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The first president of Nigeria was Nnamdi Azikiwe. He served as the ceremonial president from 1 October 1963 to 16 January 1966 after Nigeria became a republic with Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the prime minister.
Before his presidential position, he was Premier of Eastern Nigeria from 1954 to 1959 and also served as the first president of the Nigeria senate from January to October 1960 (shortly before the country’s independence), after which he was named as the governor-general till the country became a republic in 1963.
He was one of the many nationalist elite who fought for Nigeria’s freedom. His news paper publication “West African pilot” and his other news paper brands scattered around major cities in the country which he uses to promote the nationalism movement gave it a massive boost.
Nnamdi Azikiwe was born on 16 November 1904 in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria Protectorate (present day Niger state).
He was married to Flora Ogoegbunam who died in 1983 after 47 years of marriage; and Uche Ewah who he married in 1973.
Azikiwe had seven children: Chukwuma Azikiwe, Emeka A. Azikiwe, Nwachukwu Azikiwe, Ngozi Azikiwe, Molokwu Azikiwe, Uwakwe Azikiwe, Jayzik Azikiwe.
He died at the age of 91 on 11 May 1996 in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria.
The first president of Nigeria was Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe
He was born in Zungeru, Niger state on 16 November 1904 to the family of Obed-Edom Chukwuemeka Azikiwe. He then lived in Onitsha and Lagos while growing up making him fluent in Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba languages of Nigeria.
Nnamdi Azikiwe became the first president of Nigeria in 1963 although it was a ceremonial position.
Prior to this, he had a reputation of a nationalist and was the premier of Nigeria’s Eastern Region in 1954.
He became the governor-general on 16 November 1960, a position that was later changed to the ceremonial president after Nigeria became a republic in 1963.
He was removed from office after Aguiyi Ironsi took over government in 1966.
He contested in the 1979 and 1983 presidential elections but was unsuccessful in both.
Nnamdi Azikiwe died on 11 May 1996 at the University of Nigeria teaching hospital and was buried in Onitsha.
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