2020 in Nigeria

The following is a list of events in 2020 in Nigeria.

← 2019 2018 2017 2020 in Nigeria → 2021 2022 2023
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2020 Timeline of Nigerian history

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Muhammadu Buhari (APC) (since 29 May 2015)[1]
• Vice President: Yemi Osinbajo (APC) (since 29 May 2015)[1]
• Chief Justice: Mahmud Mohammed

Governors

• Abia State: Okezie Ikpeazu (PDP)
• Adamawa State: Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (PDP)
• Akwa Ibom State: Udom Gabriel Emmanuel (PDP)
• Anambra State: Willie Obiano (APGA)
• Bauchi State: Bala Muhammed (PDP)
• Bayelsa State: Duoye Diri (PDP)
• Benue State: Samuel Ortom (PDP)
• Borno State: BabaGana Umara (APC)
• Cross River State: Benedict Ayade (PDP)
• Delta State: Ifeanyi Okowa (PDP)
• Ebonyi State: Dave Umahi (PDP)
• Edo State: Godwin Obaseki (APC)
• Ekiti State: Kayode Fayemi (APC)
• Enugu State: Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (PDP)
• Gombe State: Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (APC)
• Imo State: Hope Uzodinma (APC)
• Jigawa State: Badaru Abubakar (APC)
• Kaduna State: Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai (APC)
• Kano State: Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (APC)
• Katsina State: Aminu Bello Masari (APC)
• Kebbi State: Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (APC)
• Kogi State: Yahaya Bello (APC)
• Kwara State: AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq (APC)
• Lagos State: Babajide Sanwo-Olu (APC)
• Nasarawa State: Abdullahi Sule (APC)
• Niger State: Abubakar Sani Bello (APC)
• Ogun State: Dapo Abiodun (APC)
• Ondo State: Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (APC)
• Osun State: Adegboyega Oyetola (APC)
• Oyo State: Oluwaseyi Makinde (PDP)
• Plateau State: Simon Lalong (APC)
• Rivers State: Ezenwo Nyesom Wike (PDP) (since 29 May 2015)
• Sokoto State: Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (PDP)
• Taraba State: Arch. Darius Ishaku (PDP)
• Yobe State: Mai Mala Buni (APC)
• Zamfara State: Bello Matawalle (PDP)

Events

January

• 1 January – New Year's Day Public holiday[2]
• 3 January – 19 people are killed and homes and other buildings are burned by unidentified gunmen in Tawari, Kogi State. Al Jazeera, 3 Jan 2020[3]
• 6 January – 2020 Gamboru bombing: 30 killed and 35 injured in a bomb explosion in Gamboru, Borno State, apparently by Boko Haram.[4]
• 8 January – American rapper Cardi B announces she will seek Nigerian citizenship.[5]
• 15 January – 50th anniversary of the end of the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970).[6]
• 16 January – Three aid workers who were held hostage since 22 December 2019 are released in Borno State.[7]
• 24 January – Lassa fever outbreak kills 29 in 11 states this month.[8]
• 31 January – U.S. President Donald Trump expands the travel ban to include Nigeria and five other countries.[9]

February

• 1 February – A ban on commercial motorcycles goes into effect in Lagos State.[10]
• 4 February
  • US $300 million (₤230 million) seized from former president Sani Abacha's laundered accounts will be returned to Nigeria.[11]
  • Senate approves budget for customs.[12]
• 7 February – American rapper Lil Wayne says, "I'm more Nigerian than American."[13]
• 9 February – Auno attack: at least 30 people killed in Auno, Borno State, apparently by Boko Haram.[14]
• 14 February – International flights to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos are diverted to Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana, due to poor weather and complications with new equipment.[15]
• 27 February – A stolen bronze statue from Ifẹ in the Yoruba kingdom is ceased at the Mexico City International Airport and returned to Nigeria.[16] The statue is later found to be a fake.[17]
• 28 February – The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed an Italian citizen who works in Lagos has been confirmed as the first case of Covid-19 in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.[18]

March

• 4 March - Four police officers and two militiamen were killed by Boko Haram militants during a raid on an army base in Damboa, Borno State.[19]
• 9 March – The emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, is dethroned for "disrespect to lawful instructions".[20]
• 15 March - Abule-Ado explosion, Lagos State, killed at least 15 people and destroyed around 50 buildings.[21]
• 24 March – March 2020 Chad and Nigeria massacres: About 70 soldiers are ambushed and killed by Boko Haram in Goneri village, Borno State.[22]

April

• 10 April – Good Friday (Christian and public holiday)[2]
• 12 April – Easter Monday (Christian and public holiday)[2]
• 13 April – People of African origin, including Nigerians, have faced discrimination in Guangzhou and elsewhere in China. Africans from Nigeria, Togo and Benin have been evicted from hotels in the middle of the night, a group of African students was forced to take COVID-19 tests despite not having travelled recently, and others reported being threatened with having their visas and work permits revoked.[23]
• 17 April – Considerable fake news about the coronavirus is circulating in Africa.[24]
• 18 April – April 2020 Katsina attacks: Armed bandits kill 47 people in attacks on villages in Katsina State.[25]
• 19 April – Twenty-one employees of ExxonMobil from Akwa Ibom State were arrested for violating state quarantine standards in Rivers State, but were released when the union threatened industrial action. It is unknown if any of the arrested men have symptoms of infection.[26]
• 23 April – Nigeria has tested only 7,153 people for COVID-19, 0.03% of the population. 873 cases and 28 deaths have been reported, but the Africa Centers for Disease Control fears the numbers may go much higher.[27]
• 25 April – The Central Bank of Nigeria took 1.47 trillion naira ($3.8 billion) from lenders as additional cash reserves for failing to meet regulatory targets.[28]
• 28 April – Gravediggers in Kano report a mysterious increase in deaths. There is speculation that the deaths may be linked to the coronavirus pandemic, but no one knows since autopsies are not routinely done. Another possibility is that the deaths may be related to other underlying diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, meningitis and acute malaria that have gone untreated because many hospitals are closed.[29]
• 30 April – Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kano triple from 77 at the beginning of the week to 219 as health authorities ramp up "verbal autopsies". State officials insist most of the fatalities were due to other diseases rather than COVID-19. Nasiru Sani Gwarzo, head of the presidential COVID-19 taskforce sent to Kano, said the rise in deaths was also due to cuts to medical services for other ailments as a result of the crisis.[30]

May

• 1 May – International Workers' Day (public holiday)[2]
• 6 May – Olalekan Hameed is sentenced to death in a trial broadcast on Zoom for the murder of his employer's mother.[31]
• 15 May – A controversial plan to close Koranic schools in 19 northern states and sending ′′almajirai′′ (″pupils″) home results in spreading COVID-19. Sixty-five boys test positive in Kaduna, 91 in Jigawa, eight in Gombe, and seven in Bauchi State.[32]
• 18 May – Boko Haram extremists attacked a village just as people were preparing to break their Ramadan fast after sundown, killing at least 20 people in the first attack of its kind in northeastern Nigeria since the holy month began.[33]
• 24 and 25 May – Eid al-Fitr Muslim and public holiday[2]
• 27 May – Children's Day (observance)[2]
• 30 May – #JusticeForUwa is trending in Nigeria, with the family of Uwavera Omozuwa family appealing for help to track down her rapists and killers in a church in Benin City, Edo State.[34]

June

• 9 June - Gubio massacre: Gunmen suspected of belonging to Boko Haram kill 81 villagers in Borno State.[35] Another 20 people are killed in an attack in Katsina State.[35]
• 10 June – The World Trade Organization accepts the nomination of two-time Nigerian minister Okonjo-Iweala as its Director-General[36].
• 11 June – An Aide-de-camp to First Lady Aisha Buhari is arrested after shooting at presidential nephew and aide Sabiu Yusuf when the latter refuses to go into self-isolation after a trip to Lagos.[37]
• 12 June
  • Democracy Day (public holiday)[2] Comments by Senator Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress
  • All 36 of Nigeria’s governors resolved to declare a state of emergency over rape and other gender-based violence against women and children in the country.[38]
• 13 June - 2020 Monguno and Nganzai massacres
• 21 June - Father's Day (observance)[2]
• 22 June – Cross River gorillas including babies, once thought to be an extinct species, are captured on film by conservationists in the Mbe Mountains near the border with Cameroon.[39]

July

• 8 July – Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos reestablish domestic flights after a three-month shutdown; other airports will open soon. No date has been given for the resumption of international flights.[40]
• 13 July – A retired American woman was rescued by a Police Intelligence Response Team after being held hostage for 15 months by a 34-year-old man in a hotel. The man had extorted US $48,000 from her.[41]
• 18 July – Between three and 16 security forces died and up to 28 are wounded in an attack inside a forest near Jibia in Katsina state.[42]
• 23 July – Militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province, which broke away from Boko Haram several years, ago claimed responsibility for killing five aid workers who were kidnapped last month in northeastern Nigeria.[43]
• 31 July – Eid al-Adha Muslim and public holiday[2]

August

• 11 August – Musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, 22, is sentenced to death by hanging in Kano State for blasphemy against Muhammad.[44]

Scheduled events

• 1 October – Independence Day[2]
• 29 October − Mawlid Muslim and public holiday[2]
• 22 December – Sambisa Memorial Day, Borno State[2]
• 25 December – Christmas Day (Christian holiday)[2]
• 26 December – Boxing Day public holiday[2]

Culture

Film and television

• 12 June – U.S.-based streaming company Netflix pairs up with filmmaker Mo Abudu, owner of EbonyLife TV (ELTV), to create two new TV series and several films.[45]

Deaths

January to June

• 9 January – Chukwuemeka Ike, 88, writer (Toads for Super (1965), The Naked God’s (1970))[46]
• 13 January – Toyosi Arigbabuwo, actor[47]
• 2 February – Peter Aluma, 46, basketball player (Liberty University, Sacramento Kings)[48]
• 4 February
  • Asiwaju Yinka Mafe, 46, politician[49]
  • Adnan Bostaji, Saudi Arabian ambassador to Nigeria dies in his sleep.[50]
• 10 February – Ignatius Datong Longjan, 75, Nigerian politician, Senator (since 2019)[51]
• 12 February – Victor Olaiya, 89, highlife trumpeter[52]
• 14 February – Peter Iornzuul Adoboh, 61, Nigerian Roman Catholic prelate, bishop of Katsina-Ala (since 2013)[53]
• 1 March
  • Pa Kasumu, 66, actor[54]
  • Ndidi Nwosu, 40, powerlifter, Paralympic champion (2016); lung infection[55]
• 22 March – Ifeanyi George, 26, Nigerian footballer (Enyimba, national team); traffic collision[56]
• 11 April – Dr. Aliyu Yakubu of northern Nigeria; COVID-19[57]
• 15 April – Dr. Emeka Chugbo, 60, of Lagos; COVID-19[57]
• 21 April – Richard Akinjide, 89, Nigerian jurist, Minister of Justice (1979–1983).[58]
• 30 April – Tony Allen, 79, Nigerian drummer (Fela Kuti, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Rocket Juice & the Moon); ruptured aneurysm[59]
• 1 June – Majek Fashek, 57, reggae singer and songwriter[60]
• 23 June – Shafkat Bose Adewoyin, Nollywood actress (Efunroye Tinubu)[61]
• 25 June
  • Abiola Ajimobi, 70, politician, Governor of Oyo State (2011–2019); COVID-19.[62]
  • Ogun Majek, Nollywood actor[63]
• 28 June – Nasir Ajanah, chief judge of Kogi State; COVID-19[64]
• 29 June – Bode Akindele, 87, Parakoyi of Ibadanland and businessman (Madandola Group)[65]

July to December

• 6 July – Inuwa Abdulkadir, 54, politician; COVID-19.[66]
• 8 July – Jimmy Johnson, 80, actor (The Village Headmaster); surgery complications.[67]
• 14 July – Tolulope Arotile, 24, helicopter pilot, traffic collision.[68]
• 20 July – Ismaila Isa Funtua, 78, politician; cardiac arrest.[69]
• 8 August – Buruji Kashamu, 62, politician, Senator (2015–2019); COVID-19.[70]

See also

• Nigeria Vision 2020
• Economy of Nigeria
• Human rights in Nigeria
• Boko Haram insurgency
• 2020 in politics and government
• 2020 in West Africa
• Nigeria national football team results (2020–present)
• Nigeria national under-19 cricket team
• List of highest-grossing Nigerian films
• List of Nigerian actors
• COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria

References

1. The World Factbook, Nigeria CIA, retrieved 4 Feb 2020
2. "Holidays and observances in Nigeria in 2020". www.timeanddate.com. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
3. Unidentified gunmen kill 19 people in central Nigeria
4. Nigeria hit by deadly bomb attack near Cameroon Deutsche Welle, 7 Jan 2020
5. Cardi B’s pledge to seek Nigerian citizenship sparks rivalry
6. Nigerians mark 50 years of the end of bloody civil war by Fidelis Mbah, Al Jazeera, 15 Jan 2020
7. Armed group frees kidnapped hostages in Nigeria Al Jazeera, 16 Jan 2020
8. Lassa fever outbreak kills dozens in Nigeria Al Jazeera, 31 Jan 2020
9. Trump expands travel ban to six additional countries Al Jazeera, 27 Jan 2020
10. Nigeria: Effects of Okada, Keke Ban Bite Harder As Lagosians Resume Work By Taofeekat Ajayi, Premium Times (allAfrica), 4 Feb 2020, retrieved 8 Feb 2020
11. Jersey bank's £230m seizure set to be returned to Nigeria BBC News, 4 Feb 2020
12. 2020 budget: Senate okays N238.15bn for Customs Daily Post, 4 Feb 2020
13. Nigeria: I'm More Nigerian Than American - Lil Wayne allAfrica, retrieved 7 Feb 2020
14. Reuters (February 10, 2020). "Suspected Boko Haram Fighters Kill at Least 30 in Nigeria". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. At least 30 people have been killed in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno region after suspected Boko Haram fighters set ablaze several trucks carrying passengers on Sunday night, eyewitnesses and residents told Reuters.
15. Aisha Salaudeen (Feb 14, 2020). "International flights to Lagos divert to Ghana due to poor equipment, leaving passengers stranded". CNN World.
16. Mexico returns ancient bronze sculpture to Nigeria BBC, 27 Feb 2020
17. Yoruba archeological piece Mexico returned to Nigeria is false El Universal, 18 March 2020
18. "Nigeria confirms first coronavirus case in Sub-Saharan Africa". France 24. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
19. "Six killed in attack on Nigeria military base". www.aljazeera.com.
20. Influential Nigerian traditional ruler dethroned Al Jazeera, 9 Mar 2020
21. Ukomadu, Angela; Sanni, Seun; Eboh, Camillus; Ohuocha, Chijioke (March 15, 2020). Maclean, William; Hudson, Alexandra (eds.). "Lagos gas blast kills 15, destroys several buildings, Nigerian officials say". Reuters. An explosion at a gas processing plant on Sunday killed at least 15 people and destroyed about 50 buildings after a fire broke out in a suburb of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, emergency services said. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said the explosion was triggered after a truck hit some gas cylinders stacked in a gas processing plant near the corporation’s pipeline in Abule Ado area of Lagos state.
22. At least 50 Nigerian soldiers killed in Boko Haram ambush Al Jazeera, 24 Mar 2020
23. "China accused of discriminating against Africans as part of coronavirus fight". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 20, 2020.
24. "Coronavirus: What misinformation has spread in Africa?". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 20, 2020.
25. "'Armed bandits' kill 47 in northwest Nigeria's Katsina state: police". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 19, 2020.
26. "Nigerian oil union suspends industrial action after Exxon Mobil workers freed". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 20, 2020.
27. News, A. B. C. "Africa's 43% jump in virus cases in 1 week worries experts". ABC News. Retrieved Apr 24, 2020.
28. "Nigerian Banks to Take $3.8 Billion Hit for Missing Targets". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 26, 2020.
29. "What is behind Nigeria's unexplained deaths in Kano?". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved Apr 28, 2020.
30. "Virus cases leap in Nigeria's Kano". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
31. "Coronavirus: Nigeria's death penalty by Zoom 'inhumane'". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
32. "Coronavirus in Nigeria: The child beggars at the heart of the outbreak". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
33. News, A. B. C. "Authorities: Boko Haram attacks Nigerian village, killing 20". ABC News. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
34. "#JusticeForUwa trends in Nigeria after student murdered in church". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
35. "Fighters kill dozens, raze village in Nigeria's Borno state". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
36. Udo, Bassey (10 June 2020). "Nigeria: WTO Names Okonjo-Iweala Among Candidates for DG Election". allAfrica.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
37. "Nigeria: Gunshots in Presidency As Aisha Buhari Moves Against President's Aide, ADC Arrested". allAfrica.com. 13 June 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
38. "Nigeria: All 36 Governors Declare State of Emergency Over Rapes and Violence". allAfrica.com. Voice of America. 13 June 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
39. "Rare gorillas in Nigeria captured on camera with babies". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
40. "Nigeria restarts domestic flights amid easing coronavirus restrictions". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
41. News, A. B. C. "American woman freed after being held captive in Nigeria". ABC News. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
42. "World News - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
43. "Islamic State group says it killed 5 aid workers in Nigeria". AP NEWS. 23 July 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
44. BBC. "Nigerian singer sentenced to death for blasphemy in Kano state". Yahoo News. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
45. CNN, Aisha Salaudeen. "Netflix partners with Nigerian filmmaker in new major deal". CNN. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
46. Chukwuemeka Ike is dead Sun News Online, 10 Jan 2020
47. Veteran Actor Toyosi Arigbabuwo Is Dead
48. Liberty great Peter Aluma dead at the age of 46
49. Former Ogun Assembly Leader, Yinka Mafe, Dies After Celebrating 46th Birthday
50. Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Bostaji is dead Daily Post, 4 Feb 2020
51. Plateau Senator, Ignatius Longjan dies in Turkish hospital
52. Victor Olaiya, Nigerian highlife musician, dies at 89
53. Katsina-Ala Catholic Diocese loses Bishop, Most Rev Dr. Peter Iornzuul Adoboh.
54. Veteran Yoruba actor, Pa Kasumu is dead
55. Nigeria’s Female Paralympic Gold Medalist Ndidi Nwosu Is Dead
56. Enugu Rangers striker Ifeanyi George killed in car crash
57. 'Brilliant' doctor dies of coronavirus in Nigeria BBC News, 16 Apr 2020
58. Richard Akinjide, Former Justice Minister, Is Dead
59. Tony Allen, Pioneering Afrobeat Drummer, Has Died
60. Nigerian reggae legend Majek Fashek dies at 57
61. Nseyen, Nsikak (24 June 2020). "Nollywood actress, Bose Adewoyin, 'madam Tinubu' is dead". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
62. Ajimobi: Former Oyo state governor dies at 70 after battling COVID-19
63. AKINYOADE, AKINWALE. "Veteran Nollywood Actor Ogun Majek Is Dead". guardian.ng. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
64. "Kogi Chief Judge dies in Abuja COVID-19 isolation centre". Vanguard News. 28 June 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
65. "Parakoyi Of Ibadanland, Bode Akindele, Dies At 87". Independent. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
66. Ex-APC NWC Member, Inuwa Abdulkadir, Is Dead
67. “Village Headmaster” Actor, Jimmy Johnson, Is Dead
68. Air force’s first female combatant helicopter pilot dies in freak accident
69. Buhari, Atiku, Saraki, others mourn Isa Funtua
70. Buruji Kashamu dies of COVID-19

External links

• National Mosque’s Chief Imam opens up on Boko Haram, Misconceptions about Islam; National Muslim News, 2 March 2020
• Coronavirus: How vulnerable are health workers in Nigeria?
• Katsina: The motorcycle bandits terrorising northern Nigeria
• A new master's house: The architect decolonising Nigerian design