| | Since the military coup of December 1983, Nigeria has had three attempts at 'democratic transition' . Two of them, associated with the despotic leaderships of Babangida and Abacha, failed woefully. The third is still running its course and if all goes well, on 29 May 1999, the Nigerian military, under the leadership of General Abdusalami Abubakar, is scheduled to hand over power to the winner of the February 27th presidential election, General Olusegun Obasanjo. In the event that President-elect Obasanjo assumes office on 29 May, Nigeria would have completed a feat that was beginning to seem impossible since the overthrow of Shagari - the transfer of power from the military to an elected successor government. Is this a case of 'third time lucky' ? Is Nigeria really democratising or are we witnessing the legitimation of military privileges by other means? In this Briefing, I explore some of the complexities of the recent 'democratic opening's' in Nigeria. |
