The military as an obstacle to the democratization enterprise: Towards an agenda for permanent military disengagement from politics in Nigeria

Journal of Asian and African Studies

Volumn 31, Issue 1-2, 1996, Pages 82-98

  Agbese, Pita Ogaba ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DEMILITARISATION; DEMOCRATISATION; MILITARY GOVERNMENT;

NIGERIA;

EID: 0030440333     PISSN: 00219096     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/002190969603100107     Document Type: Article

References (41)

1. Ibrahim Babangida, For Their Tomorrow We Gave Our Today: Selected Speeches of IBB, Vol. 2 (Lagos: Safari Books, 1990), p. 154.
2. Ibid., p. 154.
3. Ademola Ajagbe, "We the People," African Concord, May 28, 1990, p. 24.
4. See Neville Brown and W. F. Gutteridge, The African Military Balance, Adelphi Papers, No. 12 (London: The International Institute of Strategic Studies, 1964).
5. For a sociological analyses of the pre-coup military, see Robin Luckham, The Nigerian Military: A Sociological Analysis of Authority and Revolt, 1960-67 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971).
6. For details on Nigerian defense expenditures, see J'Bayo Adekson, Nigeria in Search of Stable Civil-Military System (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1981), pp. 71-72.
7. For an analysis of military officers who own multimillion naira farms, see Dare Babarinsa, "High Profile Farmers," Newswatch, August 14, 1989, pp. 13-18.
8. For instance, through the Better Life for Rural Dwellers Program, Mrs Babangida and the wives of the military governors were put in-charge of a program which expended millions of Naira.
9. For arguments about the political role of the military, see Ibrahim Babangida, Portrait of a New Nigeria: Selected Speeches of IBB (Lagos: Precision Press, n.d.), pp. 97-126.
10. For perspectives on military intervention in Nigerian politics, see Lapido Adamolokun, The Fall of the Second Republic (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1985); David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 1989); Joe Garba, Diplomatic Soldiering: Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1975-1979 (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1987); Lindsay Barrett, Danjuma: The Making of a General (Enugu: Fourth Dimension Press, 1979); Toyin Falola and Julius Ihonvbere, The Rise and Fall of Nigeria's Second Republic, 1979-1984 (London: Zed Press, 1985); William D. Graf, The Nigerian State: Political Economy, State Class and Political system in th Post-Colonial Era (London: James Curry, 1988).
11. For perspectives on military intervention in Nigerian politics, see Lapido Adamolokun, The Fall of the Second Republic (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1985); David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 1989); Joe Garba, Diplomatic Soldiering: Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1975-1979 (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1987); Lindsay Barrett, Danjuma: The Making of a General (Enugu: Fourth Dimension Press, 1979); Toyin Falola and Julius Ihonvbere, The Rise and Fall of Nigeria's Second Republic, 1979-1984 (London: Zed Press, 1985); William D. Graf, The Nigerian State: Political Economy, State Class and Political system in th Post-Colonial Era (London: James Curry, 1988).
12. For perspectives on military intervention in Nigerian politics, see Lapido Adamolokun, The Fall of the Second Republic (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1985); David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 1989); Joe Garba, Diplomatic Soldiering: Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1975-1979 (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1987); Lindsay Barrett, Danjuma: The Making of a General (Enugu: Fourth Dimension Press, 1979); Toyin Falola and Julius Ihonvbere, The Rise and Fall of Nigeria's Second Republic, 1979-1984 (London: Zed Press, 1985); William D. Graf, The Nigerian State: Political Economy, State Class and Political system in th Post-Colonial Era (London: James Curry, 1988).
13. For perspectives on military intervention in Nigerian politics, see Lapido Adamolokun, The Fall of the Second Republic (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1985); David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 1989); Joe Garba, Diplomatic Soldiering: Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1975-1979 (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1987); Lindsay Barrett, Danjuma: The Making of a General (Enugu: Fourth Dimension Press, 1979); Toyin Falola and Julius Ihonvbere, The Rise and Fall of Nigeria's Second Republic, 1979-1984 (London: Zed Press, 1985); William D. Graf, The Nigerian State: Political Economy, State Class and Political system in th Post-Colonial Era (London: James Curry, 1988).
14. For perspectives on military intervention in Nigerian politics, see Lapido Adamolokun, The Fall of the Second Republic (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1985); David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 1989); Joe Garba, Diplomatic Soldiering: Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1975-1979 (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1987); Lindsay Barrett, Danjuma: The Making of a General (Enugu: Fourth Dimension Press, 1979); Toyin Falola and Julius Ihonvbere, The Rise and Fall of Nigeria's Second Republic, 1979-1984 (London: Zed Press, 1985); William D. Graf, The Nigerian State: Political Economy, State Class and Political system in th Post-Colonial Era (London: James Curry, 1988).
15. For perspectives on military intervention in Nigerian politics, see Lapido Adamolokun, The Fall of the Second Republic (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1985); David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 1989); Joe Garba, Diplomatic Soldiering: Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1975-1979 (Ibadan: Spectrum Books, 1987); Lindsay Barrett, Danjuma: The Making of a General (Enugu: Fourth Dimension Press, 1979); Toyin Falola and Julius Ihonvbere, The Rise and Fall of Nigeria's Second Republic, 1979-1984 (London: Zed Press, 1985); William D. Graf, The Nigerian State: Political Economy, State Class and Political system in th Post-Colonial Era (London: James Curry, 1988).
16. See Report of the 1994/95 Constitutional Conference (Abuja, 1995), p. 121.
17. David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences..., op. cit., p. 163. For details, see "Corruption, A Nigerian?" African Concord, March 26, 1990; "Why Governors are Corrupt," African Concord, March 26, 1990. For scholarly analyses of corruption in Nigeria, see the collection of essays in: Femi Odekunle (Ed.), Nigeria: Corruption in Development (Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1986).
18. David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences..., op. cit., p. 163. For details, see "Corruption, A Nigerian?" African Concord, March 26, 1990; "Why Governors are Corrupt," African Concord, March 26, 1990. For scholarly analyses of corruption in Nigeria, see the collection of essays in: Femi Odekunle (Ed.), Nigeria: Corruption in Development (Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1986).
19. David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences..., op. cit., p. 163. For details, see "Corruption, A Nigerian?" African Concord, March 26, 1990; "Why Governors are Corrupt," African Concord, March 26, 1990. For scholarly analyses of corruption in Nigeria, see the collection of essays in: Femi Odekunle (Ed.), Nigeria: Corruption in Development (Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1986).
20. David Akpode Ejoor, Reminiscences..., op. cit., p. 163. For details, see "Corruption, A Nigerian?" African Concord, March 26, 1990; "Why Governors are Corrupt," African Concord, March 26, 1990. For scholarly analyses of corruption in Nigeria, see the collection of essays in: Femi Odekunle (Ed.), Nigeria: Corruption in Development (Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1986).
21. Quoted in Babafemi Ojudu, "Corruption Is Nigerian," African Concord, April 13, 1992, p. 33.
22. Quoted in Babafemi Ojudu, op. cit., p. 34.
23. Report of the 1994/95 Constitutional Conference, op. cit., p. 121.
24. For an analysis of the 1993 presidential election, see Ian Campbell, "Nigeria's Failed Transition: The 1993 Presidential Election," Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Vol. 12, No. 2 (1994), pp. 179-199.
25. Report of the 1994/95 Constitutional Conference, op. cit., p. 121.
26. On the magnitude and consequences of Nigeria's external debt, see excellent collection of essays in: Adebayo Olukoshi (Ed.), Nigerian External Debt Crisis: Its Management (Lagos: Malthouse Press, 1990).
27. "No Army General, No State Creation," The Broadcaster International (Lagos), Vol. 1, No. 3, 1987, p. 22.
28. Ironically, the iron-fisted policy of the Babangida regime led to the flowering of many prodemocracy advocacy groups. See Julius Ihonvbere and Olufemi Vaughan, "Nigeria: Democracy and Civil Society: The Nigerian Transition Program, 1985-1993," in: John Wiseman (Ed.), Democracy and Political Change in Sub-Saharan Africa (London: Routledge, 1995), pp. 71-91.
29. Julius O. Ihonvbere, "Coups and Counter-Coups in Nigeria: A Critical Evaluation of the April 1990 Major Gideon Orka Coup," p. 8.
30. Dare Babarinsa, "The New Inheritors," Tell (Lagos, Nigeria), December 6, 1993.
31. Alao Aka-Bashorun, Text of a Press Conference at the Inauguration of the Campaign for Democracy Movement in Nigeria, Lagos, November 11, 1991, p. 1.
32. Alao Aka-Bashorun, Text of Press Conference..., ibid., p. 2.
33. See Tell (Lagos, Nigeria), August 8, 1994, p. 12.
34. Ibrahim Babangida, For Their Tomorrow..., op. cit., p. 168.
35. Major-Gen. G.O. Ejiga, "The Management of Armed Forces Under Different Systems of Government," in: Abubakar Yaya Aliyu (Ed.), Return to Civilian Rule (Zaria: Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, 1982), p. 157.
36. For the latest claim by a senior military officer that he was ashamed of military rule, see the recent interview with Gen. Olapido Diya in Tell (Lagos), August 8, 1994, pp. 12-19. Gen. Diya's shame cannot be taken seriously since as Chief of General Staff, he is the deputy to the head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha.
37. Ogoh Alubo, "Return of the Military," Newswatch, December 20, 1993, p. 6.
38. For Huntington's theory on civil-military relations, see Samuel Huntington, The Soldier and the State (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1967).
39. Ibrahim Babangida, For Their Tomorrow..., op. cit., p. 169.
40. Ibrahim Babangida, For Their Tomorrow..., op. cit., p. 169.
41. Ibid.