The author names names, and explores how British influence aggravated indigenous rivalries. He shows how various factions in the military were able to hold onto power and resist civil and international pressure for democratic governance by...

The author names names, and explores how British influence aggravated indigenous rivalries. He shows how various factions in the military were able to hold onto power and resist civil and international pressure for democratic governance by exploiting the countryÃ??'s oil wealth and ethnic divisions to its advantage.Africa is more and more in the headlines as developed countries Ã??' and China Ã??' clash over the need for the continentÃ??'s resources. Yet there are few serious books to help us understand any aspect of the never-ending cascade of wars and conflicts. Other titles on Nigeria are mostly childrenÃ??'s books or travel guides, with the exception of Daniel Jordan SmithÃ??'s A Culture of Corruption. The current work focuses specifically on the social tensions, the motivations and the methods of the series of coups that rent Nigeria.

Chapter 1. The Pre-Coup Days: Politics and CrisisIndependenceIgbosCorruption1964 Federal ElectionsThe Wild WestChapter 2. The Nigerian Army: The Way Things WereNigerianizationThe First GOCMaimalariAde

Chapter 1. The Pre-Coup Days: Politics and CrisisIndependenceIgbosCorruption1964 Federal ElectionsThe Wild WestChapter 2. The Nigerian Army: The Way Things WereNigerianizationThe First GOCMaimalariAdemulegunAguiyi-IronsiOgundipeThe Army under Aguiyi-IronsiChapter 3. Soldiers and PoliticsThese Bookish PeopleThe Inner CircleMethod of RecruitmentThe Awolowo FactorUnheeded WarningsChapter 4. Enter Ã??'The Five MajorsÃ??'�Towards the First CoupJanuary 14 1966: Friday Night Party at Brigadier MaimalariÃ??'s House, 11 Thompson Avenue, LagosSaturday Morning, January 15, 1966: Ã??'Plenty Plenty PalaverÃ??'�Events OvernightBrigadier AdemulegunColonel ShodeindeStrategic LocationsLagosStrategic LocationsThe GOC in TownChapter 5. From Civilian to Military Rule: History in the MakingReaction to the CoupSaturday January 15, 1966Saturday January 15Ã??'Sunday January 16, 1966Sunday Evening, January 16, 1966, Cabinet OfficeThursday, January 20, 1966: A Grisly DiscoveryFriday January 21, 1966Chapter 6. A New Type of GovernmentGoverning Organs of the Military GovernmentReaction to the new RegimeLegal and Constitutional Basis of Military RuleMilitary GovernanceUnification DecreeThe May 1966 RiotsFear of an Igbo PlanetWas Aguiyi-Ironsi an Accomplice?Provocation in the NorthChapter 7. The Army Implodes4th Battalion Ã??' IbadanReshuffling the PackTelling TalesMay 1966 Ã??' Army PromotionsThe January DetaineesBetween a Rock and a Hard PlaceChapter 8. The July RematchPlotting the Counter-CoupAbeokuta: The CatalystAbeokuta Garrison Ã??' Thursday Night, July 28 1966 (Almost Midnight)Lagos, Overnight: Thursday July 28 Ã??' Friday July 29, 1966Federal Guard Barracks Ã??' IkoyiIbadan, 4 a.m., Friday July 29, 1966July 29, 1966 Ã??' Back to LagosKadunaLate Night,Friday July 29 1966 Ã??' 3rd Battalion, KawoÃ??'KadunaKano, 5th BattalionEnugu Ã??' 1st BattalionBeninChapter 9. Mutineers In PowerOgundipe in DistressA Three Day Debate in Lagos, July 29Ã??'31, 1966The Role of Civil ServantsAugust 1, 1966 Ã??' Good Old JackCoup or Mutiny?Chapter 10. The Killing ContinuesCollapse Of Discipline: The Inmates Take Over The AsylumThe 4th Battalion AgainThe Role of Southern SoldiersYoruba SoldiersBack to KanoSeptember-October 1966PogromChapter 11. Legacy of the 1966 CoupsThe Ã??'Five MajorsÃ??'�?Who Was The Leader?The MajorsÃ??' Coup: An Ã??'Igbo CoupÃ??'�?A UPGA Coup?The MajorsÃ??' ObjectivesThe Ã??'Classmate SyndromeÃ??'�A Culture of BetrayalLong Lasting Effects Of The July Counter-CoupChapter 12. Aburi: The Ã??'Sovereign National ConferenceÃ??'� That Got AwayBetween One Ambitious Man and The Rest of The CountrySecretariesThe ReunionPoliticiansAguiyi-IronsiÃ??'s FateCoup Plotters: OjukwuÃ??'s ProphecyThe Star Of The ShowThe Constitutional DebateChapter 13. The Tempestuous Life And Times Of Murtala MuhammedThe Early DaysThe Ã??'Five MajorsÃ??'�The Counter-Coup: ArabaIkeja: Spotlight On Murtala and GowonConfrontation in the Mid-WestThe War YearsChapter 14. The Post War Years: Civil and Military DiscontentThe Military and Civil SocietySeated from left to right: Mobolaji Johnson, Yakubu Gowon and Joseph Wey.Chapter 15. Another Army Plot: Another Military GovernmentChapter 15. Another Army Plot: Another Military GovernmentAnother Coup PlotThe Brigadiers ApproachedJuly 28, 1975Colonel WalbeÃ??'s HouseMilitary Coups: Backing the Right HorseThe New LeadersA No Nonsense LeaderSupreme Military CouncilMurtala as head of stateMilitary GovernorsThe Mass PurgeCreation of StatesForeign AffairsCement ChaosA New CapitalThe Beginning of the EndChapter 16. Friday the 13th : The Watershed CoupDefense Headquarters and Bonny CampThe Contribution of BabangidaBabangida and Dimka at the Radio StationFirefight at the Radio StationSuccessionA Diplomatic SpatFugitiveChapter 17. Crime and PunishmentAnatomy of a PlotThe Plot Ã??' The GovernmentÃ??'s CaseTreason and Other Offenses (Special Military Tribunal) Decree 1976The Special Military TribunalDimkaÃ??'s ConfessionsBisallaÃ??'s CaseThe VerdictExecutionsLife After MurtalaThe Ã??'Coup WidowsÃ??'�MurtalaÃ??'s FamilyAPPENDIX 1Nigerian Army Hierarchy, January 14, 1966Appendix 2. SpeechesMajor-General Aguiyi-IronsiÃ??'s Inaugural Speech on January 16, 1966President AzikiweÃ??'s Statement to the Press: Reaction to NigeriaÃ??'s First Military CoupFirst Speech of Lt-Colonel Yakubu Gowon, August 1, 1966APPENDIX 3. Casualties of the 1966 CoupsAppendix 4.Appendix 5. Treason and Other Offenses (Special Military Tribunal) Decree 1976GlossaryNigerian Army Officer Ranks (in order of decreasing seniority)Nigerian Army NCO Ranks (in order of decreasing seniority)BibliographyOfficial Memoranda and PublicationsINDEX