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.