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Democracy Day in Nigeria (What you need to know)

By Keghyol Solomon Democracy Day is a  public holiday  in  Nigeria . It is held annually on  May 29 . This public holiday commemorates the restoration of democracy in the  Federal Republic of Nigeria , when the newly elected  Olusegun Obasanjo  took office as the  President of Nigeria  in May 1999 ending multiple decades of military rule that began in 1966 and had been interrupted only by a brief period of democracy from 1979 to 1983. After gaining independence in 1960 from  Great Britain , Nigeria fell prey to  civil war  and the first of many military coups in 1966. Democracy was briefly restored from 1979 to 1983, but for most of its independent history, Nigeria was ruled by a series of  military juntas . The last major military ruler, Gen.  Sani Abacha , died suddenly in 1998. His successor, Gen.  Abdulsalami Abubakar  promised a transition to democracy, and accordingly a new  constitution ...