The Military Past and Present Now in Command and Control of Nigerian Politics and Institutions

By

Dr. Wunmi Akintide

Nigeria was supposed to have returned to civil rule in May 1999, but everywhere you look today in Nigerian politics and institutions is dominated by serving officers or some retired officers from either the Military or the Police or Custom.

The Miltary having been in power since 1966 to 1979 and from 1985 to 1999 have become so entrenched in our country and psyche that we hardly can do anything now without them or their input A cross section of our country now strongly believes that it is only a candidate with some military training and background that can successfully rule our country. In that unique sense our so-called democratic system has become so compromised, so diluted and poluted that you sometimes cannot differentiate between our democracy and dictatorship of the worse order.

You look at some of the actions of our so-called civilian President today, and what is happening in our country in general, and you wonder if we are really operating a democratic system of Government with all its checks and balances. The rule of Law has become an abberation in our country if you ask me. Our President and leaders only observe the Law and respect our Constitution only when it serves their purpose. It is a sad commentary on our country.

The Appeal Court at Ibadan has recently overturned the so-called impeachment of Governor Ladoja in Oyo State, but the strong man from Ibadan, Alhaji Adedibu, a confidant and hatchet man of our President has said the Court of Appeal is wasting its time. Governor Ladoja must not return to Ibadan, and if he does, he does so at his own peril.

Governor Fayose was recently impeached and forcibly removed from Ekiti State despite the conditionalities stipulated by our Constitution, and despite strong objections from the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Attorney-general of the Federation and the Nigerian Bar Association. Governor Obi has just been shown the door in similar circumstance. Governor Dariye is facing similar threat in Plateau State as we speak.

Our leaders are operating like the Military and our President is behaving and acting as if he has never hung up his boots and uniform. For all you know, the so much talked about election in April or May, 2007 may never take place at all as the President has not abandoned his third term plans from all we are able to see.

To make sure that is in deed the case, the president could find no other qualified civilian to appoint as the Administrator in Ekiti State. The best he could do was to name retired General Olurin as the man to step into Fayose's shoes in Ekiti.He had quickly rushed to declare a state of emergency in Ekiti State because it served his own plans and purpose.

I think the bully President was more or less reminding the nation that the Military are still in charge in Nigeria and that bloody civilians could go to hell.

The Military is everywhere in our country. Even the ivory tower, the Universities and our Chambers of Commerce not to talk of the Foreign Service of our country are being infiltrated and dominated by serving or retired military officers as Ministers and Ambassadors. The Military has taken over our country regardless of our democratic pretensions and claims.

This observation is only going to get worse as we move into the future. What is more troubling today is that most of our serving officers also ensure that as they retire from their jobs in the Military, they make sure that no less than two or three of their children are already enlisted or commissioned into the Military before they leave. The whole thing now becomes a vicious circle. As the fathers leave, their children, male or female, invariably step into their shoes. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with children following in the footsteps of their fathers, what is wrong is deliberately making it a state policy and using such devices to create a monopoly of opportunities for their own offsprings alone, while denying candidates from other Nigerian families a chance to share out of their life of privilege and opportunities galore.

Once upon a time in the old Igbo or Yoruba Land in particular, a career in the Military or Nigerian Police is considered an abberation, and you will hardly find parents encouraging their children to seek or make a career of military service except in the North where the Military has always been their own Civil Service. In those days the igbos had a popular proverb, "Nne Mulu Soja ngba ka wan" meaning "a mother that gives birth to a soldier child does not have a child"

The Yorubas feel much the same way as well. But that was then. Right now the military has become "the open sesame" to opportunity and fortune. A mother that gives birth to a soldier today is regarded as lucky and blessed because that child could possibly end up a Governor, an Ambassador pleni potentiary as they say, or even as a traditional ruler.

Alhaji Saad Abubakar a Colonel in the Army, and a potential Brigadier-general in the making, has recently been named the new Sultan of Sokoto beating into second and third place a distinguished technocrat and a well known business man. the former military Governor of Rivers State, Navy Captain Diete Spiff is now a traditional ruler. So is the new Alake of Abeokuta, who was a Colonel and the new Orodje of Okpe in Delta State who was a General in the Nigerian Army. Among such men coud be counted the late Deji of Akure, Oba Ataiyese Adesida who was an Assistant Commissioner of Police before his coronation. So is the new Oba of Lagos, Kabiyesi Akiolu who was a Deputy Inspector General of Police and the present Eleruwa of Eruwa in Oyo State who was a uniformed Custom Officer before his coronation

The Military has become a force to reckon with in our country. They now dominate everything. With one of their own now becoming the most powerful traditional ruler in our country, the sky has now become their limit. Unlike their civilian counterparts they always find some way to maintain solidarity and to stand up for one another, come rain or shine. Dr. Wunmi Akintide.