Abdulsalami, Nigeria’s last military ruler, shared his insights during an exclusive interview with The Sun Newspaper. As reported by Daily Trust, recent coups have occurred in parts of West Africa. Last year, after the military ousted Niger’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum, Abdulsalami intervened on behalf of ECOWAS. This intervention came after sanctions were imposed on Niger, which refused to reinstate the ousted president. However, by the time ECOWAS eased its sanctions, Niger had already allied with other nations that had also replaced civilian governments.
In the interview, Abdulsalami remarked, “You see, whatever happens, it must be the political field that allows any military man to take over. When you are in government and there is no equity and justice, certainly this brings problems. You have a political party and even in the political party one belongs to, there is no democracy. So, certainly, you will expect some quivers, some quarrels to come out and if they are not handled amicably, certainly, this will result in military takeover. Remember there is no military man that takes over without the connivance and assistance of politicians and civilians.”
Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, the country has experienced five military coups. From 1966 to 1999, Nigeria was governed by military regimes without interruption, except for a brief return to democracy during the Second Nigerian Republic from 1979 to 1983.