ogbaji, udochukwu

1. DEVELOPMENT OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: THE MILITARY AND
CIVILIAN REGIMES COMPARED (1966-1983)
Udochukwu Ogbaji
Lecturer , Department of Political Science,
Nwafor Orizu College of Education,Nsugbe, Anambra State.
E-mail: udojoel77@yahoo.ca. Tel: +234(0) 8033486531, +234(0) 7082729455
ABSTRACT
Education has been a means of transmitting one’s culture from one generation to
another. It is a process of bringing about a relatively permanent change in human
behavior. As the oldest industry, it is the main instrument used by society to preserve,
maintain and upgrade its social equilibrium. This paper draws a comparative analysis of
the military and civilian regimes in Nigeria as regards to primary education development
during the period 1966-1983. The study is based on the political economy framework
which provides us the use of holistic approach and permits us to look at primary
education development in both the military and the civilian regimes in Nigeria in its
entirety. It was found that the multi-variant approach of the military which requires and
involves the contribution of force plus persuasions, pressure plus consultation and
diplomacy enabled the military to record the achievement of the period. Another lesson
from the period under study has to do with leadership style provided by the military at
that time. The military demonstrated that hard work and commitment to a cause they
believed in was bound to yield positive results. They did not waiver in their policy that
Nigeria was capable of development up to the same level as non-Africans. The Nigerian
leadership and political experience under the military-civilian eras taught the country
that multi-variant strategies are crucial to rapid educational development. The paper
finally stated that responsible leadership facilitates educational process while bad
leadership ruins education. In conclusion therefore, for sustainable and substantial
educational growth in Nigeria, only the right leadership can save the system from
retrogression and absolute dwindling.
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2. INTRODUCTION
In all human societies, education is meant to pass on to the new generations the
existing knowledge of their physical environment, to introduce individuals to the
organization of society, give them skills for performing their daily jobs and enjoying their
leisure, as well as inculcate sound morals in them for their own benefit and that of the
society. In other words, education is a process by which the society assists the younger
generation to understand the heritage of their past, participate productively in the
society of the present as well as contribute to the future (Esu and Junaid, 2010). Based
on these reasons, education draws inspiration and nourishment from a society but in
turn, it contributes to the growth, renewal and development of that society.
The period, 1966-1969 were initially years of crisis in Nigeria, followed from 1970
by years of reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation. In these years, the military,
in seeking a way out of the complexities of interethnic rivalries and geopolitical
disequilibrium, set its eyes firmly on educational diffusion throughout Nigeria (Jorre,
1972). The immediate post-independence period was marked by the problem of fear.
The South was afraid of political domination by the North, the North was afraid of
educational and economic domination by the South. The military came into solving
these problems by breaking up the country into small units which no one entity was in a
position to threaten the corporate existence of the nation. The military therefore, within
this period, placed education at the forefront as a major tool in bringing about
reconciliation in the nation (International Labor Office, 1980).
However, the period preceding the era under study was the traditional education
system. Educational systems existed in African Societies prior to the coming of the
Europeans. Such education was for the induction of members of the society into
activities and mode of thoughts that were considered worthwhile. African societies were
noted for their rich culture heritage which was preserved and transmitted from
generation to generation through a system of traditional education (Esu and Junaid,
2010).
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3. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
From history we infer that development, economic growth, youth empowerment
and stability of Nigeria have been largely determined by two pre-dominant factors.
These are the military and the civilian regimes which incessantly influenced the politics
of Nigeria especially as it relates to education and educational development. Both the
military and the civilian regimes have made far-reaching attempts at revolutionalizing
educational system in Nigeria. Several educational policies and reforms have been
introduced by different administrations and regimes; all aimed at properly structuring the
educational sector and place it at a balance.
This paper therefore seeks to look into the various activities of both regimes
(military and civilian) towards the development of education in Nigeria from 1966-1983,
in comparative perspective. From the foregoing, the following research questions are
advanced to guide the discussions of this study.
1. To what extent have the military and the civilian regimes gone towards the
development of education in Nigeria?
2. Is there any relationship between the pattern of leadership or policy formulation
between the military and the civilian regime that accounts for the success or
failure of the educational sector?
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE
This study is based on the political economy framework. This is because an
analytical and comparative approach to social problem is often seen as a solution to the
study of the phenomenon. As a theory, political economy focuses attention on not only
the production and management of society’s material wealth but also its distribution
among the various segments or classes and conflict which arises from these processes.
As Ake (1981) has observed,
“When we understand what the material assets and constraints of
a society are, how the society produces goods and meet its
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