Nigerian History Flashcards
War named for a Nigerian ethnic group where that group launched a Jihad against Hausa kingdoms in the south, forming the Sokoto Caliphate.
Fulani War
British colonial official who combined the Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria protectorates, becoming the first Governor General of Nigeria.
Frederick Lugard
Leader of the Nigerian independence movement who became the first president of Nigeria.
Nnamdi Azikiwe
Bloody post-colonial Nigerian civil war sparked by Igbo secessionists. Led to the creation of Doctors Without Borders.
Biafran War
Military leader who took over Nigeria, but then transitioned the country to representative democracy. So popular he was the first elected leader of Nigeria after the Abacha years.
Olusegun Obasanjo
Brutal and horrific 1990s dictator of Nigeria. He had the activist Ken Saro-Wiwa executed after he protested Royal Dutch Shell’s exploitative activities.
Sani Abacha
Name given to Sani Abacha’s sudden death. Legend says it was because of a poisoned apple from a concubine.
Coup from Heaven
Islamic militant organization in Nigeria, officially ISIS’s province in West Africa.
Boko Haram
Two main political parties of Nigeria.
APC (All Progressives Congress) - Centre-Left
PDP (People’s Democratic Party) - Centre-Right
PDP President until a 2015 election, when he conceded to his successor in Nigeria’s first ever peaceful transition of power.
Goodluck Jonathan
APC President since 2015, he won another election in 2019.
Muhammadu Buhari