1966 · Military
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
A short, political interlude: the crisis was about power and unity, not the economy.
Scorecard
Too short to score Military: took power unconstitutionally
Military government. Took power unconstitutionally; political rights are not scored here (see Freedom House), §5
Too short to score
Fewer than two scored calendar years under the 183-day rule (§3): 1 scored year(s) (1966). No outcome, credibility, reforms or composite score is given.
- Finance ministers
- None listed for 1966 in the Wikipedia list used here (Awolowo took the post in 1967 under Gowon). Treat as unverified.
- CBN governors
- Aliyu Mai-Bornu
- Signature move
- No economic programme to speak of. The defining decision, Decree No. 34 (May 1966), replaced the federation with a unitary state.
- Oil price context
- About $1.8 a barrel (nominal).
Key actions
- 16 Jan 1966 Takes power after the failed 15 January coup. [wiki_ironsi]
- May 1966 Decree No. 34 abolishes the federal structure. [wiki_ironsi]
- 29 Jul 1966 Killed in the counter-coup. [wiki_ironsi]
Context data (not scored)
| Year | CPI inflation | GDP growth | Official rate (₦ per $) | Oil ($/bbl) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 9.69% | -4.25% | 0.714 | 1.8 |
No score to challenge. This government held office too briefly to be scored, so it has no score of any kind. Spotted an error in the facts on this card? Email [email protected] with your source. How public review works
Sources for this card (5)
- EI_OIL Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy 2026 via Our World in Data, annual crude price (nominal US$/m3; divided by 6.2898 to get US$/bbl)
- WDI_CPI_1960 World Bank WDI API, FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG, Nigeria, 1960-2025 (last updated 2026-07-13)
- WDI_FX_1960 World Bank WDI API, PA.NUS.FCRF (official exchange rate, LCU per US$, period average; pre-1973 values in naira-equivalent units), Nigeria, 1960-2025 (last updated 2026-07-13)
- WDI_GDP_1960 World Bank WDI API, NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG, Nigeria, 1961-2025 (last updated 2026-07-13)
- wiki_ironsi Wikipedia, 'Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi', accessed 1 Oct 2026