- Nigeria ends 15 years of military rule through ballot
- FG deported 11,000 foreigners over Boko Haram fears
- Boko Haram attacked and killed at least 24 Nigerian security personnel
- Bandits invaded boarding school, abducted more than 300 students
- Pius Adesanmi’s birthdate
According to Kurt Vonnegut, history is merely a list of surprises which can only prepare us to be surprised yet again.
When we share our tales, we must do so courageously and take conscious of lessons from earlier experiences. We must also take note of past events in order to make new judgments and to carefully record past happenings.
In an effort to raise awareness for educational and enlightenment purposes, WITHIN NIGERIA highlighted five notable events that took place on 27th February in Nigeria.
Nigeria ends 15 years of military rule through ballot
On this date, 27th of February in 1999, Nigerians who were eligible voters trooped out enmasse to elect a civilian president which ended 15 years of military rule.
This election took place after the 1993 military coup. The result was a victory for Olusegun Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party, who defeated Olu Falae, who was running on a joint Alliance for Democracy; All People’s Party ticket.
General Obasanjo had captured 61 per cent of the vote after 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the federal capital had declared their results.
FG deported 11,000 foreigners over Boko Haram fears
On this date, 27th of February in 2012, the Federal Government has deported about 11,000 foreigners mainly from Niger and Chad over the past six months to control a growing Islamist insurgency.
“The latest number of foreigners repatriated as at this morning is 11,000,” NIS public relations officer, Joachim Olumba said.
“The bulk of them are from Niger and Chad.”
Boko Haram attacked and killed at least 24 Nigerian security personnel.
On this date, 27th of February in 2014, Boko Haram attacked a Nigerian military base and adjacent police barracks simultaneously in the northeastern town of Buni Yadi, killing at least 24 security personnel.
According to security sources, the attack late on Monday in Yobe state occurred not far from where the Islamist insurgents shot or burned to death 59 pupils at a boarding school in February.
Bandits invaded boarding school, abducted more than 300 students
On this date, 27th February in 2021, bandits invaded Government Girls’ Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State with Hilux vehicles and motorcycles and forcefully evacuated some of the students.
According to reports, some of the bandits were in uniforms and pretended to be security personnel, then later broke into the students’ hostels and abducted more than 300 of them.
A teacher in the school located on the outskirts of Kwanar Bagare, who confirmed the attack to BBC Hausa, put the number of kidnapped students at about 300.
Pius Adesanmi’s birthdate
On this date, 27th of February in 1972, Nigerian – Canadian professor, Pius Adesanmi was born.
Pius Adebola Adesanmi was a Nigerian-born Canadian professor, writer, literary critic, satirist, and columnist. He was the author of Naija No Dey Carry Last, a 2015 collection of satirical essays. Adesanmi died on 10 March 2019, when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed shortly after take-off.
Adesanmi was born in Isanlu, in Yagba East Local Government area of Kogi State, Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in French language from the University of Ilorin in 1992, a Master’s degree in French from the University of Ibadan in 1998, and a PhD in French Studies from the University of British Columbia, Canada, in 2002.
Adesanmi was a Fellow of the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA) from 1993 to 1997, and of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) in 1998 and 2000.
From 2002 to 2005, he was Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. In 2006, he joined Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada, as a Professor of literature and African studies. He was the director of the university’s Institute of African Studies until his death.