List of heads of state of Nigeria - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This is a list of the heads of state of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, from the declaration of independence in 1960 until the present.

Heads of State of Nigeria (1960–Present)

Tenure	Portrait	Incumbent	Notes
The Dominion of Nigeria
1 October 1960 to 1 October 1963		Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,... represented by:-
1 October 1960 to 16 November 1960		Sir James Wilson Robertson James Wilson Robertson Sir James Wilson Robertson, KT, GCMG, GCVO, KBE, Order of the Nile , KStJ was the last British Head of Nigeria.He was educated at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh and Balliol College, Oxford... , Governor-General
16 November 1960 to 1 October 1963		Nnamdi Azikiwe Nnamdi Azikiwe Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe , usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe and popularly known as "Zik", was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism who became the first President of Nigeria after Nigeria secured its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960; holding the... , Governor-General
Tenure	Portrait	Incumbent	Affiliation	Notes
Federal Republic of Nigeria
1 October 1963 to 16 January 1966		Nnamdi Azikiwe Nnamdi Azikiwe Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe , usually referred to as Nnamdi Azikiwe and popularly known as "Zik", was one of the leading figures of modern Nigerian nationalism who became the first President of Nigeria after Nigeria secured its independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960; holding the... , President	NCNC	Deposed
16 January 1966 to 29 July 1966		Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe... , Head of the Federal Military Government	Mil	Deposed and murdered
1 August 1966 to 29 July 1975		Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Gowon General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another... , Head of the Federal Military Government	Mil	Deposed
29 July 1975 to 13 February 1976		Murtala Mohammed Murtala Mohammed General Murtala Ramat Mohammed born was a military ruler of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.-Role during 1960s coups:... , Head of the Federal Military Government	Mil	Assassinated
13 February 1976 to 1 October 1979		Olusegun Obasanjo, Head of the Federal Military Government	Mil	1st term, transitioned to civil rule
1 October 1979 to 31 December 1983		Shehu Shagari Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government.... , President	NPN	Deposed
31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985		Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections... , Chairman of the Supreme Military Council	Mil	Deposed
27 August 1985 to 26 August 1993		Ibrahim Babangida Ibrahim Babangida General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria... , President of the Armed Forces Ruling Council	Mil	Resigned
26 August 1993 to 17 November 1993		Ernest Shonekan Ernest Shonekan Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan is a British trained Nigerian lawyer, industrialist, politician and traditional chieftain. He was appointed as interim president of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida on 26 August 1993. Babangida resigned under pressure to cede control to a democratic government... , Interim Head of State	n-p	Deposed
17 November 1993 to 8 June 1998		Sani Abacha Sani Abacha General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998.... , de facto President	Mil	Died in office
8 June 1998 to 29 May 1999		Abdulsalami Abubakar Abdulsalami Abubakar General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar is a Nigerian general who was President of Nigeria from June 9, 1998 until May 29, 1999. He succeeded Sani Abacha upon Abacha's death. It was during Abubakar's leadership that Nigeria adopted its new constitution on May 5, 1999, which provided for multiparty... , Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council	Mil	Transitioned to Civil Rule.
29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007		Olusegun Obasanjo, President	PDP	2nd term
29 May 2007 to 5 May 2010		Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was the President of Nigeria and the 13th Head of State. He served as governor of Katsina State in northern Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 28 May 2007. He was declared the winner of the controversial Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May... , President	PDP	Died in office
9 February 2010 to 6 May 2010		Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the... , Acting President	PDP	Acting for Yar'Adua
6 May 2010 to Present		Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the... , President	PDP

Affiliations

NCNC - National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons , was a Nigerian political party from 1944 to 1966. The name included 'Cameroons' because Cameroon had become an administrative part of Nigeria in 1945. Cameroon had been a colonial territory of Germany...
NPN - National Party of Nigeria
National Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...
PDP - People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
Mil - Military of Nigeria
n-p - Non-party

Heads of State of Nigeria (1960–Present)

Affiliations

See also