TRENDS IN NIGERIA POLITICAL STRUCTURE: ITS EFFECTS IN NIGERIA AS A DEVELOPING NATION

Abstract

When Nigeria gained her independence in 1960, after the struggles of their nationalists, hopes were high that with educated human resources, work force, raw materials and mineral resources Nigeria would become Africa’s first superpower in the world and the giant of Africa in delivering the principles of democratic dividends for the common good of the populace. However these lofty dreams and hopes were soon dashed with military interference, and the country clumped and glided from crisis to crisis even till today. Military coups and military rule which began as an emergency aberration became a seemingly permanent feature in Nigerian politics. From military rule comes in horrible trends found in the Nigerian politics which are plunging the nation into bottomless pit of destruction. The prevailing political trends in Nigeria are so complex and impenetrable that they cannot be controlled easily.