By Nehi Igbinijesu
The month of January in Nigeria’s history has often been characterized by policy shifts, political upheaval and the founding of institutions.
Here are six events that occurred in January in Nigeria;
1. The Naira became Nigeria’s currency
On January 1, 1973, Nigeria officially changed its currency from the Nigerian Pound to the Nigerian Naira. The Nigerian Pound which comprised of 20 Shillings of 12 Pence each was replaced by a decimal Naira of 100 kobo. The Nigerian Pound (which was at par with the British pound at the time) exchanged at 1 Pound to 2 Naira at the Naira’s inception.
2. The Aburi Conference opened
On the 4th of January 1967, a conference to prevent civil war opened in Aburi, Ghana. Having traded several accusations as to the cause of political turmoil in the country, the Supreme Military Council under Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon agreed to meet in Ghana with Lt. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu, then Governor of Eastern Nigeria, to try to resolve the tensions that had resulted in ethnic cleansing between the North and the East. The decisions reached at the conference offered an opportunity to rewrite a constitution that was all-embracing and federal in character. The Aburi Accord however did not hold long as civil war broke out on 6 July 1967.
3. Ghana Must Go
On 17 January 1983, The Federal Government issued a 14 –day ultimatum to illegal aliens to leave the country or face prosecution and deportation. The move was largely targeted at millions of Ghanaians who were subsisting illegally in Nigeria. The saga also popularized the “Ghana must go” bags which many of the illegal immigrants used on their return to their home countries.
4. Faith Tabernacle adjudged world’s largest church
On 24 January 2008, the Faith Tabernacle, headquarters of the Living Faith Church International also known as Winners’ Chapel, was listed by the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest church. With a sitting capacity of 50,400 people and an overflow for 250,000 people, the edifice is reputed to have been built with wholly Nigerian input-man and material.
5. Ikeja explodes
On Sunday 27 January 2002, Lagos residents were rocked by several explosions emanating from the munitions store at the Ikeja Military Cantonment. Apparently, the stored explosives had been abruptly denoted by a fire, causing enormous panic and destruction to property within its environs. An estimated 1,100 lives were lost and another 20,000 people displaced. Though the Army apologized for negligence on its part, the recovery process was slow and expensive. It also brought to light government’s poverty in emergency management and response which have been improved upon over the last few years.
6. The coinage “Nigeria” was first published
On 7 January 1897, Lady Flora Shaw’s coinage, “Nigeria” appeared for the first time in a British newspaper, The Times, London. The name, “Nigeria” was used to identify the Berlin Conference demarcation allotted the British in 1884. The British colonial administration christened both its northern and southern protectorates with the name Nigeria in 1900. The protectorates were later amalgamated by Lord Lugard on 1 January 1914 for purely economic reasons. And so, the fusion of both components will be 100 years old on 1 January 2014 when a grand centenary celebration hosted by the Federal Government is billed to hold across the country.
