Guarding the 'Guardians'

• Published in: Armed forces and society Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 688 - 708
• Main Author: Ojo, Emmanuel O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.07.2009
• Subjects: Armed Forces; Civil Service; Coups d'Etat
• ISSN: 0095-327X
• DOI: 10.1177/0095327X08330813

Of all new states in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, Nigeria qualifies as one that has suffered recurring praetorianism. Nigeria was under firm military autocracy and absolutism for a longer period than civil rule. It is against this background that transitions from the military to civil rule in 1999 made the polity heave a sigh of relieve. However, the performance of the civil government is now a serious concern because of the system's inability to nurture and sustain democracy. Thus, this article reviews all previous coups and attempts an in-depth analysis of salient factors that may be a harbinger of democratic reversal. This paper infers that the performance of the state makes the military an alternative that is only waiting for another auspicious period to terminate the fledging democracy. The article calls for an increase in social spending if the so-called dividend of democracy will make Nigerians a catalyst for democracy. [Reprinted by permission; copyright Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society/Sage Publications Inc.]