the Finance Minister, Festus Okotie-Eboh.
* January 16, 1966 — The Federal Military Government is formed, with General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi as the Head of State and Supreme Commander of the Federal Republic.

### July

[edit]

* July 16, 1966 —The "Lagos Convention" calls for Nigeria's entry to the Common Market of the European Economic Community. Babafemi Ogundipe signs on behalf of the government. The convention will remain unratified and no agreement will go into effect until the signing of the Lomé Convention in 1976.[12]
* July 29, 1966 — A counter-coup by military officers of northern extraction, deposes the Federal Military Government; General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi is assassinated along with Adekunle Fajuyi, Military Governor of Western Region. General Yakubu Gowon becomes Head of State.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Siollun, Max (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976) (Illustrated ed.). Algora Publishing. ISBN 9780875867106.
2. ^ Chinua Achebe (24 September 2013). There was a Country. New York: Penguin. ISBN 9780143124030.
3. ^ Achebe, Chinua (2012). There was a country: a personal history of Biafra. New York, NY: Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-59420-482-1.
4. ^ Ekundare, Richard Olufemi (1973). An economic history of Nigeria 1860-1960. New York: Africana Publ. ISBN 978-0-416-75150-5.
5. ^ Okotie, Sylvester (January 2018). "Chapter 5 - the Nigerian Economy Before the Discovery of Crude Oil". The Political Ecology of Oil and Gas Activities in the Nigerian Aquatic Ecosystem. pp. 71–81\. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-809399-3.00005-7. ISBN 978-0-12-809399-3. `{{cite book}}`: `|journal=` ignored (help)
6. ^ "Samuel Igun FAQs 2025- Facts, Rumors and the latest Gossip". vipfaq.com. 1938-02-28. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
7. ^ LLC, Books (2010). Commonwealth Games Silver Medallists for Nigeri: Olusoji Fasuba, Vivian Chukwuemeka, Samuel Igun, Josiah Majekodunmi, Joy Eze, Otonye Iworima. General Books LLC. ISBN 9781158603473.
8. ^ Olorunyomi, Sola; Fela (2003). Afrobeat! Fela and the imagined continent. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press. ISBN 978-1-59221-072-5.
9. ^ Nigeria, Guardian (2021-09-10). "FG addressed only 2 of 8 ASUU's demands". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
10. ^ "Victor Uwaifo Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & Mo..." AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-06-10.
11. ^ "Anti-Rhodesia Plan Is Sought At Lagos Talk: Crush Riots Barring Diplomats Route", Chicago Tribune, 11 January 1966.
12. ^ Victor A. O. Adetula, "Nigeria and the European Union: The Lome Years and Beyond"; in Europe at the Crossroads, ed. Basil R. Jones; New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2007; pp. 134–137.

* v
* t
* e

Years in Nigeria (1960–present)

* 1901
* 1902
* 1904
* 1908
* 1909

* 1910
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1918

* 1922
* 1923
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929

* 1930
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1938

* 1940
* 1941
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949

* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025
* 2026
* 2027
* 2028
* 2029

* v
* t
* e

1966 in Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
*   *   * Botswana
*   * Burundi
*   * Cameroon
*   * Central African Republic
* Chad
*   * Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Dahomey
*   * Egypt
*   *   *   * Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
*   * Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
*   * Morocco
*   *   * Niger
* Nigeria
*   * Rwanda
*   * Senegal
*   * Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
*   * South-West Africa
* Sudan
*   * Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Upper Volta
* Zambia
*   *   *   *

States with limited
recognition

*   *   *   * Rhodesia
*   *

Dependencies, colonies
and other territories

* Ascension Island
*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   * French Somaliland
*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   * Mauritius
*   *   *   *   *   * Réunion
*   * Saint Helena
*   *   *   * Spanish Sahara
*   *   * Tristan da Cunha
*   *   *

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template