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Nigeria Political Role of the Military
Although Babangida announced in January 1986 that
restoration
of an elected civilian government would take office by
October 1,
1990, he later postponed the changeover by two years. In
the
interim, the government undertook not only to mobilize the
body
politic for the transition to democracy, but also to
transform
the military from ruling institution to loyal servant of
the
Third Republic. For example, the new constitution will ban
any
person or group from taking over the government by force.
In July
1987, the minister of defense announced a plan to
establish a
special unit to educate military personnel in their
primary role
as guardians of national security. In particular, they
were to be
instructed to tolerate the deficiencies of civilian rule
and not
to engage in plotting coups. Members of the armed forces
were
also admonished, under penalty of dismissal, neither to
support
politicians or political parties nor to canvass or assist
any
political party in campaigning on military bases.
Similarly, the
chief of naval staff directed all commands to establish
education
programs to prepare for the restoration of democracy. The
armed
forces also planned to assist with logistical arrangements
for
the elections; both navy and air force units would
transport
material and personnel in remote areas.
As Babangida made clear, however, the military
continued to
regard itself as the custodian of the polity and the
ultimate
political arbiter. He justified military intervention to
preserve
national unity and stability when the conditions for
democracy
were on the verge of collapse. The armed forces were first
and
foremost patriots dedicated to the defense of the nation;
they
had been forced into a governing role, not by design but
to
prevent anarchy. Above all, the military forces were
professionals convinced of their righteous cause. For
them,
withdrawal from politics must be a strategic move to bring
about
a true and enduring democratic process. Hence, the
military was
crucial to the political life of the country, and the
primary aim
during the transitional period was to achieve the
conditions for
return to a civilian government whose conduct would
obviate
future coups.
Whether or not civilian restoration endures, the
political
landscape has been altered by the large number of retired
senior
officers who will continue to play leading political and
economic
roles. According to one observer, no other country has
promoted
and retired its generals faster than Nigeria, where
political
imperatives led to pensioning off potential opponents or
officers
of questionable loyalty. More than forty senior officers
were
retired or dismissed after Babangida's coup, and
thirty-eight
army officers were retired in the wake of the foiled coup
attempt
in December 1985. By 1989 more than 200 generals, many of
them
"baby generals" only in their forties, had been retired
with full
pay and with allowances for life. Since the mid-1970s, the
military produced more millionaires than any other
profession.
Many were chairmen or directors of parastatals or private
companies and were eagerly sought by business because of
their
personal ties to the regime. Such conditions increased
opportunities for corruption. The prospects for political
stability were enhanced, however, to the extent that
ambitious
military officers who had tasted power were pensioned off
and
rewarded in the private sector.
Data as of June 1991
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