It is an incontrovertible fact that a driver that continually focuses on the mirror is bound to crash. Concurrently, it could be safely argued that a driver that fails to look at the mirror occasionally is also destined to crash. In taking decisions and planning for the present and the future, strategists draw their conclusions and map out plans by examining the past, and the present, in order to peep into the future. These factors simply explain the choice of this topic. This is one good reason why the younger generation must know how Nigeria has been governed over the years, with a view to learning some lessons. The Second Republic in Nigeria ran from 1979 till December 31, 1983, after which the military struck and ran the affairs of the nation for 16 uninterrupted years before democracy was restored as the nation’s political system. Now consider these facts. A child born in 1979 is now almost 40 years old and is ripe to be the president of the Federal Republic, if so destined, and if Nigerians want him or her to govern the nation. Nigeria is blessed with some of the best brains in the world with capabilities to govern any society, no matter how complex; even the United States, that is reputedly the strongest nation in the world. Why did the nation falter in the democratic experiments adopted since the first democratic election was held in September 1923. The 1914 political alignment facilitated by the British colonialists brought together the Northern and Southern protectorates and the colony of Lagos. Independence, as granted by the colonialists in 1960 brought along with it the adoption of the parliamentary or Westminster system of government. The search for the roots of the disaster of 1966, through the first military incursion into Nigerian politics and subsequent destabilization of the political scene would be shared by all of us Nigerians. If the military truncated democracy as it did, one may safely posit that they were clearly aided and abetted by all of us, including all those who cheered them each time they appeared on the scene, and others who have served the military in one way or the other. Obviously, the military could not have stayed long in power if the political class had refused to serve in military governments. The reality is that one of the key issues that facilitated the disturbances of…
