2023 in Nigeria

← 2022 2021 2020 2023 in Nigeria → 2024 2025 2026
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2023 Timeline of Nigerian history

Events in the year 2023 in Nigeria .

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Muhammadu Buhari (APC) (ended 29 May); Bola Tinubu (APC) (Started 29 May)
• Vice President: Yemi Osinbajo (APC) (ended 29 May); Kashim Shettima (APC) (Started 29 May)
• Senate President: Ahmed Lawan (APC) (ended 11 June); Godswill Akpabio (APC) (Started 13 June)
• House Speaker: Femi Gbajabiamila (APC) (ended 11 June); Tajudeen Abbas (APC) (Started 13 June)
• Chief Justice: Olukayode Ariwoola

Governors

• Abia State: Okezie Ikpeazu (PDP) (Until 29 May); Alex Otti (LP) (Starting 29 May)
• Adamawa State: Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (PDP)
• Akwa Ibom State: Udom Emmanuel (PDP) (Until 29 May); Umo Eno (PDP) (Starting 29 May)
• Anambra State: Charles Soludo (APGA)
• Bauchi State: Bala Mohammed (PDP)
• Bayelsa State: Douye Diri (PDP)
• Benue State: Samuel Ortom (PDP) (Until 29 May); Hyacinth Alia (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Borno State: Babagana Zulum (APC)
• Cross River State: Benedict Ayade (APC) (Until 29 May); Bassey Otu (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Delta State: Ifeanyi Okowa (PDP) (Until 29 May); Sheriff Oborevwori (PDP) (Starting 29 May)
• Ebonyi State: Dave Umahi (APC) (Until 29 May); Francis Nwifuru (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Edo State: Godwin Obaseki (PDP)
• Ekiti State: Biodun Oyebanji (APC)
• Enugu State: Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (PDP) (Until 29 May); Peter Mbah (PDP) (Starting 29 May)
• Gombe State: Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (APC)
• Imo State: Hope Uzodinma (APC)
• Jigawa State: Badaru Abubakar (APC) (Until 29 May); Umar Namadi (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Kaduna State: Nasir El-Rufai (APC) (Until 29 May); Uba Sani (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Kano State: Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (APC) (Until 29 May); Abba Kabir Yusuf (NNPP) (Starting 29 May)
• Katsina State: Aminu Bello Masari (APC) (Until 29 May); Dikko Umaru Radda (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Kebbi State: Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (APC) (Until 29 May); Nasir Idris (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• 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) (Until 29 May); Mohammed Umar Bago (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Ogun State: Dapo Abiodun (APC)
• Ondo State: Rotimi Akeredolu (APC) (Until 27 December); Lucky Aiyedatiwa (APC) (Starting 27 December)
• Osun State: Ademola Adeleke (PDP)
• Oyo State: Seyi Makinde (PDP)
• Plateau State: Simon Lalong (APC) (Until 29 May); Caleb Mutfwang (PDP) (Starting 29 May)
• Rivers State: Nyesom Wike (PDP) (Until 29 May); Siminalayi Fubara (PDP) (Starting 29 May)
• Sokoto State: Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (PDP) (Until 29 May); Ahmad Aliyu (APC) (Starting 29 May)
• Taraba State: Darius Ishaku (PDP) (Until 29 May); Agbu Kefas (PDP) (Starting 29 May)
• Yobe State: Mai Mala Buni (APC)
• Zamfara State: Bello Matawalle (APC) (Until 29 May); Dauda Lawal (PDP) (Starting 29 May)

Events

See also: 2023 Nigeria floods

• 25 January – At least 27 herders are killed, and several others are injured, when a bomb explodes in Nasarawa State. Some herders say it was caused by an airstrike. ^[1]
• 29 January – At least nine people are killed when a container falls from a truck onto a commercial bus in Lagos. ^[2]
• 4 February-ongoing – 2023 Nigerian protests begin began due to the naira, and protests due to the election. ^[3]
• 25 February – 2023 Nigerian general election - Nigerians elect a new president and members of their National Assembly. ^[4]
• 3 March – Sixteen people are killed when a pipeline explodes in Emohua, Rivers State. ^[5]
• 9 March – Six people are killed and at least 25 others injured when a train collides with a public bus in Lagos. ^[6]
• 11 March – Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria: Sixteen people are killed by Fula gunmen at a police checkpoint in Zangon Kataf, Kaduna State. ^[7]
• 18 March – 2023 Nigerian gubernatorial and state of assembly election are held. ^[8]
• 15-16 March – At least 100 people are killed in Mangu LGA, Plateau State.
• 16 March – An ambush kills four members of a United States convoy in Anambra State. ^[9]

• May 2023 – Hilda Baci breaks the world record for the longest cooking marathon by an individual, cooking for 93 hours and 11 minutes from May 11 to May 15, 2023. She surpassed the previous record of 87 hours and 45 minutes. ^{[10] [11]}

• 13 June – Kwara boat disaster: At least 100 people are killed when a wedding boat capsizes on the Niger River in Kwara State. ^[12]
• 7 July – Health officers confirm an outbreak of diphtheria in the capital Abuja following the death of a four-year-old. According to NCDC, nearly 800 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the country as of 30 June. ^[13]
• 4 September – The 13-kilometre-long (8-mile) Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line rapid transit system begins service in Lagos, after being delayed since 1983. ^[14]

• Sept 2023 – Christopher Olusa breaks the world record for the longest speech marathon, speaking continuously for 112 hours hours. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18]}
• 2 October – At least 18 people are killed in an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in Emohua district, Rivers State. ^[19]
• 20 October – Two children were killed and two others injured when a mechanical issue causes a boat engine to catch fire. The incident occurred Katcha, Niger State. ^{[20] [21]}
• 29 October – Seventeen bodies are found, and 73 other people were missing when a boat carrying traders returning from a fish market capsizes on the Benue River. The boat had over 100 passengers onboard, 14 of whom are rescued. ^[22]
• 30 October – 2023 Yobe State attacks: At least seventeen people are killed in Gurokayeya, Yobe State when Boko Haram-aligned gunmen storm the village, attacking residents with explosives and firearms when they reportedly refuse to a pay a tax to the terrorists. ^{[23] [24]}
• 31 October – At least 20 people are killed when a land mine placed by Boko Haram explodes while they return from the burials of victims from the previous day's shooting. ^{[25] [26]}
• 6 November – Two people are killed and two others injured when a tanker explodes outside the High Commission of Canada in Abuja. ^[27]
• 16 November:
  • Clashes with police and members of the Islamic Movement during a pro-Palestine protest leave one dead and several injured in Kaduna. ^[28]
  • A boat accident in Shioro LGA, Niger State, kills at least ten people. 24 others were rescued from the scene. ^[29]
• 21 November – At least 25 people are killed and about 200 were injured in a vehicle crash on the Yawuri Expressway in Magama, Niger State. ^{[30] [31]}
• 3 December – Tudun Biri drone strike: A drone strike on a village in Kaduna State mistakenly kills 85 civilians.
• 13 December – Four soldiers and two civilian drivers are killed and two South Korean workers are kidnapped in an ambush against a convoy in Rivers State. ^[32]
• 23-25 December - Nigerian bandit conflict: 2023 Plateau State massacres

Culture

Further information: 2023 in African music and List of Nigerian films of 2023

Deaths

• 9 January – Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, 53, filmmaker and entertainment executive. ^[33]
• 14 January – Femi Ogunrombi, actor and ethnomusicologist. ^[34]
• 19 January – Oladipo Ogunlesi, 99, professor of medicine. ^[35]
• 1 February – Dan Suleiman, 80, politician, governor of Plateau State (1976–1978). ^[36]
• 12 September – MohBad, 27, musician.^{[ citation needed ]}
• 20 October – Alhaji Mansur Nuhu Bamalli, 42, Nigerian ambassador to Morocco. ^[37]
• 8 November – Aderonke Kale, 84, Nigerian army physicist and first female major-general in the Nigerian Army. ^[38]
• 27 December – Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo State (2017–2023). ^[39]

See also

• 2023 in West Africa
• List of Nigerian films of 2023

References

1. "Bomb kills 27 herders in central Nigeria: police". News24. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
2. "Container falls off truck in Lagos, crushes 9 passengers to death". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
3. "Nigerian Authorities Call For Calm as Citizens Protest Cash, Fuel Shortages". VOA. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
4. Igboereteonwu, Anamasere (2023-02-25). "Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
5. "Police: Illegal refinery blast in Nigeria kills at least 12". AP NEWS. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
6. "Train rams into public bus in Nigeria's Lagos, killing six". Reuters. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
7. "Government: Gunmen in north Nigeria kill at least 16 people". AP NEWS. 2023-03-12. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
8. "Breaking: INEC Shifts Governorship, Assembly Elections to March 18 – THISDAYLIVE". THISDAYLIVE – Truth and Reason. 2023-03-09. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
9. "Nigeria ambush: Four killed in attack on US convoy in Anambra". BBC News. 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
10. "Hilda Baci sets Guinness World Record for longest cooking marathon". BBC News. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
11. "Hilda Baci breaks cooking marathon record". The Guardian. 2023-05-11. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
12. "Nigeria: At least 100 people killed after boat capsizes". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
13. "Nigeria confirms diphtheria outbreak as 4 year old patient dies". CNN. 7 July 2023.
14. "Metro rail service starts in Nigeria's Lagos, set to ease traffic". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
15. Ajisafe, Olayiwola (2023-09-15). "FUTA student sets new record for longest speech marathon". punchng.com.
16. Adeyemi, Segun (2024-09-15). "GWR: FUTA Student Sets New Record for Longest Speech Marathon". Legit.ng.
17. "Christopher Olusa breaks the world record for longest speech marathon". Guinness World Records. 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
18. "Christopher Olusa speaks for 93 hours in a marathon to break record". CNN. 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
19. "At least 18 killed in blast at illegal oil refinery in Nigeria: Report". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
20. "Boat mishap claims lives of 2 children in Niger". Vanguard News. 21 October 2023.
21. Agbana, Rotimi (2023-10-21). "Two children die, others injured in Niger boat fire". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
22. "73 missing after boat capsizes in northern Nigeria | Fox News". www.foxnews.com. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
23. "Africanews | Nigeria: 17 dead in jihadist attack". Africanews. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
24. "Suspected Boko Haram kills at least 40 in Nigeria's Yobe state, police say". Reuters. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
25. "Boko Haram Suspected in Attacks That Kill at Least 40 in Nigeria, Police Say". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
26. "Extremists kill 37 villagers in latest attack in Nigeria's hard-hit northeast". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
27. "Nigeria: Fire reported at High Commission of Canada in Abuja Nov. 6". Nigeria: Fire reported at High Commission of Canada in Abuja Nov. 6 | Crisis24. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
28. "Africanews | Nigeria: a pro-Palestinian demonstration leaves one dead". Africanews. 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
29. Reporter 3, T. S. J. (2023-11-18). "10 died in Niger boat mishap, 24 rescued alive". The Street Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
30. "17 die, 208 injured as articulated vehicle crashes in Niger". Vanguard. 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
31. "Africanews | 25 killed when truck overloaded with food items and people crashes in Nigeria's north". Africanews. 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
32. "Gunmen kill four soldiers in Nigeria". Reuters .
33. "BREAKING: AMAA Founder, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe Is Dead – Independent Newspaper Nigeria". 10 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
34. "Papa Ajasco stand-in character, Femi Ogunrombi, is dead". Daily Trust. 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
35. "Nigeria's first Professor of Medicine Ogunlesi dies at 99 | The Nation Newspaper". The Nation Newspaper. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
36. "Ex-NADECO chief Dan Suleiman dies at 80 | The Nation Newspaper". The Nation Newspaper. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
37. Adeduyite, Okiki (2023-10-20). "Nigerian ambassador to Morocco, Nuhu Bamalli, dies". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
38. "Nigeria's first female Major-General Aderonke Kale is dead". PM News Nigeria. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
39. "Ondo Gov, Rotimi Akeredolu, Dies After Long Health Battle". Channels Television. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.