Junior officers carried out a bloodless coup while Head of State Yakubu Gowon was abroad, installing Brig. Murtala R. Mohammed as military head of state and Brig. Olusegun Obasanjo as his deputy—opening the 1975–1979 reform and transition period.
Mohammed’s regime appointed a committee to draft a new constitution as part of its stated plan to return Nigeria to civilian rule; the committee first convened in October 1975.
In the aftermath of the February 1976 coup attempt, the regime created the National Security Organization (NSO) to coordinate internal security, foreign intelligence, and counterintelligence functions.
The military government created new states, raising Nigeria’s total to 19. The reorganization was intended to address demands for more balanced federal representation and administrative access.
Mohammed announced the decision to move Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to a new Federal Capital Territory in the Abuja area, aiming for a more central location and a purpose-built seat of government.
A federal decree (later the Federal Capital Territory Act) formally established the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and provided for a Federal Capital Development Authority to plan and administer the new capital project.
Mohammed was killed during an attempted coup led by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka. The coup failed, but the assassination abruptly shifted leadership and accelerated security and succession decisions within the Supreme Military Council.
Following Mohammed’s assassination, the Supreme Military Council selected Olusegun Obasanjo—previously deputy—to lead the government, committing to continue Mohammed’s policies and the planned transition to civilian rule.
Obasanjo launched Operation Feed the Nation to expand domestic food production by mobilizing schools, students, and public messaging while supporting inputs such as fertilizers and extension services—an early hallmark of the regime’s domestic policy agenda.
The constitution drafting committee submitted its draft to the Supreme Military Council, advancing the formal timetable for a return to civilian constitutional government.
Nigeria hosted the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) in Lagos, a major pan-African cultural event that showcased Nigeria’s regional ambitions and oil-boom era state capacity.
The Supreme Military Council established a Constituent Assembly to debate and revise the draft constitution, a key institutional step in the transition program leading to elections and civilian rule.
The Constituent Assembly opened its deliberations, debating the draft constitution and major institutional design questions for the planned civilian order.
The Land Use Decree of 1978 was published in the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Official Gazette, centralizing land control in state authorities and reshaping land administration and urban development frameworks for decades.
Obasanjo lifted restrictions on political parties and ended the state of emergency; the Constituent Assembly submitted a draft constitution that established a U.S.-style presidential system—clearing the way for party politics and national elections.
Nigeria held its first presidential election of the transition era. Shehu Shagari won and was declared president-elect, completing the electoral phase of the handover from military to civilian rule.
Nigeria’s Supreme Court decided the principal legal challenge to Shagari’s victory, affirming the election outcome and removing a major uncertainty ahead of the civilian inauguration.
Obasanjo formally transferred authority to President Shehu Shagari, inaugurating Nigeria’s Second Republic and concluding the 1975–1979 military leadership period.
Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo military leadership (1975–1979)
