Nigeria, Post Independence

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa.Approximately one of every four Africavs is a Nigerian.it is a country of immense vaeriety with 250 languages spoken by the numerous peoples and nationalities of which Hausa in the North, Yoruba in the west and The Igbo in the east.Nigeria gained independence on 1 oct.1960 from Britain.But it developed a history of intense political competition,military coups, govrnmental instability,and a long costly civil war.Nigeria has had 8 govrnments, two civilian and 6 military, with an average tenure of only three years and nine months.The post independent Govt. inherited the technique of divide the nationality. thus the three political parties with which Nigeria came to independencewere regional and nationality based; the northern Peoples Congress (NPC)as the base of supportof the Hausa, The ActionGroups of Yoruba has its base as west and the national Council of Nigeria (NCNC)of Igbo as its base in the east.With two years of independence nigeria was in deep political crisis over the result of the national censusof 1962.An imbalance was created in the polity by the result of the 1961 plebiscite. Southern camaroon opted to join the republic of cameroon while northernCameroon chose to remain in nigeria.The northern part of the country was now far larger than the southern part. The nation parted with its legacy in 1963 by declaring itself a federal Republic with Azkiwe as the first president .When elections came about in 1965, the AG was outmanoeuvered for control of Nigeria's western region by the Nigerian National Democratic party, an amalgamation of conservative Yoruba elements backed heavily by the Federal govt. amid dubious electoral cicumstances. All attempts for peceful decision being failed, ther had been anoyher census in 1963 with more controversy.The election of 1965 resulted in a constitutional crisis and extensive civil disorder leading to military take over on Jan.1966.Identifie mainly as Igbo who killed many leaders of NCP, followed by a northern led coup.