The Governor-General of Nigeria was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in Colonial Nigeria from 1954 to 1960, and after Nigerian independence in 1960, the representative of the Nigerian head of state.
The office was created on 1 October 1954, when the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria was created as an autonomous federation within the British Empire. After independence in 1960, the governor-general became the representative of the Nigerian monarch, and the office continued to exist till 1963, when Nigeria abolished its monarchy, and became a republic.[1] This article contains a list of governors and governors-general of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, and later of the Federation of Nigeria; both as a British overseas possession and an independent monarchy.[2] [3]
| width=10% | Portrait | width=14% | Name | width=10% | Took office | width=10% | Left office | width=10% | Sovereign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Frederick Lugard (1858–1945) | 1 January 1914 | 8 August 1919 | George V | ||||||
| width=10% | Portrait | width=14% | Name | width=10% | Took office | width=10% | Left office | width=10% | Sovereign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Hugh Clifford (1866–1941) | 8 August 1919 | 13 November 1925 | George V | ||||||
| Sir Graeme Thomson (1877–1933) | 13 November 1925 | 17 June 1931 | George V | ||||||
| Sir Donald Cameron (1872–1948) | 17 June 1931 | 1 November 1935 | George V | ||||||
| Sir Bernard Bourdillon (1883–1948) | 1 November 1935 | 1 July 1940 | George V Edward VIII George VI | ||||||
| Sir John Evelyn Shuckburgh (1877–1953) | 1 July 1940 | 1942 | George VI | ||||||
| Sir Alan Burns (1887–1980) | 1942 | 18 Dec 1943 | George VI | ||||||
| Sir Arthur Richards (1885–1978) | 18 Dec 1943 | 5 February 1948 | George VI | ||||||
| Sir John Macpherson (1898–1971) | 5 February 1948 | 1 October 1954 | George VI Elizabeth II |
Following is a list of people who have served as governor-general of Nigeria.
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Governors-general representing the monarch of the United Kingdom | ||||||
| 1 | Sir John Stuart Macpherson | 1 October 1954 | 15 June 1955 | Elizabeth II (1954–1960) | ||
| 2 | Sir James Wilson Robertson | 15 June 1955 | 1 October 1960 | |||
| Governors-General representing the monarch of Nigeria | ||||||
| (2) | Sir James Wilson Robertson | 1 October 1960 | 16 November 1960 | Elizabeth II (1960–1963) | ||
| 3 | Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe | 16 November 1960 | 1 October 1963 | |||