Opadokun, CDHR blame military, democracy for underdevelopment, poverty
Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Ayo Opadokun, has condemned the repeated military incursions into Nigeria’s governance as a major barrier to the country’s development.

This is as the National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Debo Adeniran, called for urgent constitutional reforms to make social and economic rights enforceable, warning that Nigeria’s democratic system continues to exclude the majority of citizens from justice and governance.

In his newly launched 427-page book, The Gun Hegemony: An Unusual Chronicle About the Nigerian Military, Opadokun argues that officers behind the January 1966 coup and subsequent military takeovers delivered “mediocre leadership and great disservice” to the nation.

“The Nigerian military, in overthrowing civilian regimes, chased two rats and lost both,” he writes. “They failed as soldiers and flopped as governors.”

A former Secretary of the Yoruba socio-political group Afenifere, Opadokun traces the Nigerian Army’s origins to the colonial era, highlighting the emergence of the “Glover’s Hausas” and the resulting northernisation of the military, a trend he says continues to shape the nation’s power dynamics.

Launched on January 15, 2026, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s first military coup, the book delves into the roles of key historical figures, including Chukwuma Nzeogwu, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Adekunle Fajuyi, Ahmadu Bello, Tafawa Balewa, and Nnamdi Azikiwe.

Leveraging previously elusive E-Branch police documents, Opadokun provides detailed accounts of the January coup and the July 1966 counter-coup, listing those who survived and those who fell.

The book also casts fresh light on Brigadier Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu’s controversial role, arguing that he endorsed the first coup and later led the Civil War despite opposition from Igbo leaders. Opadokun does not shy away from controversy, highlighting the ethnic dynamics of the coup and questioning decisions by leaders such as General Aguiyi-Ironsi and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.

ADENIRAN, on his part, spoke at the CDHR’s Annual General Conference held in Lagos, where he criticised the inability of Nigerians to seek legal redress over failures in basic public services such as healthcare, food security, education and infrastructure.

He urged authorities to shift focus from merely redressing rights abuses to preventing them.

He lamented that although citizens pay taxes, they could not hold the government accountable in court for poor hospitals, bad roads or hunger, describing the situation as a fundamental injustice embedded in the country’s legal framework.

According to him, the non-justiciability of social rights has stripped Nigerians of their humanity, as citizens lack enforceable rights to food, healthcare and education, services he described as essential for survival and participation in governance.

Adeniran also criticised government spending priorities, accusing authorities at all levels of allocating more public funds to religious institutions than to protecting human rights and improving social welfare.

He argued that while religious worship plays a cultural role, it cannot replace the basic needs of citizens, insisting that education and healthcare are more fundamental to human existence.