Nigeria at 60 – Chronicling the Tenure and Age of Leaders

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Why We L👀ked Into This »🎨 This post was inspired by a tweet – ‘By Independence Day, Nigeria would have had 30 years, 10 months of democratic rule, 28 years,11 months of military rule, 3 months of civilian interim rule.’ We researched this statement and produced visuals to summarize the findings from the data.

 

Days Spent in Office by Heads of Government in Nigeria

• By the time President Muhammadu Buhari completes his tenure, he will be the second leader after former President Olusegun Obasanjo to have spent most days as a President/Head of State. This will be 2,923 days (96 months, 1 day).
• Chief Nnamdi Azikwe is the only President to have spent the least amount of time followed by Umar Musa Yar’Adua.

 

Ages of Leaders at Assumption of Office

• Between 1966 to 1979, there were three military rulers who occupied office at 31, 36 and 38 years old.
• The youngest democratic leader remains Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa at the age of 47.
• There was confusion over Former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s birthday in 2008 after congratulatory messages appeared on newspapers citing July 9, 1951.
• Former President Olusegun Obasanjo once said he did not know his true age but he remembered his mother gave birth to him on a market day.

 

The Youngest and Oldest Leaders at Assumption of Office

• The average age of the leaders is 50 years.

 

Comprehensive List of Nigeria’s Leaders from 1960 to 2023

• On July 30, 1966, there appeared to be a vacuum in power following the cop that took place the previous day. However, General Yakubu Gowon made his official announcement on August 1, 1966.
• When a Nigerian leader dies in office (natural death), someone else takes over the next day. This occurred during the deaths of Abacha and Yar’Adua.