Professor Taslim Olawale Elias, GCON, was one of Nigeria's most distinguished jurists and a pioneering figure in international law. He was born in Lagos on 11 November 1914. He overcame a late start in formal education to earn multiple degrees from the University of London,

On 13 February 1976, the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, General Olusegun Obasanjo, became Nigeria's Head of State after the failed military coup by the "young revolutionaries" led by Lieutenant Colonel Buka Suka Dimka, which assassinated General Murtala Ramat Muhammed.