Nigeria’s history has been heavily influenced by multiple military coups, the first occurring in 1966.
These coups have significantly impacted the political landscape of the country, often leading to authoritarian rule, human rights abuses, and economic instability.
Since gaining independence in 1960, Nigeria has endured a turbulent past marked by these military interventions.
Former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has warned that any undemocratic change of government would set Nigeria back and may even result in another civil war.
Omokri said it is in the interest of every Nigerian to refrain from coup-baiting.
He urged Nigerians to embrace late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s statement that, “The worst civilian rule is better than the best military dictatorship.”
The social media critic stated this via his X handle @renoomokri on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
According to Omokri, the coup that toppled the Gowon government in 1975 is the only military coup that has ever led to a better government in Nigeria.
He clarified that the coup was against another military ruler, not a civilian government.
“The only military coup that has ever led to a better government in Nigeria was a coup against another military ruler, and that was the Thursday, July 29, 1975, palace coup that toppled the Gowon government.
“But from when President Shagari was overthrown on Saturday December 31, 1983, to when democracy was restored on Saturday, May 29, 1999, Nigeria retrigressuveky went downhill, from having an army that the late Lt. General Salihu Ibrahim described as an army of “anything can happen” to a loss of fundamental human rights, and a situation where letter bombs killed journalists, with media houses shutting down, to Nigeria losing her visa free status to the United Kingdom, to state sponsored assassinations, and looting of the Central Bank of Nigeria in an industrial scale, to the point where, but for Bernie Madoff a Nigerian military ruler, Sani Abacha, would have continued to hold the record as the world’s biggest thief!”
