Military dictatorship in Nigeria

Nigerian military regime from 1966–1999

Federal Republic of Nigeria
(1966; 1966–1999)

* * *

Republic of Nigerianote
(1966)

* 1966–1979
* 1983–1993
* 1993–1999

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: "Peace, Unity, Freedom"[1]
(1966–1978)

* * *

"Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress"[1]
(1978–1979; 1983–1993; 1993–1999)
Anthem: Nigeria, We Hail Thee[1]
(1966–1978)

* * *

Arise, O Compatriots[1]
(1978–1979; 1983–1993; 1993–1999)
Capital| Lagos
(1966–1979; 1983–1991)

* * *

Abuja
(1991–1993; 1993–1999)
Largest city| Lagos
Common languages|

* English
* Hausa
* Igbo
* Yoruba and other regional languages

Religion

* Islam
* Christianity
* Traditional beliefs

Government|

* Federal presidential republic under military dictatorship
(January–May 1966; 1966–1979; 1983–1993; 1993–1999)[2][3]
* Unitary presidential republic under military dictatorship
(24 May 1966 – 31 August 1966)

Head of State/ President|

• 1966

| Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsib

• 1966–1975

| Yakubu Gowon

• 1975–1976

| Murtala Mohammed

• 1976–1979

| Olusegun Obasanjo

• 1983–1985

| Muhammadu Buhari

• 1985–1993

| Ibrahim Babangida

• 1993–1998

| Sani Abacha

• 1998–1999

| Abdulsalami Abubakarc
Chief of Staff / Vice President|

• 1966

| Babafemi Ogundipe (first)

• 1998–1999

| Mike Akhigbe (last)
Legislature| None (rule by decree)
Historical era| Cold War

• Established

| 15 January 1966

• Unification Decree[2]

| 24 May 1966

• 1966 Nigerian counter-coup

| 28 July 1966

• Federal system restored[3]

| 31 August 1966

• Biafra secessiond

| 30 May 1967

• 1975 Nigerian coup d'état

| 30 July 1975

• 1976 Nigerian coup attempt

| 13 February 1976

• Second Republic

| 1 October 1979

• 1983 Nigerian coup d'état

| 31 December 1983

• 1985 Nigerian coup d'état

| 27 August 1985

• 1993 Nigerian coup d'état

| 17 November 1993

• Fourth Republic

| 29 May 1999
Area
1991[4]| 923,768 km2 (356,669 sq mi)
Population

• 1991[4]

| 88,514,501
Currency| Nigerian pound
(1966–1973)

* * *

Naira (₦)
(1973–1979; 1983–1993; 1993–1999)
Time zone| UTC+1 (WAT)
Drives on| left (until 2 April 1972)[5]

* * *

right
ISO 3166 code| NG

Preceded by | Succeeded by

|

|  | First Nigerian Republic

|

| Second Nigerian Republic
| Second Nigerian Republic |

|

Third Nigerian Republic |
Fourth Nigerian Republic |
Today part of| Nigeria
Cameroone

* ^a Formal name of the country from 24 May to 31 August 1966.[2][3]

^b as Head of the Federal Military Government

^c as Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council

^d until 15 January 1970

^e Bakassi peninsula; governed by Nigeria until 2008

The military dictatorship in Nigeria was a period when members of the Nigerian Armed Forces held power in Nigeria from 1966 to 1999 with an interregnum from 1979 to 1983. The military was able to rise to power often with the tacit support of the elite through coups d'état. Since the country became a republic in 1963, there had been a series of military coups.

## Background

[edit]

Military rule in Nigeria began with the coup d'état of 1966 which was planned and executed by a group of revolutionary nationalist officers. The coup started as a small rebellion cell under Emmanuel Ifeajuna. Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was the face of the coup attempt, which involved five other army majors: Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Chris Anuforo, Don Okafor, Adewale Ademoyega and Humphrey Chukwuka.[6] It operated as a clandestine movement of junior officers during the post-independence period of 1960–1966. The plot received support from left-wing intellectuals, who rejected conservative elements in society, like the traditional establishment of Northern Nigeria and sought to overthrow the First Nigerian Republic.

## Military regimes

[edit]

* Heads of State of the military regimes
* General Yakubu Gowon

* Major General Muhammadu Buhari

* General Ibrahim Babangida

* General Abdulsalami Abubakar

Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was made the Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria, serving for six months before being overthrown and assassinated in the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup.

Aguiyi-Ironsi was succeeded by General Yakubu Gowon, who established a Supreme Military Council. Gowon held power until July 1975, when he was overthrown in another coup.

Brigadier (later General) Murtala Mohammed succeeded Gowon. Months later, in February 1976, Mohammed was assassinated by Buka Suka Dimka and others in a violent coup attempt. The plotters failed to kill Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, who then succeeded Murtala Mohammed as the head of state.[7] The Supreme Military Council was formally dissolved when Ọbasanjọ handed power to the elected Shehu Shagari, ending the military regime and establishing a Nigerian Second Republic.

The Second Republic was overthrown in the 1983 Nigerian coup d'état and was succeeded by Muhammadu Buhari, who established a new Supreme Military Council of Nigeria as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Buhari ruled for two years, until the 1985 Nigerian coup d'état, when he was overthrown by General Ibrahim Babangida.

General Ibrahim Babangida was promulgated as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and established the Armed Forces Ruling Council. His rule was the longest serving peaceful administration typified as the military off dictatorship of the 20th century. Babangida promised a return of democracy when he seized power, but he ruled Nigeria for eight years, when he temporarily handed power to an interim head of state, Ernest Shonekan, in August 1993.[8]

In 1993, General Sani Abacha overthrew the Interim National Government and appointed himself Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria.

## Transition to democracy

[edit]

After Abacha's death in 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and ruled until Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ again became head of state (via the 1999 presidential election), ending the junta and establishing the Fourth Nigerian Republic.

## See also

[edit]

* Nigerian First Republic
* Nigerian Second Republic
* Nigerian Third Republic
* Nigerian Fourth Republic
* Politics of Nigeria

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Ugorji, Basil (2012). From Cultural Justice to Inter-Ethnic Mediation: A Reflection on the Possibility of Ethno-Religious Mediation in Africa. Outskirts Press. p. 183\. ISBN 9781432788353.
2. ^ a b c Bah, Abu Bakarr (2005). Breakdown and Reconstitution: Democracy, the Nation-state, and Ethnicity in Nigeria (1st paperback ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 108\. ISBN 9780739109540.
3. ^ a b c Gould, Michael (2011). The Struggle for Modern Nigeria: The Biafran War 1967–1970. I.B. Tauris. p. 116\. ISBN 9780857730954.
4. ^ a b Oshungade, I. O. (1995). "The Nigerian Population Statistics" (PDF). 1995 Directory of Nigerian Statisticians. 2: 58. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2013.
5. ^ "Right-Hand/Left-Hand Driving Customs (mostly the change from Left to Right)". rammb.cira.colostate.edu.
6. ^ "How first coup still haunts Nigeria 50 years on". BBC News. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
7. ^ Are, Jesupemi (28 December 2020). "Obasanjo: How I escaped being killed during 1976 coup". TheCable. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
8. ^ Are, Jesupemi (16 January 2022). "IBB: I knew Abacha wouldn't hand over power". TheCable. Retrieved 6 July 2024.