THE MILITARY AND SUSTENANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA: A PHILOSOPHICAL PROBE

Abstract

Democracy has had a chequered history in the Nigerian state. The simple reason for this unfortunate situation is to be located in the unfortunate but true fact that there has been series of military interventions in the country since she attained her political independence leading often to a halt in the nation's march to democratic tranquillity and paradise. The role of the military is clearly defined all over the world. It has the traditional duty of guarding the territorial integrity of any nation against external invasion and aggression. However, for some time in Nigeria, the military has left its traditionally assigned role and dabbled in politics and politicking through military interventions. This paper critically analyses why the military often intervenes and interrupts the nation's march to democratisation on a very regular basis. Military intervention no matter the reason or reasons for its occurrence is an aberration. Since the general notion is that the worst democracy is better than any best military government, the paper strongly advocates for the enthronement and sustenance of true and abiding democracy in the country to make a future military intervention in the nation's democracy unachievable and unrealisable.