Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe Biography

Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first President of Nigeria. Before becoming the president he served as the second and last Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria, and was also the first Nigerian named to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. A principled and much loved politician, he began his career as an educator at the Lincoln University, teaching political science. He always had a profound interest in politics and was also a very eloquent writer. He devised a "Syllabus for African History" and penned several books outlining his pan-African ideology. Eventually he became a newspaper editor and promoted a pro-African nationalist agenda. Fiercely independent, he was never afraid of openly expressing his thoughts and opinions. During that time Nigeria was reeling under British rule and he founded a newspaper called ‘The West African Pilot’ to fight for independence from the British colonial rule. He joined Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), one of the first nationalist organizations in Nigeria and entered politics. He held numerous posts during his illustrious political career and ultimately became the first President of Nigeria when the country became a republic in 1963. However, he was removed from power following a military coup in 1966 and narrowly escaped assassination attempts on his life.