Military in Nigerian Politics: Implication for Nation Building 1966 - 1998

Abstract

At the inauguration of Nigeria’s independence, the prospect for democracy in the new nation seemed promising. In spite of the fact that the various political parties were ethnically and regionally based, the political parties that contested with each other in the federal election for the independence parliament were somehow able to create a government that appealed to the majority of Nigerians. But the hopes which attended Nigeria’s independence did not sustain their grip on the country. This work examines that as Nigeria grows older; its political economic fortunes begin to decline. This paper finds out that, in the first five years of independence, Nigeria experienced several crises, largely political in nature which challenged the basis of its claim to a political united nation. On the 15th of January, 1966, the myth of civil supremacy in Nigeria’s civil military relations was shattered. The army seized political power and subjected the nation to military dictatorship, which eventually lasted for twenty seven years. The paper thus argues that, during this period of military rule, the expectation was that the military would proffer solutions to the numerous socio-political challenges and crises that destroyed the First Republic. Relying on secondary sources, this study further argues that ethnicity, religious crises, economic crisis, etc necessitates military intervention in Nigeria politics. This paper is historical; hence, it adopts a qualitative method of analysis. Useful pieces of information were obtained from important relevant documents, reports and array of secondary sources.