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Taming the Monster

Demilitarization and Democratization in Nigeria

University of Ilorin, Nigeria eojol12000{at}yahoo.com

This article is an in-depth analysis of civil-military relations in Nigeria's nascent democracy. It chronicles the factors responsible for the Nigerian army's descent into the abyss—once a professional body—shortly after political independence in 1960. The author argues that much still needs to be done to effectively tame the military, which has indeed become a monster. However, unless the "contradictory pressures of depolitization and renewed political involvement" are curtailed, the hope of a consolidated democracy in Nigeria, and in virtually all other states emerging from military absolutism, will remain a mirage after all, despite all pretensions to the contrary.

Key Words: democratization • demilitarization • military • coups • Nigeria

Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 32, No. 2, 254-272 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0095327X05277905


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				E. O. Ojo Guarding the "Guardians": A Prognosis of Panacea for Evolving Stable Civil--Military Relations in Nigeria Armed Forces & Society, July 1, 2009; 35(4): 688 - 708. [Abstract] [PDF]