Military Governance and Civil
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Global Journal of HUMAN-SOCIAL SCIENCE: F Political Science Volume 14 Issue 4 Version 1.0 Year 2014 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Inc. (USA) Online ISSN: 2249-460x & Print ISSN: 0975-587X Military Governance and Civil War: Ethnic Hegemony as a Constructive Factor in Nigeria By Ojo, John Sunday & Fagbohun, Francis Oluyemi University of Leeds, UK, Nigeria Abstract- Ethnic consideration has been comprehensively substantiated as a major trait in determining the political sustainability in Nigeria. Historically, the British overlord in 1914 saw forceful nuptials as a political necessity to safeguard and consolidate divergence ethnic pluralism, hypothesizing the dawn of ethnic consciousness in Nigerian political life. Ethnicity has been exploited as an instrument of oppression, therefore, becomes a time bomb lingering to explode in Nigerian political landscape. Military intervention in politics as an extra-legal and conspiratorial subjugation of government has been conventionally reprimanded as an aberration, despite their forbidden operational values in political engagements, various countries of the world such as Nigeria, France, Ghana, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Thailand, Iraq, Libya, Algeria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Russia, just to mention a few, have experienced military skyjacking of political power at one time or the other, therefore, this paper, discusses how ethnicity influences military takeover and civil war in Nigeria. Methodology espoused in carrying out this study was heavily derived from both secondary sources and insightful empirical observation of military trends in Nigeria. Keywords: military, governance, ethnicity, politics, biafra, civil war, nigeria. GJHSS-F Classification : FOR Code: 160606 MilitaryGovernanceandCivilWarEthnicHegemonyasaConstructiveFactorinNigeria Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: © 2014. Ojo, John Sunday & Fagbohun, Francis Oluyemi. This is a research/review paper, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the origina l work is properly cited. Military Governance and Civil War: Ethnic Hegemony as a Constructive Factor in Nigeria Ojo, John Sunday σ & Fagbohun, Francis Oluyemi α Abstract- Ethnic consideration has been comprehensively the military struggle in Nigerian politics. (Major General substantiated as a major trait in determining the political IBM Haruna).1 "The failure of the Aburi meeting.., and the sustainability in Nigeria. Historically, the British overlord in outbreak of ethnic hostilities and the indiscriminate 1914 saw forceful nuptials as a political necessity to safeguard killings in the North and East further complicated and and consolidate divergence ethnic pluralism, hypothesizing aggravated the situation....There was also the growing the dawn of ethnic consciousness in Nigerian political life. 2014 Ethnicity has been exploited as an instrument of oppression, inter-ethnic rivalry and suspicion between the three therefore, becomes a time bomb lingering to explode in major ethnic groups-Hausa/Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba.... 2 Year Nigerian political landscape. Military intervention in politics as (General Yakubu Gowon). an extra-legal and conspiratorial subjugation of government he existence of heterogeneous caption of Nigeria 17 has been conventionally reprimanded as an aberration, cannot be pulled off without the colonial stratagem despite their forbidden operational values in political engagements, various countries of the world such as Nigeria, T which provides ill-fated matrimony of divergence France, Ghana, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Thailand, pluri-ethnic groups for the smooth running of British Iraq, Libya, Algeria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, colonial occupation in Nigeria. Nigeria is a country Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Russia, just to mention a few, have estimated with over 160 million people, comprised of experienced military skyjacking of political power at one time three dominants ethnic groups (Hausa, Yoruba and or the other, therefore, this paper, discusses how ethnicity Igbo), concomitantly, with more than 250 minority ethnic influences military takeover and civil war in Nigeria. classes, therefore replicates pluralistic rhetoric of Methodology espoused in carrying out this study was heavily Nigerian amalgamation; it was observed that ethnic derived from both secondary sources and insightful empirical consideration serves as a significant value in observation of military trends in Nigeria. The study provides comprehensive critiques of ethnic nationalism in military determining the political leadership of the country since governance which escorted the major ceaseless coup d’états independent. The proxy of ethnicity with meritocracy has and civil war in Nigeria. It is evident that major coordinated continued to hampering the political survival, its ) F military coups have been splotched with ethnic gluttony which affiliation with political leadership has hijacked the ( culminated into civil war, aimed at controlling the central political control of the country amid its reflection in daily Volume XIV Issue IV Version I political power, while thwarting socio-economic and political governmental businesses in Nigeria. Thus, ethnic exertions in Nigeria. This paper therefore concludes that fondness protracts to frustrate numerous steps taken to selective killings in military governance which journeyed sustain the amalgamation of the various social groups; through civil war exacerbated ethnic distrust among the major the fear of marginalization of minority groups utterly contending dominant groups (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) that contributes to the ethnic consciousness in the political - ensuing protracted social unrest and general insecurity in Nigerian boisterous political odyssey . array of Nigeria. Keywords: military, governance, ethnicity, politics, biafra, The intercession of Military personnel in politics civil war, nigeria. has been conventionally chastised as an aberration, despite their forbidden operation in political I. Introduction engagements, various countries of the world such as Nigeria, France, Ghana, Uganda, Sudan, Somalia, "The dominance of the NPC and the Tanzania, Thailand, Iraq, Libya, Algeria, Afghanistan, perceived dominance of the North in the centre were Bangladesh, China, Azerbaijan Cambodia, Democratic like a threat to the presumed more enlightened and Republic of Congo, just to mention a few, have better educated Southerners who believed they were experienced military skyjacking of political power at one Global Journal of Human Social Science the backbone of the movement for Nigerian time or the other. It is usually proclaimed that the independence but did not succeed the colonial power involvement of military in governance habitually resulted to run the affairs of the state. So with that background in absolute crippling down of political system; this has one can now lay the foundation of the perception of crafted an enduring damage to many political systems all over the world. Observably, the military intervention in Author : School of Politics and International Studies, University of α Leeds, United Kingdom. e-mail: [email protected] Author σ: Head of Department, Department of Local Government 1 Major General IBM Haruna quoted in Omoigui .N. (2002) The Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Prelude: Bloody Coup of January 1966; Urhobo Historical Society 2 e-mail: [email protected] General Yakubu Gowon ©2014 Global Journals Inc. (US) Military Governance and Civil War: Ethnic Hegemony as a Constructive Factor in Nigeria Nigerian body politics has rooted in ethnic chauvinism men were never far away. Few Nigerians have bothered which metamorphosed into civil war in 1967. Notably, to probe the gory details of the coups that have maimed during this political clampdown, which was later Nigeria's post-independence history5. as the military transmuted into ethno-religious violence, myriad of took over in the mid-1960s, and the economic situation Igbos were lynched while their properties were either worsened, ethnic tensions broke out6. looted or destroyed in the Northern region. The goals of military takeover in Nigeria or most Ethnic consciousness was so pronounced in part of the world was to effect changes. In trying to Nigeria that the old national anthem adopted at achieve these, they often engaged in bloody revolution. independence read in part "though tribe and tongue When in January 15th 1966 Major General Chukwuma may differ in brotherhood we stand ... ." Subsequent Kaduna Nzeogwu and those loyal to him staged a coup, events that plunged the country into ethnically enhanced these were their intentions, to eradicate: “our enemies political crisis showed that much more was needed than who were the political profiteers, swindlers, the men in mere lyrics of a national anthem. The civil war, the high and low places that seek bribes and demand militarism, and military intervention in politics, enabled ten percent, those that seek to keep the country divided 2014 one ethnic group to perpetuate its domination of permanently so that they can remain in office as Year governance to the bitter exclusion of the other ministers and VIPs of waste, the tribalists, the nepotists, component nationalities. The long history