A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF TRANSITION TO CIVIL RULE IN NIGERIA & GHANA 1960 - 2000
A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF TRANSITION TO CIVIL RULE IN NIGERIA & GHANA 1960 - 2000
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Date
2001-12
Authors
GYAKARI, Esew Ntim
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Abstract
disengagement thereof, has made transition to civil rule integral
part of politics on the continent. In Nigeria as well as in Ghana,
transition to civil rule was precipitated by the intervention of
the military in the democratic rocess. Irrespective of the duration
of the military in power, the militapry and the civil society have
seen the need to put a programme for transferring power to civilians
in place. of the nature and The intrusion
pattern of the political transition to civil
This study, therefore, is an examination rule in Nigeria and
Ghana. Why has it been difficult for the military in Nigeria and
Ghana to initiate and execute any political transition
successfully? Does the ambition of an incumbent have any impact on political transitionOur quest to find answers to the foregoing questions provides
the stimulus for this study. It is our proposition that (i) given
the powerful nature of the state in the allocation of resources,
there will be a struggle for power between the military and the
political elites for the control of the state policy-making
apparatus, (ii) that most political transitions in Nigeria and
Ghana are characterized by the desire of the incumbent to remainin power and (iii) the greater the degree of influence of the
military in the transition process, the lesser its chances of success. Secondary sources on the various transition programmes inNigeria and Ghana from 1960 to 2000, were collected, collated and
then meticulously subjected to systematic content analysis to test
the propositions.
The study discovered that there is a relationship between
military interest and the outcome of political transitions in both
Nigeria and Ghana. That since the state is the major repository of
wealth and controls the nation's resources, there will be a
continuous struggle between the military and civil society over
power. That success of transition to civil rule depends on whom the
incumbent wanted to relinquish political power. That the military
in their attempt to hand over power to civilians set up similar
electoral bodies to oversee the transition programme.
Among the problems associated with the military and political transitions include the insincerity on the part of the military in
keeping to transition timetable. In cases where they are kept, the over whelming influence of the military on the transition, makes the
whole process a mockery. The entire transition programme is
manipulated overtly or covertly to the advantage of the incumbent;
an uneven playing field is, therefore, provided among contestants where incumbent is an interested party. The thesis concludes with recommendations which could lead to a smooth and successful transition of power from military to civil rule thus: (i) The military should be sincere in their willingness to hand-over powerto civilians, (ii) the antieo£e to military incursion into politics
is good governance. Civilian leaders should therefore, try as much as possible to eschew ethnicsentiments and tendencies and spread political appointments evenly
across the nation.
Description
BEING A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF
PHILOSOPHY (PH.D) IN POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF
POLITICAL SCIENCE, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, AHMADU
BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Keywords
CRITICAL ANALYSIS,, TRANSITION,, CIVIL RULE,, NIGERIA, GHANA 1960 - 2000,