Obasanjo hands over to Shagari

On October 1, 1979, General Olusegun Obasanjo formally transferred power to Shehu Shagari at the Eagle Square ceremony in Lagos, marking Nigeria's return to civilian rule after thirteen years of military government. Shagari, representing the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), had won the presidential election held earlier that year under a new American-style constitution. The handover ceremony was attended by international dignitaries and marked the official beginning of Nigeria's Second Republic.

This transition followed a carefully planned four-year program initiated by the Murtala-Obasanjo military administration to return Nigeria to democratic governance. The military government had drafted a new constitution in 1979, established new states, moved the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja, and organized elections for federal and state positions. The decision to return to civilian rule came after growing domestic and international pressure for democracy, combined with Nigeria's oil wealth providing optimism for stable governance.