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The Nigerian political atmosphere is currently on the edge as history once again is about to be made in terms of the presidential clime.
The Nigerian nation is set to have a new leader as a president will emerge among those currently vying for the highest job in the country.
It is, however, necessary as Nigerians, that we should be aware of some important key dates in our country, both past and recent as this will help us maintain our nationalist spirit and build up the history of our country.
The Nigerian nation has numerous historical dates, however, there are notable dates in Nigeria that have happened recently and cannot be ignored which will be featured in this listicle.
We will take a look at these notable seven key dates from when Nigeria got its independence till this recent republic.
In 1966, the first of several military coups occurs amid dissatisfaction with the country's development since independence and anger over the preponderance of northern Hausa-speaking Muslims in senior government positions.
Officers of Igbo descent from the primarily Christian south were the main organisers of the coup.
The same year, Igbo officers are killed in a counter-coup, and thousands of Igbo civilians are brutally murdered in the north, driving them to flee to their southeastern heartland.
After Igbo separatists proclaimed the Republic of Biafra an independent nation, between 1967 and 1970, a civil war raged in the southeast of Nigeria.
The effects of this civil war, famine, and disease resulted in more than one million deaths, the majority of whom are Igbos.
The Nigerian civil war is said to be the deadliest civil war in Africa, with which the death of over one million people including women and children were recorded.
It should also be known that recently, the agitation for the Republic of Biafra has emerged as some Igbos believe that they are being marginalised in Nigeria, hence, they demand their own country.
For the first years following independence, generals primarily govern Nigeria.
One of the worst is General Sani Abacha, who ruled from 1993 until he died in 1998.
General Sani Abacha was known for plundering Nigeria's state funds and hanging human rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, among several other atrocities.
However, Olusegun Obasanjo established civilian rule in Nigeria once more in 1999, and since then, Nigeria has been on the path of democracy.
In 2009, several attacks in northeastern Nigeria are carried out by an Islamist organization locally known as Boko Haram.
However, Boko Haram splits into two rival organizations in 2016.
The splinter group grows and becomes a branch of the Islamic State, taking on the name Islamic State West of Africa Province (ISWAP).
Since the emergence of Boko Haram, the terrorist group has laid siege on the Northeastern part of Nigeria, while displacing over 2.3 million from their homes and killing over 300,000.
In the 2015 presidential election, Nigerians and Africa, in general, had high hopes for democracy, despite the Western speculation that the election will be marred by violence.
Ex-coup leader Muhammadu Buhari beats Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections.
The result of the 2015 presidential elections reassured the African continent that democracy is indeed possible and achievable with violence.
The election was peaceful, despite several speculations that it will be marred by violence and bloodshed.
Ex-President Ebele Goodluck Johnathan handed over power to Muhammadu Buhari peacefully.
President Buhari pledges to defeat Boko Haram and fight corruption.
He also won re-election in 2019 but under the Nigerian constitution, he can only serve two terms.
The largest mass protests in Nigeria's modern history took place in October 2020 as a result of the SARS police unit's brutality.
After security forces shoot at thousands of peaceful protesters gathered at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos on October 20, 2020, killing at least 11, the protest come to an end.
The End SARS Protest against police brutality was primarily organised by Nigerian youths who had severely complained about the atrocities of the SARS police department.
The SARS police department was known for several criminal attributes including extortion, bullying, abuse of power, and extra-judicial killings among several others.
During the rainy season in 2022, Nigeria experienced its worst flooding in a decade, killing more than 600 people and affecting nearly three million others.
During this flood, About 82,035 houses had been damaged, and 332,327 hectares of land had also been affected.
Although seasonal flooding is common in Nigeria, the 2022 floods were the worst since 2012.
Over 200,000 homes had been totally or partially destroyed by the floods as of October.
The flooding was caused by heavy rainfall and climate change as well as the release of water from the Lagdo Dam in neighbouring Cameroon, which began on September 13, 2022.
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