Nigeria at 54: The Nigeria story

Today, Nigeria is exactly 54 years.
On this particular day and month
in 1960, the nation, acclaimed to
be the ‘giant of Africa,’ got her
independence from the British
Colony.

On the historic day, the British
Union Jack was lowered and
replaced by the nation’s Green-
white-green flag. Many popped
champagne with the freedom
from the colonial masters. And
with the independence, a new
constitution, establishing a federal
system with an elected prime
minister and a ceremonial head of
state was established. From then,
Nigerians took over the reins of
leadership from foreigners.

Recognising the country’s
particular multi-ethnic
configuration or diversity, the
British government had
established for Nigeria a federal
structure of government, with
three regions. Each of the three
regions had its own constitution
and a good measure of autonomy
while there was a fairly weak
Federal Government at the
centre. The three regions were
the Eastern Region, Northern
Region and Western Region.

It is then not surprising that since
October 1, 1960, the date has
remained an emotionally
memorable one for the majority
of Nigerians. Critical observers will
today, as usual, ponder and reflect
on the journey so far. Like in
previous anniversaries, Nigerians
will reflect on issues, concerning
the economic, social and political
development of the country.

For many, there is so much to
thank God for, with regards to the
height the nation has attained so
far in the comity of nations. Those
in this school of thought believe
that despite the challenges facing
the nation, it has not done badly
in many of the indices for
measuring the progress of a
country. Proponents of this
argument believe that for having
stayed together all these years as
one united country, the nation has
done well.

However, there are those who
argue that at 54, the nation has
failed largely in meeting the
expectations of the people. In the
estimation of those in support of
this position, virtually all the
various sectors of the nation’s
socio-political economy are in
shambles.

In any case, many believe that
irrespective of which side of the
divide one belongs in the
argument, the political history of
the nation contributed to where
she is today.

Nigeria under military rule

Nigeria’s first attempt at a
democratic government was
truncated on January 15, 1966,
barely six years after the country
got her independence. In that
coup, led by five idealistic Majors
of the Nigerian Army, the Prime
Minister, Tafawa Balewa, and
other topshots in that
administration were killed.

Although, the coup plotters did
not fully actualise their dream, the
civilian administration did not
survive the onslaught.

The then President of the Senate,
Nwafor Orizu, who was acting
president, invited the military high
command to take over the reins of
government. Consequently, the
head of the Nigeria Army, Major-
General Johnson T. U. Aguiyi-lronsi
became the country’s first military
ruler. Within six months, he was
replaced by General Yakubu
Gowon in a very bloody counter-
coup. Gowon was in the saddle
from 1966-1975, when his regime
was overthrown by General
Murtala Muhammed. In 1976, his
second-in-command, General
Olusegun Obasanjo, became Head
of State, after Muhammed was
killed in a botched coup by Col.
Buka Suka Dimka.

Obasanjo handed over to the
civilian administration of Alhaji
Shehu Shagari on October 1979.
The Shagari administration was
truncated by another military coup
by Major General Mohammadu
Buhari on December 31, 1983, a
few months after it started its
second term.

General lbrahim Badamasi
Babangida overthrew Buhari on
August 27, 1985, and ruled the
country until August 26,1993. He
instituted the Interim National
Government (ING) headed by
Chief Ernest Shonekan.

General Sani Abacha toppled  the
ING in less than three months,
after it was put in place. He ruled
the country from 1993 to 1998
when he died in office.

The then Chief of Defence Staff,
General Abdulsalami Abubakar
replaced him. He handed to a
civilian administration headed by
Obasanjo on May 29, 1999, less
than one year after he assumed
office.

In totality, the military has ruled
Nigeria for about 29 years and two
months.

Nigeria under civil rule

Until 1999, civil rule in the country
was very epileptic. Nigeria started
off with a parliamentary system of
government with Alhaji Tafawa
Balewa as Prime Minister.

Balewa’s tenure was cut short in
the aftermath of the first coup in
Nigeria.

At the return of civilian rule in
1979, Shehu Shagari was elected
president, under a presidential
system of government.

In 1999, Chief Obasanjo became
the country’s second
democratically elected  president.
He spent eight years as president
and handed over to the late
President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in
2007.

Yar’Adua died in office in 2010,
before he could complete his first
term in office. Consequently, his
deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
was sworn in, as president.

Jonathan completed the tenure
and was elected president in the
2011 general election.

The problems

It must be noted that soon after
independence, the forces of
disintegration began to manifest.
Between October 1960 and late
1961, charges of treasonable
felony were made against leaders
of the Action Group, the Yoruba
ethnic-based political party, the
late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. In
1962, criminal proceedings against
Chief Awolowo and some
members of his party were
concluded. They were convicted
and given varying prison
sentences.

With this, it was clear that the
newly born Nigerian nation had
begun to totter. In 1963, a
national population census
exercise was conducted for the
country. Because of the
politicisation of the exercise, even
the introduction of religion into it,
the entire process was regarded
as unsatisfactory, and became
disputed. New territories and
villages and new ethnic
nationalities were being
discovered in certain parts of
Nigeria as if such people were the
pre-historical cave men. All these
were in an attempt to inflate the
Census figures.

In 1964, Federal Government
elections were to be held, so as to
elect the Prime Minister and
members of the National
Assembly. Again, because of
intractable problems that
bedeviled the election processes,
the Eastern Region, one of the
four Regions of Nigeria, decided to
boycott the elections.

Nigeria had become four regions
since Independence in 1960,
following the creation of the Mid-
Western Region in 1963. The crisis
following the elections was
eventually resolved, and in March
1965 a mini-federal election was
held for the Eastern Region of
Nigeria. Thereafter, the first post-
independence National Assembly
convened and began full legislative
duties. But the tottering Nigerian
nation was already developing into
a political tinderbox.

In 1965, the Western Region
government was in crisis and the
Federal Government had to
declare a state of emergency in
the whole of the Western
Region. This led to the
appointment of Senator Dr. Moses
Majekodunmi as sole
administrator for the Western
Region. Both the government and
the Western Region House of
Assembly were also dissolved.

Inevitably, the country was
already sitting on kegs of
gunpowder. With this, on
Saturday, January 15, 1966, the
political tinderbox finally
exploded. A group in the Nigerian
Army, led by Major Kaduna
Nzeogwu struck in a bloody
military coup d’état, overthrowing
the government. The coup was
certainly a first in the history of
Nigeria.

Culled from Sun