Dictatorship and Democracy in Nigeria, 1966–1999

Bibliographic Data

ID23596355
AuthorsEghosa E Osaghae (0000-0002-2634-2506, Igbinedion University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Pages440-460
Publication date2022-03-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueOxford Handbook of Nigerian History (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190050092.013.9
OpenAlexW4220680162
ISBN9780190050092
LanguageEN
References cited19

This chapter analyses the alternation and contestations of dictatorship and democracy in Nigeria in the period 1966–1999. The period was dominated by military dictatorial rule that was vigorously challenged by civil society. The major plank for this was the abiding norm of military subordination to civil authority that made military rule an aberration, even when it could be justified. The main points of the struggles to restore democracy in the period under review are analyzed within the framework of democratic transition plans that provided the middle grounds for satisfying the democratic imperative. The triumph of democratic forces over those of military dictatorship are attributed to the resilience of civil society, the deconstruction of the myth of superior morality and attendant precipitate loss of legitimacy and social capital, and, finally, the intervening but supportive variables of economic decline and adjustment and the global democratic revolution that attracted tremendous support for the democratic struggles in Nigeria.

Civil society · Democracy · Democratic consolidation · Democratization · Development economics · Dictatorship · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law · Religion and Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nigeria