60 Years After: Retired Major-General Haruna Says 1966 Coup Was Inevitable

60 Years After: Retired Major-General Haruna Says 1966 Coup Was Inevitable

Sixty years after the January 15, 1966 military coup that ended Nigeria’s First Republic and eventually sparked the civil war, retired Major-General Ibrahim Bata Malgwi Haruna has offered a fresh assessment of the landmark event, arguing it was inevitable given the political realities of the time.

In an interview with Vanguard’s Regional Editor, Soni Daniel, General Haruna, a former Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture and ex-chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, traced the coup’s roots to deep-seated regional, ethnic, and political tensions that had built up since independence in 1960.

Unequal Regions, Rising Tensions

Haruna said the structure of Nigeria at independence created significant imbalances among the Northern, Eastern, and Western regions. With vast differences in population, resources, and administrative power, the regions struggled to work together under a loose and unclear federal system. These disparities, he said, fuelled political rivalry that quickly took on ethnic and religious overtones.

According to the retired general, this competitive environment seeped into Nigeria’s security forces as well. Rivalry between the army and police, along with uneven representation and recruitment, contributed to frustration among young officers who believed the military could run the country more effectively than civilian politicians.

Military Dissatisfaction and the Coup’s Origins

Haruna noted that many of those involved in the 1966 coup were young officers commissioned around the time of independence. They saw corruption, power abuses, and ethnic bias in government appointments and believed force might unify the country and eradicate these ills. While the principal coup plotters, including Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, were predominantly of Igbo origin, Haruna suggested the motivation was national reform rather than ethnic domination.

He also acknowledged the long-held perception that the coup was ethnically tilted but stressed that such narratives oversimplify the complex political dynamics of the time.

Legacy and Lessons

Responding to criticism that the coup set Nigeria back, Haruna argued that the country’s problems predated the 1966 intervention. He described political fragmentation and the rise of ethnic associations such as Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the East and Afenifere in the West as evidence that national cohesion was already under strain.

On whether another coup could have been avoided, he said that as long as the underlying systemic issues persisted, some upheaval was almost certain. He pointed out that Nigeria’s current democratic journey, albeit imperfect, shows growth and an ongoing struggle to balance competing interests.

Contemporary Context

Haruna also commented on present-day challenges, including insecurity and foreign intervention. He questioned the effectiveness of external military involvement, arguing that many of the nation’s security issues are rooted in local conditions and policy failures.

Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, the retired general expressed hope for credible democratic processes and urged the government to foster a stable environment that supports free and fair elections.