Nigerian Leaders since Independence: Chief Ernest Shonekan (1983)

Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan (born 9 May 1936 in Lagos, south-west Nigeria) is a British -trained Nigerian lawyer, industrialist, politician and traditional chieftain.He was appointed as interim President of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida on 26 August 1993. Shonekan's transitional administration only lasted three months, as a palace coup led by General Sani Abacha forcefully dismantled the remaining democratic institutions and brought the government back under military control on 17 November 1993.
The son of an Abeokuta -born civil servant, he was one of six children born into the family. Shonekan was educated at Church Missionary Society Grammar School. He also attended and received a law degree from the University of London.



Early Career
He joined United African Company of Nigeria PLC in 1964, which later send him to Harvard Business School. At U.A.C, he pursued a legal path; a few years after joining the company, he was promoted to the position of Assistant Legal Adviser. He became a Deputy Adviser two years later, and soon joined the Board.

In 1980, he was made Chairman and Chief Executive of U.A.C. As head of U.A.C, he was the Chief Executive of the largest African -controlled company in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Shonekan as Head of Interim Government
On January 2, 1993, Shonekan assumed office as the Head of Government Affairs under the leadership of the Military President Babangida. At the time, the Transitional Council was designed to be the final phase leading to a scheduled hand over to an elected democratic leader.

By the end of June, following the cancellation of the June 12 presidential elections, the Nigerian nation was engulfed in political turmoil. Fiscal discipline was not heeded, and the government exceeded the deficit target by the beginning of the second quarter. By August 1993, Babangida decided to step aside and install an Interim Government.

Chief Shonekan assumed the office of President of Nigeria on August 26, 1993. The nation was gradually moving towards a stalemate. Shonekan had lobbied for debt cancellation but, after the cancellation of the June 12 elections, most of the western powers had imposed economic sanctions on Nigeria. Inflation was uncontrollable and most non-oil foreign investment disappeared. The political problems continued. The winner of the June 12 elections vowed to oppose the interim government. The democracy supporters of southwest Nigeria, Shonekan's region, considered him an obstacle on the nation's path to democracy. During his few months in power, he tried to create a new timetable for democratic return, while his government was hampered by a workers' strike.

Shonekan released political prisoners detained by Babangida. He tried to set a timetable for troop withdrawal from ECOMOG's Peace Keeping Mission in Liberia. The government also initiated an audit of the accounts of NNPC, the oil giant, an organization that had many operational inefficiencies. Shonekan's administration introduced a bill to repeal three major draconian decrees of the military government.

Military take-over
Chief Shonekan did not have firm control over the military, the Defence Secretary, General Sani Abacha made a military coup and took control of power in November 1993, just a few months into the administration.

Compiled with information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Shonekan