Nigerian Politician Shehu Shagari (1925–2018) outside the Palace of Westminster, London

Date: September 27, 1961

Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, GCFR (25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018), was a Nigerian statesman, teacher, and politician who became the first democratically elected President of Nigeria. His presidency marked the beginning of the Second Nigerian Republic in 1979, following the transfer of power from the military government led by General Olusegun Obasanjo.

In 1983, President Shagari issued an executive order mandating that all immigrants residing in Nigeria without valid immigration documents leave the country or face arrest. The directive—popularly known as the “Ghana Must Go” order—was largely aimed at undocumented West African immigrants, predominantly from Ghana. It reportedly followed a series of religious disturbances that had affected parts of northern Nigeria in 1980 and 1981, including the Kano Riots of 1980. The policy led to the mass exodus of over two million people.

Shagari successfully ran for a second term in office in 1983; however, his government was overthrown later that year in a military coup led by then Major General Muhammadu Buhari on December 31, 1983.

On 28 December 2018, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Shehu Shagari passed away at the National Hospital, Abuja, following a brief illness. His death marked the end of an era for one of Nigeria’s most influential post-independence leaders.