- Tenure
- 1955 — 1960
- Era
- Late Colonial Administration (1929 — 1960)
- Mode of entry
- Appointed by the Crown
- Mode of exit
- Handover to Independence (1 October 1960)
- Spouse
- Lady Nancy Robertson · 1955 — 1960
The last colonial Governor-General. Conducted the federal elections of December 1959 and on 1 October 1960 handed over power to Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.
Sir James Wilson Robertson (1899–1983) came to Lagos from the Sudan Political Service in 1955 with a brief to complete the transition to self-government. The 1957 Constitutional Conference granted regional self-government to the East and West in 1957 and to the North in 1959.
The federal election of December 1959 produced no clear majority. Robertson personally invited the NPC's Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa to form an NPC–NCNC coalition government, becoming Prime Minister. On 1 October 1960 Robertson presided over the lowering of the Union Jack at Lagos Race Course; he remained titular Governor-General representing the Queen for two further days before being succeeded by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe on 16 November 1960.
Tier 1 · primary
Courts. Gazettes. National archives.
Tier 2 · corroborating
OCCRP. HRW. BudgIT. TheCable.
Tier 4 · tertiary, flagged
Wikipedia only where primary is pending. Always labelled.