So last time, we talked about the best president in Nigeria from 1960 till date. Today, we will rank the best Nigerian Heads of State and their achievements. As usual, note that ranking will be for military leaders who ruled Nigeria after overthrowing the civilian rule in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
The military dictatorship was an era where the military took power often with the tacit support of the elite through coup d’ètats. Nigeria witnessed a series of military coups from 1963 to 1993. The military dictatorship is not often remembered with fond memories as they witnessed a lot of conflict including one of the deadliest civil wars the African continent has ever witnessed – the Nigerian-Biafra civil war. However, some of the military Heads of State tried their best to move the country forward, especially after the war.
Here is a ranking of the best Nigerian Heads of State and their achievements.
Best Nigerian Heads of State and their achievements
Here are the top 9 best Nigerian Heads of State and their achievements in reverse order.
9. Ernest Shonekan
Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan GCFR was a lawyer and statesman who was appointed interim Head of State from August 26, 1993, to November 17, 1993. Prior to his appointment, he was the chairman and chief executive of the United African Company of Nigeria. Born in 1936 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Shonekan received a law degree from the University of London and was called to the bar.
Although he wasn’t in the military, he assumed office simultaneously as head of the transitional council and head of government under General Ibrahim Babangida. However, he didn’t spend up to 100 days in office before he was overthrown. As a result, there was no notable achievement as his government was generally regarded as weak and illegitimate.
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8. Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi MVO, MBE was Nigeria’s first military Head of State. Born in Umuahia, Abia State in 1924, Aguiyi Ironsi joined the Nigerian Army in 1942 as a private and was advanced Major General in 1964. Aguiyi-Ironsi took over power when a group of army officers, led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, overthrew the central and regional governments of Nigeria, killing the prime minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. He ruled from January 16, 1966, until his assassination on July 29, 1966.
During his short-lived administration, Aguiyi-Ironsi brought the Nigerian federation into a unitary system, like the military command hierarchy. However, his government was born in crisis after the failed coup that led to the popular July Counter Coup which saw his assassination after six months in power.
7. General Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu Gowon was Nigeria’s second military Head of State who is famous for his “no victor, no vanquished” after the end of the Nigerian-Biafran civil war. Gowon was born in 1934 in Kanke, Plateau State, Nigeria. A native of Angas from Lur, a small village in the present Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, he joined the Nigerian Army in 1954 and received his commission as a second lieutenant on 19 October 1955 when he was 21 years old.
Gowon took over power after Aguiyi-Ironsi was overthrown and killed in a counter coup on July 29, 1966. He is also Nigeria’s youngest military chief of staff at the age of 31 and the longest serving Head of State after ruling for nine years before he was overthrown in a peaceful coup by Brigadier Murtala Mohammed. During his rule, Gowon created 12 out of the 36 states in Nigeria today. He also introduced the National Youth Service Corps Scheme, (NYSC) to encourage integration and federal character in Nigeria. The scheme still exists today. Gowon enjoyed the first oil boom and built infrastructure and created the first National Development Plan for Nigeria after the civil war.
However, his administration was marred by religious and ethnic conflicts which saw the killing of over 30, 000 Igbos in northern Nigeria. The killings contributed to the infamous civil war that saw over two million Biafran civilians, mostly children, dead. In addition, Gowon’s administration was accused of mismanaging the oil boom of the 1970s.
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6. General Abdulsalami Abubakar
General Abdulsalami Abubakar GCFR served as the de facto President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999 after Sani Abacha died. Prior to that, he was Chief of Defence Staff between 1997 and 1998. Born in 1942 in Minna, Niger State, Abubakar was one of the pioneering sets of officer cadets who enlisted into the Nigerian Air force on October 3, 1963. He officially joined the army in 1966.
Although his government was short-lived, Abubakar’s greatest legacy is establishing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), organising a transition to civil rule by handing over power to civilian president Olusegun Obasanjo and releasing those detained or jailed by Abacha for political reasons. However, he was accused of supporting Abacha’s government which was notorious for human rights abuses that also led to the death of 1993 unofficial president-elect Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. Some members of his government were also accused of corruption.
5. General Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida GCFR was Nigeria’s Head of State from 1985 until his resignation in 1993. Born in 1941 in Minna, Niger State, Babangida joined the army on December 10, 1962, when he attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna. He became Nigeria’s head of state after overthrowing Muhammadu Buhari/Tunde Idiagbon’s administration on August 27, 1985.
Babangida’s regime introduced the Structural Adjustment Program which involved deregulation of the agricultural sector, elimination of price controls, privatization of public enterprises, and Naira devaluation to help the competitiveness of export among others. He also introduced private broadcasting and established the Federal Road Safety Corps, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the National Directorate of Employment among others.
However, Babangida will always be remembered for annulling the June 12, 1993 elections. His government was also accused of encouraging corruption and violating human rights.
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4. General Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was Nigeria’s military Head of State from 1993 until his death in 1998. Born in Kano, Abacha joined the Nigerian Army after attending the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna and getting commissioned in 1963.
Prior to becoming the Head of State, Abacha was involved in several coups – July 1966 counter-coup, 1983 coup, 1985 coup, and 1993 coup that brought him into power. His government has one of the best economic achievements in Nigeria as he increased Nigerian foreign reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the center of 1997. Abacha also set up the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) which saw major infrastructural development across the country. He also finalised the NLG project from which Nigeria now earns billions of dollars yearly.
However, his government recorded one of the worst human rights abuses in Nigeria’s history. Kudirat Abiola, wife of MKO Abiola, was murdered in cold blood under Abacha’s government. Abacha was also accused of massive corruption, aka, Abacha Loot, and state terrorism.
3. General Muhammadu Buhari
General Muhammadu Buhari served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from December 31, 1983, to August 27, 1985, before he was overthrown by Babangida in a coup. Born in 1942, in Daura, Katsina State, Buhari enrolled in the Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) in 1962.
Buhari became the military Head of State after he overthrew Shehu Shagari’s government in the Second Republic. Tunde Idiagbon was appointed Chief of General Staff (second in command). The duo introduced a strict campaign against indiscipline and corruption. They also jailed politicians and enforced strict military rule. However, Buhari’s government was ineffective in addressing the economic problems he inherited. He was also accused of violating human rights and stifling press freedom.
Buhari currently serves as Nigeria’s president after he was elected in 2015 and re-elected for a second tenure in 2019.
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2. Murtala Muhammed
General Murtala Ramat Muhammed served as Nigeria’s Head of State from July 30, 1975, until his assassination on February 13, 1976. Born in a ruling class religious family in 1938 in Kano, Muhammed joined the Nigerian Army in 1958. He was part of the northern soldiers that staged the 1966 counter-coup where Aguiyi Ironsi was assassinated.
Murtala Muhammed also participated heavily in the Nigerian civil war where he led Nigeria’s second infantry division which was responsible for the death of 10,000 to 30,000 Biafran civilians. On 29 July 1975, he overthrew Yakubu Gowon’s government to become the Head of State. He became the first leader to introduce the phrases “Fellow Nigerians” and “with immediate effect” to the national lexicon. In addition, he was the first to take the decision to move the federal capital to Abuja, increased the existing 12 states to 19, and set up a Public Complaints Commission which gave probity to the public. He was also active in the liberation movements in Africa.
General Muhammed was assassinated on 13 February 1976 on his way to work after 200 days in office. Although his administration was short, his remarkable achievements have made him one of Nigeria’s greatest heroes in history.
1. General Olusegun Obasanjo
General Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, GCFR served as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1976 to 1979. Prior to that, he was Murtala Muhammed’s Chief of Staff, Supreme HQ whom he succeeded after he died in 1976. Born in Ibogun-Olaogun, in Ogun State, Obasanjo joined the army in 1958.
Obasanjo was known to be critical of coups as an instrument of regime change. He reportedly did not participate in any military coups. Here are his remarkable achievements during his administration as Head of State:
- Obasanjo oversaw budgetary cutbacks and an expansion in access to free school education.
- He restored peace and security in the capital following Murtala Muhammed’s death.
- Under his administration, there was a resurgence of industrialization previously ended because of the effects of the Nigerian civil war.
- He built major infrastructure, including roads, ports, and refineries.
- Obasanjo handed over power to a democratically-elected president, Shehu Shagari after overseeing the presidential elections in 1979.
- He preached a return to agriculture and less dependence on oil revenue. He demonstrated his stance by resigning as Head of State and after overseeing a successful transfer to civilian rule and returning to Ota to become a farmer.
Obasanjo’s successful rule as Nigeria’s Head of State earned him a reputation as a Nigerian hero. However, his government was also accused of human rights violations. But his good works spoke for him as he was elected Nigeria’s civilian president in 1999.
Who is your best Nigerian Head of State?
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