Leadership as an Imposition: the Military Shortcut to Power

Abstract

Even if the event of January 15, 1966, turned out to be a military coup rather than voluntary transfer of power, it was an unusual kind of coup. The seismic changes it brought notwithstanding, power reverted not to the aggrieved Majors who sacked the civilians but to the military top brass that was least prepared for the upcoming governorship challenges. That was not all. The coup might have accidentally placed the burden of leadership on the military, but it soon became the model that subsequent regimes copied. For approximately 30 years, Nigeria was ruled by a succession of men in uniform. As noted in the coming paragraphs, the impact that each regime had on the environment varied depending not only on its motives but also on its preparedness for governorship and related challenges, as well as on the caliber of those holding key positions under it. Although some of the regimes left lasting legacies, others merely filled the power vacuum, sometimes taking the opportunity to settle personal scores, or to advance vaguely defined agendas.