Nigeria gained independence in 1960, with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state from 1960 to 1963. The country was a parliamentary monarchy with a Prime Minister as head of government.
The following is a list of Nigerian leaders since 1960:
1. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the Prime Minister from 1960 to 1963, under the NPC Political Party
2. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the President from 1963 to 1966, under the NCNC Political Party
3. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was the Head of State in 1966, under the Military Rule.
4. Yakubu Gowon was the Head of State from 1966 to 1975, under the Military Rule.
5. Murtala Mohammed the Head of State from 1975 to 1976, under the Military Rule.
6. Olusegun Obasanjo (1st term) the Head of State from 1975 to 1979, under the Military Rule.
7. Shehu Shagari was the President from 1979 to 1983, under the NPN Political Party
8. Muhammadu Buhari (1st term) was the Head of State from 1983 to 1985, under the Military Rule.
9. Ibrahim Babangida was the Head of State from 1985 to 1993, under the Military Rule.
10. Ernest Shonekan was an Interim President 1993.
11. Sani Abacha was the Head of State from 1993 to 1998, under the Military Rule.
12. Abdulsalami Abubakar was the Head of State from 1998 to 1999, under the Military Rule.
13. Olusegun Obasanjo (2nd term) was the President from 1999 to 2007, under the PDP Political Party.
14. Umaru Yar’Adua was the President from 2007 to 2010, under the PDP Political Party.
15. Goodluck Jonathan was the President from 2010 to 2015, under the PDP Political Party.
16. Muhammadu Buhari (2nd term) was the President from 2015 to 2023, under the APC Political Party.
17. Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the current President of Nigeria. He was declared winner of the 2023 presidential election on 1st March 2023 by INEC under the APC Political Party
Reference Sources:
https://nigerianleaders.com Presidential Records Archive of Nigeria
