The first stamps for the modern state of Nigeria were issued on June 1, 1914, after the unification of all British colonies in the region of Northern and Southern Nigeria. The first postage stamps depicted King George V. The first stamp issue of independent Nigeria took place on October 1, 1960, the next one on January 1, 1961. In 1963, Nigeria became a republic within the British Commonwealth, and a new issue of stamps took place on November 1, 1965.