- Olusegun Obasanjo introduced the N20 note as head of state
- February 2014 Konduga massacre
- 30 killed, 18 vehicles, houses burnt in fresh Boko Haram attack
- 1961 British Cameroons referendum
- Boko Haram tackle Chadian troops in Gamburu
- Gospel artiste, Eric Arugbayi’s death
John Dalberg-Acton asserts that history is an illumination of the soul rather than a burden on the memory.
It is generally accepted that those who admit their prior mistakes, successes, and flaws rather than trying to forget them are more likely to succeed.
We must tell our stories and reflect in good times and bad as a people of intellect and insight.
However, February 11 in Nigerian history was shaped by seven important occasions. When we think back on these occasions, they serve as a reminder of our country’s worst period while also bolstering our will to always overcome it. They are crucial to Nigeria’s development.
Olusegun Obasanjo introduced the N20 note as head of state
Olusegun Obasanjo, the nation’s then-military leader, unveiled the 20 Naira note on this date in 1977, February 11.
General Murtala Mohammed, the assassinated head of state and Obasanjo’s principal, is depicted on the new currency.
Its highest denomination was when it was first introduced in Nigeria. The introduction of N20 was warmly welcomed by Nigerians due to their preference for cash transactions and the requirement for convenience while carrying cash.
February 2014 Konduga massacre
On this date, February 11, 2014, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram militants ruthlessly attacked a village with a high percentage of Christians.
Northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State, in Konduga, is where the slaughter took place. Dozens of assailants assaulted the village while dressed in military garb.
They shot some of their victims, while they cut the necks of others. Islamists from Boko Haram killed Christian villages during the atrocity. A minimum of 62 individuals died.
30 killed, 18 vehicles, houses burnt in fresh Boko Haram attack
Insurgents from Boko Haram killed at least 30 people on Sunday night, 11th of February in 2020 when they attacked the town of Auno, which is 20 kilometers from Maiduguri, the state capital.
Along with the victims of the attack, numerous other people—including women and children—were also kidnapped; 18 vehicles and a number of homes were also destroyed.
According to a source, the insurgents entered the neighborhood at 10 p.m. and began firing sporadically at everyone they saw.
The source claimed that “the militants abducted a number of women and children, killing no less than 30 persons, most of whom were motorists, and destroying 18 vehicles.”
1961 British Cameroons referendum
A United Nations referendum was held in British Cameroons on this day, February 11, 1961, to decide whether the region should join Nigeria or its neighbor Cameroon.
This came after a poll in Northern Cameroon in 1959 that decided to put off making a choice.
The UK representative to the UN Trusteeship Council Andrew Cohen, as well as African and anti-colonial delegations, including E. M. L. Endeley, who supported integration with Nigeria, and John Ngu Foncha, who supported (eventual) reunification with Francophone Cameroon, opposed the option of independence being put on the ballot.
60% of the predominantly Muslim Northern Cameroons supported joining Nigeria, while 70% of the predominantly Christian Southern Cameroons supported merger with Cameroon.
On June 1, Northern Cameroon became Sardauna Province, a division of Nigeria’s Northern Region, and on October 1, Southern Cameroons became West Cameroon, one of the Federal Republic of Cameroon’s two federated republics.
Boko Haram tackle Chadian troops in Gamburu
Boko Haram attacked Chadian forces on this date in 2015, February 11, in Gamburu, Borno. Thirteen people were killed in this attack.
It was discovered that during the conflict between the insurgents and the military, the Chadian military had killed thirteen insurrectionists.
Eric Arugbayi’s death
Eric Arugbayi, a famous Nigerian gospel performer and West Africa Idol star, passed away at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital on this day, February 11, 2017.
In a conversation with Vanguard Newspaper, his brother, Derreck Arubayi, confirmed the death of the 34-year-old gospel performer and revealed that the deceased became ill after taking a medicine that was no longer effective in treating his malaria and typhoid condition.
He claimed: “He had untreated malaria and typhoid. After he took a prescription that had expired, which caused his liver condition to worsen later, everything else just happened quickly before his death.
