TY - JOUR
T1 - "Today they are going to kill us": Ethnicization of the Nigerian Army (1957-1966) and Consequences for Society
AU - Gomes, Wendy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
PY - 2026/1/27
Y1 - 2026/1/27
N2 - This article examines the ethnicization of the Nigerian Army between 1957 and 1966, tracing how recruitment reforms transformed it from a meritocratic institution into one fractured by competing loyalties. We distinguish three intersecting cleavages—ethnic, regional, and sociological (linked to educational and training pipelines)—to show how the introduction of a regionally based “Quota System” reshaped officer cohorts, lowered professional thresholds, and fostered resentment among rival groups. Archival records, parliamentary debates, and memoirs reveal how a policy framed as inclusive instead weakened corporateness and legitimized factional politics within the military. The result was an officer corps divided in identity, unequal in competence, and prone to intervention. By situating Nigeria within wider debates on nonmeritocratic recruitment and praetorianism, the article highlights how politicized personnel policies can erode military professionalism and destabilize fragile democracies.
AB - This article examines the ethnicization of the Nigerian Army between 1957 and 1966, tracing how recruitment reforms transformed it from a meritocratic institution into one fractured by competing loyalties. We distinguish three intersecting cleavages—ethnic, regional, and sociological (linked to educational and training pipelines)—to show how the introduction of a regionally based “Quota System” reshaped officer cohorts, lowered professional thresholds, and fostered resentment among rival groups. Archival records, parliamentary debates, and memoirs reveal how a policy framed as inclusive instead weakened corporateness and legitimized factional politics within the military. The result was an officer corps divided in identity, unequal in competence, and prone to intervention. By situating Nigeria within wider debates on nonmeritocratic recruitment and praetorianism, the article highlights how politicized personnel policies can erode military professionalism and destabilize fragile democracies.
KW - civil military relations
KW - defence policy
KW - origins/forms of conflict
KW - recruitment/retention
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105029186324
U2 - 10.1177/0095327X251414967
DO - 10.1177/0095327X251414967
M3 - Article
SN - 0095-327X
SP - 1
EP - 24
JO - Armed Forces and Society
JF - Armed Forces and Society
ER -