January 12 - first meeting of the Federal House of
Representatives
January 14: House passes motion for Nigeria's Independence
March: Tivs defy tax assessment by Native Authority
April 22: Balewa travels to London for final hand-over
preparations
May 10 - 19: Nigerian Constitutional Conference in London (final talks)
Independence from Great Britain October 1.
Tiv riots throughout the first week of October
October 7: Nigeria admitted into the UN as the 99th member
November 15: Azikiwe becomes first Nigerian Governor-General
This year: The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, established by the Eastern Region; it also takes over the Eastern Nigerian Outlook newspaper
Government acquires 30% participation interest in the Nigerian Agip Oil Company
This year: Mrs Esan is elected as first female member of Nigeria's Federal parliament
1961
February: Cameroon Plebiscite sees Northern Cameroon join Nigeria (becomes Sardauna province) and Southern Cameroon join the Republic of Cameroon
This year: Federal Government estalibshes the Morning Post and Sunday Post newspapers
Chief (Mrs) Margaret Ekpo, Mrs. Janel N. Micelle and Miss Okapi A. Young become first female members of Eastern House of Assembly
Summer 1961: Prime Minister Balewa visits President Kennedy in Washington DC
1962
May 13: Census enumeration begins, and continues for two weeks
May 19: AG Executive Committee votes to dismiss Akintola; he refuses to voluntarily quit as governor
May 21: Western Region Governor Oba Adesoji Aderemi dismisses Akintola as governor
May 23: Alhaji Adegbenro sworn in to replace Akintola, who files court challenge as to constitutionality of actions
May 25: Fighting in Western Region House
May 29: Federal House meets on Western crisis and declares state of emergency
May 30:Awo and several others have their movement restricted
July 7: Supreme Court (under Chief Justice Sir. Adetokunboh Ademola) reverses Western premier Akintola's dismissal
July 16: Akintola breaks from AG, and forms United Peoples Party(UPP)
September 30: Awo placed under house arrest
September: Enahoro flees Nigeria to avoid charges of treasonable felony
October 1: Prime Minister Balewa announces plot to overthrow the government, and 12 persons arrested
October 23: Richard Ihetu (aka Dick Tiger) wins World Boxing Association (WBA) middleweight crown
November 2: Awo charged for treason (with 26 other persons)
November 12: Treason trial of Awo and co. opens in Lagos. Riots outside court claim one life and 50 arrested
November 27: Enahoro arrested in London
December 31: Coker Commission report published; state of emergency in Western Nigeria lifted
This year: Nojeem Maiyegun wins gold medal at Cairo All African Boxing tournament
Regional Universities of Ahmadu Bello (ABU), Ife and Federal University of Lagos established
NCNC changes its name to National Council of Nigerian Citizens
1963
January 1: Akintola returns as Western region premier
February 10: Balewa announces cancellation of 1962 census
April 29: Balewa announces that Nigeria will become a republic in October
May 16: Enahoro deported to Nigeria from England
May 27: Privy Council (London) rules that Akintola's dismissal was valid
May: Nigeria plays leading role in the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in May
June 24: Enahoro's trial begins
June 29: Balewa and regional premiers meet in Jos on future republican Nigeria
July 13 - plebiscite on MidWest Region State
September 7 - Enahoro found guilty and jailed
September 11 - Awolowo and others convicted and jailed for treason
October 1: Nnamdi Azikiwe becomes the first president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
November 5-8: national census taken (count: 55.6 million Nigerians)
This year:The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) established
Dick Tiger beats American Gene Fullmer to become undisputed world middleweight boxing champion
1964
February 3: Midwest regional Elections
February 8: Chief Dennis Osadebay, as new premier, forms Midwest government. Jereton Mariere is governor
February 24: Census board announces 1963 Census interim results
February 28: Dr. Okpara (of Eastern region) rejects census results. (all other regions, except Northern region) also reject them.
Tiv insurrection
March 10: Akintola forms Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP)
Akintola-led Western Region government founds Daily Sketch and the Sunday Sketch
June 3:United Progressive Grand Alliance (AG + NCNC and others)formed
August 20:Nigerian National Alliance (NNDP + NPC and others)formed
December 8: Federal parliament dissolved
December 30: Federal elections, partially boycotted by UPGA
1965
January 4: President Azikiwe invites PM Balewa to form new government
Shell-BP builds oil refinery at Alesa-Eleme, near Port Harcourt
March 18: Supplementary Federal elections in Eastern region
Crisis in the University of Lagos over VC Eni Njoku's replacement by Saburi Biobaku forces closure for three months
September 18: Western region house of assembly dissolved
September 26: Premier Ahmadu Bello of Northern Nigeria arrives Ibadan to launch NNA campaign
October 11: Western Regional elections
October 15: incident in Ibadan broadcasting studio purportedly involving Wole Soyinka, who is declared wanted. Bola Ige arrested over another broadcast incident
November 19: Riots in Ijebu province over murder of an UPGA leader
December 20: Wole Soyinka, charged with robbery and violence,acquitted
This year: Nigeria wins first Olympic Games medal ever - Boxing bronze by Nojeem Maiyegun in Tokyo, Japan
The Defence Industries Corporation (DIC) established
1966
January 2-12 - riots in Ibadan, Lagos, Ilesha
January 15: Nigeria's first military coup led b Major Nzeogwu;
Akintola, Ahmadu Bello, Tafewa Balewa, Okotie-Eboh, Ademulegun,Maimalari and others killed. Ironsi becomes Head of State
February: Isaac Adaka Boro (along with Sam Owonaro and Nottingham Dick) declare abortive "Delta People's Republic"
May 29-30: Massacre of Igbos in the North
July 29: Ironsi, Fajuyi and others killed in coup; Yakubu Gowon comes to power and forms the second military government of the year.
September/October: More massacre of the Igbos
December 15: Dick Tiger beats Jose Torres to become undisputed light-heavyweight boxing champion
This year: Northern Region government forms a chain of newspapers Nojeem Maiyegun wins Bronze Medal at World Boxing Championship in Jamaica
1967
January 4-7: Aburi meeting in Ghana on military crises
May 27: Nigeria is divided into 12 states.
May 30: The Eastern region declares secession, proclaiming itself the Republic of Biafra. Two and a half years of civil war follow.
Decree 1 imposes OPEC terms on companies operating in Nigeria
August 9: Invasion of Midwest by Biafran forces
October 7: Biafran forces pushed out of the Midwest
1968
Dick Tiger loses his light-heavyweight boxing crown
1969
Decree 51 of November 1969 abrogates 1914 Mineral Oil Act, and
vests entire ownership of all petroleum in the Nigerian state
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