1999 — Nigeria Returns to Civilian Rule

On May 29, 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo took the oath of office as Nigeria's president, ending sixteen years of military rule and launching the Fourth Republic. Retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar handed over power in Abuja before Nelson Mandela, Prince Charles, and six thousand guests gathered to witness the transfer in the capital that day.

The former military ruler turned political prisoner had won the February election with 63 percent of the vote. For a nation long governed by decree, an elected president taking office on schedule was itself the achievement. May 29 stayed Nigeria's Democracy Day for nearly twenty years, marking the return of civilian choice.