| Conventional Long Name: | Federal Republic of Nigeria (1966; 1966–1999)----Republic of Nigeria (1966) |
| Common Name: | Nigeria |
| Era: | Cold War |
| Event Start: | Established |
| Date Start: | 15 January |
| Year Start: | 1966 |
| Event End: | Fourth Republic |
| Date End: | 29 May |
| Year End: | 1999 |
| Event1: | Unification Decree |
| Date Event1: | 24 May 1966 |
| Event2: | 1966 Nigerian counter-coup |
| Date Event2: | 28 July 1966 |
| Event3: | Federal system restored |
| Date Event3: | 31 August 1966 |
| Event4: | Biafra secession |
| Date Event4: | 30 May 1967 |
| Event5: | 1975 Nigerian coup d'état |
| Date Event5: | 30 July 1975 |
| Event6: | 1976 Nigerian coup d'état attempt |
| Date Event6: | 13 February 1976 |
| Event7: | Second Republic |
| Date Event7: | 1 October 1979 |
| Event8: | 1983 Nigerian coup d'état |
| Date Event8: | 31 December 1983 |
| Event9: | 1985 Nigerian coup d'état |
| Date Event9: | 27 August 1985 |
| Event10: | 1993 Nigerian coup d'état |
| Date Event10: | 17 November 1993 |
| P1: | First Nigerian Republic |
| Flag P1: | Flag of Nigeria.svg |
| P2: | Second Nigerian Republic |
| Flag P2: | Flag of Nigeria.svg |
| S1: | Second Nigerian Republic |
| Flag S1: | Flag of Nigeria.svg |
| S2: | Third Nigerian Republic |
| Flag S2: | Flag of Nigeria.svg |
| S3: | Fourth Nigerian Republic |
| Flag S3: | Flag of Nigeria.svg |
| Flag: | Flag of Nigeria |
| Symbol Type Article: | Coat of arms of Nigeria |
| Capital: | Lagos (1966–1979; 1983–1991)----Abuja (1991–1993; 1993–1999) |
| Largest City: | Lagos |
| National Motto: | "Peace, Unity, Freedom"[1] (1966–1978) "Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress" (1978–1979; 1983–1993; 1993–1999) |
| National Anthem: | Nigeria, We Hail Thee (1966–1978) Arise, O Compatriots (1978–1979; 1983–1993; 1993–1999) |
| Currency: | Nigerian pound (1966–1973) Naira (₦) (1973–1979; 1983–1993; 1993–1999) |
| Title Leader: | Head of State/ President |
| Leader1: | Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi |
| Year Leader1: | 1966 |
| Leader2: | Yakubu Gowon |
| Year Leader2: | 1966–1975 |
| Leader3: | Murtala Mohammed |
| Year Leader3: | 1975–1976 |
| Leader4: | Olusegun Obasanjo |
| Year Leader4: | 1976–1979 |
| Leader5: | Muhammadu Buhari |
| Year Leader5: | 1983–1985 |
| Leader6: | Ibrahim Babangida |
| Year Leader6: | 1985–1993 |
| Leader7: | Sani Abacha |
| Year Leader7: | 1993–1998 |
| Leader8: | Abdulsalami Abubakar |
| Year Leader8: | 1998–1999 |
| Title Representative: | Chief of Staff / Vice President |
| Representative1: | Babafemi Ogundipe (first) |
| Year Representative1: | 1966 |
| Representative2: | Mike Akhigbe (last) |
| Year Representative2: | 1998–1999 |
| Legislature: | None (rule by decree) |
| Stat Year1: | 1991 |
| Stat Area1: | 923768 |
| Stat Pop1: | 88,514,501 |
| Ref Pop1: | [2] |
| Today: | Nigeria Cameroon |
| Drives On: | left (until 2 April 1972)[3] right |
| Time Zone: | WAT |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
The military dictatorship in Nigeria was a period when members of the Nigerian Armed Forces held power in Nigeria from 1966 to 1999 with an interregnum from 1979 to 1983. The military was able to rise to power often with the tacit support of the elite through coup d'états. Since the country became a republic in 1963, there had been a series of military coups.
Military rule i
Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was made the Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria, serving for six months before being overthrown and assassinated in the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup.
Aguiyi-Ironsi was succeeded by General Yakubu Gowon, who established a Supreme Military Council. Gowon held power until July 1975, when he was overthrown in another coup.
Brigadier (later General) Murtala Mohammed succeeded Gowon. Months later, in February 1976, Mohammed was assassinated by Buka Suka Dimka and others in a violent coup attempt. The plotters failed to kill Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, who then succeeded Murtala Mohammed as the head of state.[5] The Supreme Military Council was formally dissolved when Ọbasanjọ handed power to the elected Shehu Shagari, ending the military regime and establishing a Nigerian Second Republic.
The Second Republic was overthrown in the 1983 Nigerian coup d'état and was succeeded by Muhammadu Buhari, who established a new Supreme Military Council of Nigeria as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Buhari ruled for two years, until the 1985 Nigerian coup d'état, when he was overthrown by General Ibrahim Babangida.
General Ibrahim Babangida was promulgated as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and established the Armed Forces Ruling Council. His rule was the longest serving peaceful administration typified as the military off dictatorship of the 20th century. Babangida promised a return of democracy when he seized power, but he ruled Nigeria for eight years, when he temporarily handed power to an interim head of state, Ernest Shonekan, in August 1993.[6]
In 1993, General Sani Abacha overthrew the Interim National Government and appointed himself Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria.
After Abacha's death in 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and ruled until Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ again became head of state (via the 1999 presidential election), ending the junta and establishing the Fourth Nigerian Republic.