Prime Minister of Nigeria
| Prime Minister of Nigeria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Appointer | Governor-General of Nigeria (1960–1963) President of Nigeria (1963–1966; 1993) |
| Formation | 1 October 1960 4 January 1993 |
| First holder | Abubakar Tafawa Balewa |
| Final holder | Ernest Shonekan |
| Abolished | 15 January 1966 26 August 1993 |
The Prime Minister of Nigeria was the head of government of Nigeria from 1960 to 1966.
History of the office
When Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960, it originally had a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.
But in 1963, Nigeria ended its status as a Commonwealth Realm and became a republic. The head of state was the President, while the Prime Minister served as the head of government. In 1966, the office of prime minister was abolished (as the inaugural holder of the office, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa had been assassinated) and since then, Nigeria has been a Presidential republic with the President as the head of state and head of government.
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (December 2013) |
Prime Minister of Nigeria (1960–1966)
- Parties
| # | Picture | Name (Born–Died) |
Took office | Left office | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime Minister of the Federation of Nigeria | |||||
| 1 |  |
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1912–1966) |
1 October 1960 | 1 October 1963 | Northern People's Congress |
| Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria | |||||
| (1) | |
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (1912–1966) |
1 October 1963 | 15 January 1966 (Assassinated) |
Northern People's Congress |
| Post abolished (15 January 1966 – 4 January 1993) | |||||
| 2 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Ernest Shonekan (1936–) |
4 January 1993 | 26 August 1993 | Independent |
| Post abolished (26 August 1993 – Present) | |||||