The Military and the Nigerian State, 1966-1993: A Study of the Strategies of Political Power Control

Adegboyega Isaac Ajayi's book discusses the strategies used by the military in Nigeria to hold on to power between 1966 (when a group of military officers seized power from the politicians) and 1993 (when General Ibrahim Babangida was ousted and the most peaceful election conducted in the history of the country was cancelled). Instead of discussing the numerous clampdowns on opposition or dwelling on the over-examined discussion of how the military, through their national and international collaborators, stole the resources of the country, Ajayi turns to the numerous structures and strategies the military employed in order to remain in power and to present itself as a legitimate form of government - indeed, as the best form for the people as a whole.