On October 1, 1960, Nigeria became a sovereign state after years of British colonial rule. Notwithstanding the independence, the country maintained the British system of government, with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state and Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the Prime Minister.
At Independence in 1960, the population of Nigeria was estimated at 45.1 million people. Figures from 2025 estimate the country’s population at over 234 million people, making Nigeria the most populous black nation.
Then, on October 1, 1963. The country would transition from the parliamentary system, which was practised at independence, to become the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under a new Constitution, thereby establishing the office of the President.
Nnamdi Azikiwe, the former Governor-General, became the first President under the new Constitution, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa maintaining his office as the Prime Minister. It is worth noting that Balewa was the only Prime Minister that Nigeria produced.
The first Republic continued until the first coup of January 15, 1966, by Major Thomas Aguyi Ironsi, who seized power. Balewa was killed in the coup, bringing an end to the office of the Prime Minister. Instability ensued. And the Civil War between 1967 and 1970. Even after the end of the civil war in 1970, the khaki boys held onto power until 1979, when the Second Republic was born, with the election of Alhaji Shehu Shagari as President under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
It was not long after, in 1983, that the khaki boys sent the civilians packing again. The late Major General Muhammadu Buhari, who was ousted from power years later and elected president twice, had seized power. That ended the Second Republic.
From then, it’d been one military interregnum to another, with successive governments coming with flamboyant and catchy phrases, promising to end hunger, improve livelihoods, provide education, housing, and a better life for all.
In these years, dreams have been achieved, hopes dashed, and citizens made refugees in their own country. The case of the Tiv massacre (Zaki Biam massacre), genocide on Tiv farming communities, and unbridled looting of public funds by Nigerian politicians in cohorts with their own in the organised private sector and otherwise, in the face of instability, are stark realities of post-independence Nigeria.
Another catchy phrase is on the front burner today: Renewed Hope. How far has the hope of Nigerians been renewed in the last two years, compared to the 65 years since the Union Jack was lowered and the Green, White, and Green hoisted? The answer lies in the living conditions of Nigerians, their security, the ease of doing business, and what the future holds for the people.
In these 65 years, Benue and other states have been established. Today in Benue, a new face has emerged. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the Executive Governor. He appears to have a mindset: to do for the people what they themselves cannot do individually.
October 1, 2025, presents Nigerians, yet again, with the opportunity to reflect on the labours of heroes past. And what this generation of Nigerian politicians is doing to better the lot of Nigerians.
Evidentially, there is hope for a greater Nigeria – the Nigeria that is the giant of Africa, and indeed, Benue, one of the federating states of the country.
