Nigerian Illustrator and Artist, Sef Adeola, in celebration of Nigeria at 58, created a series of illustrated portraits of all the leaders in the country’s history.

Artist celebrates Nigeria’s 58th Independence with Illustration of Past Heads of State

The series features Tafawa Balewa, the country’s first Prime Minister, Nnamdi Azikiwe, the country’s first president, Shehu Shagari, the president during the second republic, and all the presidents in the last 18 years of the third republic: Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari.

It also features the heads of government during the different military regimes – Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi, General Yakubu Gowon, General Murtala Mohammed, Major General Olusegun Obasanjo, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, General Sani Abacha, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as well as head of interim government in 1993 Ernest Shonekan.

He made use of soft magenta, pastel blue, gray, ink black, and pastel red (to adorn the uniforms of the military generals), he said.

See them below:

Tafawa Balewa: Prime Minister 1990 – 1996 (Assassinated)

Nnamdi Azikiwe: 1963 – 1966 (Deposed)

Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi: January 1966 – July 1966 (Assassinated)

General Yakubu Gowon: 1966 – 1975 (Deposed)

Murtala Muhammed: 1975 – 1976 (Assassinated)

Major General Olusegun Obasanjo: 1976 – 1979 (Resigned)

Shehu Shagari: 1979 – 1983 (Deposed)

Major General Muhammadu Buhari: 1983 – 1985 (Deposed)

General Ibrahim Babangida: 1985 – 1993 (Resigned)

Ernest Shonekan: August 1993 – November 1993 (Deposed)

General Sani Abacha: 1993 – 1998 (Died in Office)

General Abdusalami Abubakar (1998 – 1999 (Resigned)

Olusegun Obasanjo: 1999 – 2007

Umaru Musa Yar’adua: 2007 – 2010 (Died in Office)

Goodluck Jonathan: 2010 – 2015

Muhammadu Buhari: 2015 – Present

You can follow Sef Adeola on Twitter: @sefadeola to see more of his works.