Guess who's the only Nigerian to have covered Time Magazine?

By Osagie Alonge

Barely two months after Nigeria gained Independence from British colonial rule, Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa covered Time Magazine, becoming the first and only Nigerian to do so.

The edition (Vol. LXXVI No. 24) bore the headline ‘The Other Africa, Independence Without Chaos‘ with the cover story ‘NIGERIA: The Black Rock‘. It was released on December 5, 1960 with copies selling for 25 cents each.

The cover was designed by Massachusetts-based artist and author Robert Vickery.

Balewa remains the only Prime Minster of independent Nigeria. He was overthrown and murdered in a military coup on January 15, 1966, as were many other leaders, including his old friend Ahmadu Bello.

UPDATE

The late Nigerian military officer and politician Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu also covered Times Magazine. The cover which was designed by Jacob Lawrence lead the article ‘World: Nigeria’s Civil War: Hate, Hunger and the Will to Survive‘. It was published on August 23, 1968.

Some will however argue that Okjukwu technically belonged to Biafra (the secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria) and not Nigeria as at the time. Biafra existed from May 30, 1967 to January 15, 1970.

It is also interesting to note that the circumstances of Balewa’s death somehow led to the existence of Biafra.