Celebrated annual on the first day of October, Nigeria’s National Day marks the anniversary of the country’s proclamation of independence from British rule on 1st October 1960.
In 1914, the Southern Nigeria Protectorate was combined with the Northern Nigeria Protectorate to create the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, which has the borders of modern-day Nigeria.
By the late 1950s, the call for independence of territories in Africa and the decline of the British Empire led to the country being granted independence on 1st October 1960 as the Federation of Nigeria.
Three years later, the constitution was amended and the country was declared the Federal Republic of Nigeria with Nnamdi Azikiwe, previously Governor-General, as the first President.
