The Impact of Military Rule on Nigeria’s Nation Building, 1966-1979

Abstract

For a significant part of its post independence existence, Nigeria was under military rule. The military rule that firstly brought new hopes however did little to salvage the precarious situations that collapsed the first republic. It has to be stated that the army was already contaminated by one of the viruses that brought down the civilian government---regionalism. Therefore it could be said that the ‘doctor’ himself was ill, and who could cure him but himself. Consequently, there was a ‘self surgery’ which resulted in the thirty month civil war. This paper assesses the first phase of military rule in Nigeria (1966-1979) in relation to the country’s nation building. The paper examines problems and prospects of nation building during this phase of military rule. The paper however concludes that the military rule, 1966-79 contributed both positively and negatively to the building a viable and united Nigerian nationhood