Military Participation in Development of a Democratic Political Culture in Nigeria: The Underlying Implications.

Abstract

This research intends to give an analysis of the implication of the military rule in development of a democratic political culture in Nigerian political system. The study used secondary data, and adopted content analysis for analyzing the data. The study covers the period of 1960-1999, with focus on military activities in the political industry, and its impact on Nigerian political culture. The study shows that the first political experiment after independence was disrupted by military intervention in Nigeria. And over the years, it has been from one military rule to another, from 1966 – 1979, and 1983 – 1999. Nigeria witnessed military dictatorship without adequate preparation to develop a democratic political culture that could be enduring. This is on account of political squabbles and corrupt practices that do not help in the sustenance of true democratic principles. Nigeria ought to have had solid democratic political culture and thus set the pace for other African nations to emulate. Unfortunately, the protracted military rule has inflicted the political system with several political challenges, thereby developing a poor political culture that does not grantee stability in the system. To that effect, the study advises that the military should keep away from the politics of the state, to allow the nascent democracy strive for re-orientation of proper democratic political culture in Nigeria.

Key words : Military, Political Culture, Development, Democracy.