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Question

Difficulty: MediumMilitary Intervention and Governance in Nigeria

Match each post-independence Nigerian military Head of State with the key structural or administrative reform implemented during their regime.

  • General Major-General J.T.U. Aguiyi-IronsiPromulgation of Unification Decree No. 34, replacing the federal structure with a unitary system.
  • General Yakubu GowonCreation of twelve states in 1967 to restructure the federation away from four regions.
  • General Murtala MuhammedInauguration of a 50-member Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) to prepare for democratic transition.
  • General Ibrahim BabangidaEstablishment of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) as the supreme legislative organ.

Answer

General Aguiyi-Ironsi matches with the promulgation of Unification Decree No. 34; General Yakubu Gowon matches with the creation of twelve states in 1967; General Murtala Muhammed matches with the inauguration of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC); and General Ibrahim Babangida matches with the establishment of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC).
Each military leader introduced distinct political and administrative frameworks: Aguiyi-Ironsi centralized power via Decree No. 34; Gowon restructured Nigeria into 12 states in 1967; Murtala Muhammed set up the 1975 CDC for democratic transition; and Babangida created the AFRC as the highest ruling organ.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key constitutional decree associated with Nigeria's first military ruler.
Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi enacted Decree No. 34 (Unification Decree) in May 1966.
This decree centralized the civil service and political administration.
2
Associate structural state creation reforms with the Gowon administration.
General Yakubu Gowon replaced regions with 12 states on May 27, 1967.
This move aimed to decentralize regional power blocks prior to the outbreak of the civil war.
3
Determine the transition initiation step taken by General Murtala Muhammed.
Murtala Muhammed instituted the Constitution Drafting Committee in October 1975.
This laid the constitutional foundation for the return to civilian rule in the Second Republic.
4
Identify the specific governing organ created under General Babangida's regime.
Babangida established the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) in 1985.
The AFRC replaced the Supreme Military Council as the highest legislative body.

Key Concept

Key policies, administrative organs, and structural changes under successive military regimes in Nigeria.
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Topics

Military Intervention and Governance in Nigeria