On September 30, 1960, the British Government sent congratulatory messages to Nigeria ahead of its historic independence.
The messages sent to the Prime Minister of Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, by the British Government came from the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, the Secretary of States for the Colonies at that time, Mr. Iain Macleod and the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, Duncan Sandys. Their messages to Nigeria signified the official support of the British government for Nigeria's independence having been colonised by Britain for several decades.
They wished Nigeria well and expressed their intentions for Nigeria and Britain to maintain a cordial relations afterwards while also showing their enthusiasm to seen Nigeria join the Commonwealth of Nations. While Nigeria became independent on October 1st 1960, it remained largely controlled by the United Kingdom until in 1963 when it attained the status of a Republic.
Although it is about to mark its 64th years of independence, many Nigerians still ask if the country is truly independent since it still largely depends on the United Kingdom, and some other developed countries in many ways. Critics contend that what might be responsible for this is that, unlike some countries such as the US that fought hard and earned their freedom, Nigeria did not do so, rather, it waited to be granted independence by its former colonial master.
Other key events on this day
1. Microsoft Corp released Internet Explorer 4.0 - 1997
2. The first book was published, Johann Guttenberg's Bible - 1452
3. USS Nautilus, world's first nuclear submarine, was commissioned - 1954
4. Lawrence of Arabia led liberation forces into Damascus - 1918
5. Botswana became independent - 1966
6. Berlin airlift ended - 1949
7. Robinson Crusoe of the famous novel by Daniel Defoe was shipwrecked - 1659
8. Queen Isabella of Spain was deposed and she fled to France - 1868
9. Iran rejected a truce call from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein - 1980
10. Senegambia separated back into Gambia and Senegal - 1989.
Comments