Nnamdi Azikiwe
President of Nigeria from 1963 to 1966 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, GCFR PC (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996),[2] usually referred to Zik, was a Nigerian politician, statesman, and revolutionary leader who served as the 3rd governor-general of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963 and the 1st president of Nigeria during the First Nigerian Republic (1963–1966).[3] He is regarded as the "father of Nigerian nationalism", for driving force behind the nation's independence.[4][5][6]
Nnamdi Azikiwe | |
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1st President of Nigeria | |
In office 1 October 1963 – 16 January 1966 | |
Prime Minister | Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa |
Senate President | Nwafor Orizu |
Preceded by | Position established (Elizabeth II as Queen of Nigeria) |
Succeeded by | Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (as Military head of state) |
3rd Governor-General of Nigeria | |
In office 16 November 1960 – 1 October 1963 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | James Robertson |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
1st President of the Senate of Nigeria | |
In office 1 January 1960 – 1 October 1960 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Dennis Osadebay |
Premier of Eastern Nigeria | |
In office 1 October 1954 – 1 October 1959 | |
Preceded by | Eyo Ita |
Succeeded by | Michael Okpara |
2nd President of National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons | |
In office May 1946 – November 1960 | |
Preceded by | Herbert Macaulay |
Succeeded by | Michael Okpara |
Chancellor of University of Nigeria | |
In office 1961–1966 | |
Chancellor of University of Lagos | |
In office 1972–1976 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe (1904-11-16)16 November 1904 Zungeru, Northern Nigeria Protectorate |
Died | 11 May 1996(1996-05-11) (aged 91) Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria |
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Spouses | |
Children | 7
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Born in Zungeru in present-day Niger State to Igbo parents from Onitsha, Anambra State, he learned to speak Hausa (the main indigenous language of the Northern Region). Azikiwe was later sent to live with his aunt and grandmother in Onitsha, where he learnt Igbo language.[7] Staying in Lagos also exposed him to Yoruba; by the time he was in college, he had been exposed to different Nigerian cultures and spoke three languages (an asset as president).
Azikiwe travelled to the United States where he was called Ben Azikiwe and attended Storer College, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Howard University. He contacted colonial authorities with a request to represent Nigeria at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics since he was also a sportsperson.[8] He returned to Africa in 1934, where he began work as a journalist in Gold Coast. In British West Africa, he advocated for Nigerian and African nationalism while working as a journalist and a political leader.[9][10]