Nigeria, like several other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, depicts the picture of a ‘Praetorian state’ or what Leo Dare called the ‘Praetorian trap’. The reason for this nomenclature is not farfetched. The polity alternated between civilian and military administrations since its ‘flag independence’ in October 1960. The only respite so far is the uninterrupted civilian administration since 29 May1999, when a nascent democracy was inaugurated. Even at that, the risk of military intervention has not completely disappeared from the political firmament. The thrust of this article, however, is an in-depth analysis of the role(s) of the Military in democratic political transition in Nigeria. This study becomes imperative in the context of the Military superimposed democratic transitions in Nigeria. In a nutshell the article recognises the contributions of the Military vis-à-vis democratic transition and sustenance.
AbdullahiO.AdesinaSambo. 1987. Problems of transition in Nigeria: An analysis of military disengagement in politics. A paper presented at the Zaria Conference of the Nigerian Political Science Association, Zaria, 1987.
2.
AdamolekunLadipo. 1985. The fall of the Second Republic. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited.
3.
AdekanyeJ. Bayo. 1981–82. Military organisation and federal society. Quarterly Journal of Administration16, nos. 1 and 2: 10.
4.
AdesinaJ.O.1998. Civil society and Abacha state. Quarterly Review1, no. 3: 62–73.
5.
AmodaJ.M.1987. Transition and structural adjustments, Presidential address delivered at the 14th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Political Science Association, May17–21, in Zaria.
6.
BethamDavid. 1994. Conditions for democratic consolidation. Review of African Political Economy, no. 60: 157–72.
7.
BrattonMichael. 1998. Second elections in Africa. Journal of Democracy9, no. 3: 51.
8.
CDHR. 1997. Report’ Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Lagos, 1–90.
9.
DentMartin. 1968. Military leadership in Nigeria. unpublished Seminar Paper, Manchester, p. 9.
10.
DentMartin1970. The military and the politicians. InNigerian politics and military rule: Prelude to the civil war, ed. Panter-brickSimone K., 79. Athlone Press.
11.
DiamondLarry1992. Economic development and democracy reconsidered. In Re-examining democracy: Essays in honor of Seymour Martin Lipset, ed. GanyM., 100. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
12.
DiamondLarry. 1995. Promoting democracy in the 1990’s: Actors and instruments, issues and imperatives. A Report to Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, Carnegie Corporation of New York, December1995.
13.
DudleyB.J.1982. Introduction to Nigerian government and politics.Ibadan: Macmillan Press.
14.
FinerS.E.1976. The man on horseback: The role of the military in politics.England: Pall Mall Press.
15.
Front Page Comment. 2002. Three years of democracy. Nigerian Tribune,29May2002, 1, 10.
16.
IhonvbereO. Julius1987. Instability and military intervention in politics in the periphery. In The Impact of military rule on Nigeria’s administration, eds. SandaA.O.OjoOlusolaAyeniVictor (124–40), Ife: University of Ife Press.
17.
IhonvbereJ.1991. The military and political engineering under structural adjustment: The Nigerian experience since 1985. Journal of Political and Military Sociology20, Summer: 80–82.
18.
JanowitzMorris. 1964. The military in the political development of new nations: An essay in comparative analysis.USA: University of Chicago Press.
19.
KotowskiChristopher M.1984. Revolution. In Social science concepts: A systematic analysis, ed. SartoriGiovanni, 440. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE.
20.
LewisP.1993. Endgame in Nigeria: The politics of a failed democratic transition. African Affairs, 93: 323–40.
21.
LinzJuan. 1990. Transitions to democracy. The Washington QuarterlyII, Summer: 143–164.
22.
Newswatch, 21June1993, Lagos.
23.
Newswatch, 28June1993, Lagos.
24.
NwabuezeBen. 1989, 24July. Our march to constitutional democracy. The 1989 Guardian Lecture (7–8), Lagos.
25.
NwabuezeBen. 1994. Nigeria ’93: The political crisis and solutions.Ibadan: Spectrum Books.
26.
NwoliseO.B.C.1994. The constitutional conference in perspective. Paper presented at the launching of the war against indiscipline and corruption, Ibadan.
27.
NDI. 2007. Statement of the National Democratic Institute’s international observer delegation to Nigeria’s 21 April presidential election in Abuja, 23April.
28.
OfodileC.1996. Ideological fluidity in Nigerian politics. The Guardian on Sunday, 25August.
29.
OjiakoJ. n.d. 13 years of military rule 1966–1979. Lagos: A Daily Times Publication.
30.
OjoEmmanuel O.1994. Democratization hurdles in Nigeria. Daily Sketch2October.
31.
OjoEmmanuel O.2000. The military and democratic transition in Nigeria: An in-depth analysis of Gen. Babangida’s transition programme (1985–1993). Journal of Political and Military Sociology28, no.1 (Summer): 5.
32.
OjoEmmanuel O.2004. The military and political transitions. In Nigeria’s struggle for democracy and good governance, eds. AgbajeA.A.B.DiamondLarryOnwudiweEbere, 60–82. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
33.
OjoEmmanuel O.2006. Nigeria’s new modes of power sharing: A prognosis. African Notes24, nos 1 and 2.
34.
OjoEmmanuel O. (ed.). 2006. Challenges of sustainable democracy in Nigeria.Ibadan: John Archers (Publishers) Limited.
35.
OjoEmmanuel O.2008–2009. New missions and roles of the military forces: The blurring of military and police roles in Nigeria. Journal of Military and Strategic Studies11, nos1 and 2: 1–18.
36.
OjoEmmanuel O.AdemolaAzeez. 2002. The military and democratic transitions in Nigeria (1976–1999). Nigerian Journal of International Affairs28, nos. 1 and 2: 203–211.
37.
OloloAllen. 2004. Democracy and election management in Africa.Lagos: Malthouse Publishers.
38.
OlugbojiB.AjibadeK.. 1994. The press and dictatorship in Nigeria. Lagos: Constitutional Rights Project Publication.
39.
OluleyeJ.J.1983. The military leadership in Nigeria, 1966–1979. Ibadan: UPL.
40.
OmoruyiOmo. 1992. The reformed civil service in the transition period and beyond. Abuja: Centre for Democratic Studies Publication.
41.
OsaghaeE.E.1996. Human rights and ethnic conflict management: The case of Nigeria. Journal of Peace Research33, no. 2: 171–188.
42.
OsaghaeE.E.1998aEthnicity and Democracy. In Understanding Democracy, ed. FasoroAyo, Ibadan, Nigeria: Bookcraft Limited.
43.
OsaghaeE.E.1998b. Managing Multiple Minority Problems in a Divided Society: The Nigerian Experience. Journal of Modern African Studies36, no. 1: 288.
44.
PrzeworskiA.1991. Democracy and the market.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
45.
RichardJoseph. 1987. Democracy and prebendal politics in Nigeria: The fall of the Second Republic.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
46.
SamboAdesina1994. Transition to democracy in Nigeria: Possibilities and limitation. In Democratization Africa: Nigerian perspective, eds. OmoruyiOmo, 213–214. Benin City, Nigeria: Hima and Hima Limited.
47.
SchedlerAndreas. 1998. What is democratic consolidation?Journal of Democracy9, no. 2: 91–107.
48.
Summe and OcheO.1997. Patterns of military disengagement from politics in West Africa. ECPER Journal of Political and Economic Studies5, no. 2: 16.
49.
Sunday Punch,1998, 20April, 20.
50.
Sunday Tribune,1998, 20September, 1, Ibadan.
51.
Tell,3November1997.
52.
Tempo, 27September1993, Lagos.
53.
The Guardian, 18November1992, Lagos.
54.
The Guardian, 3March1993.
55.
The Guardian, 28September1993, Lagos.
56.
The Guardian, 13 and 14June1993, Lagos.
57.
The Guardian, 28June1993, Lagos.
58.
The News, 28June1993, Lagos.
59.
The Punch,1998, 17April, 1, Lagos.
60.
TSM, 11July1993, Lagos.
61.
UNDP. 1997. Country Reports 1997, 19. Nigeria: United Nations.
62.
WhiteheadL.1989. The consolidation of fragile democracies. In Democracy in the Americas: Stopping the pendulum, ed. PastorRobber A., 79–83, USA: Holmes and Meier.
