The Legacy Of Military Rule And The Challenges Of Democratic Consolidation In Nigeria: An Overview

This paper examines the legacy of military rule in Nigeria, it reefects on the democratization process bequeathed to the nation and the challenges inherent in the structures and political values for democratic consolidation. Nigeria endured a long history of military intervention in its politics and governance, and the trajectory disrupted democratization agenda, ranging from the experience of the coup suspending constitutions in 1966 and 1983 to election annulment in 1993, before coming to the fourth republic in 1999. The ptotracted military rule and its tradition in Nigeria led to militarization of the civil space and culture of violence, political intolerance and proliferation of armed or militia groups. These legacies have continued to hinder or limit the deepening of democratic culture in Nigeria. The paper adopted a historical and analytical approach to explore the phenomenon of military incursion in politics in Nigeria and assess the impacts of its long stay on the polity that succeeded it, especially against the popular agenda of consolidating or making democracy permanent. The importance of this paper hinges on the resurgence of military coups in Africa, the recent developments in countries like Chad, Mali, Guinea, Sudan and Burkina Faso, where military takeover was intensified, brought back the discussion of military and democracy to limelight. Therefore, this paper is an evaluation of the political environment in Nigeria against the backdrop of new military insurgencies in African democracies. This paper found that military legacies endure in Nigeria especially as culture of intolerance and desperation for power remains dominant; the political space is bedeviled with retired military men and their stooges, whose commitment is to support their privileged class rather than the teeming masses. This paper recommends bottom-up reforms of democratic institutions in Nigeria, with emphasis on political parties which should serve as a vehicle for mass mobilization for popular participation, a condition that can make popular uprising against military return to power possible or help consolidate democracy. The core of democratic consolidation is popular desire for democratic government which is somewhat lacking in Nigeria as it stands.