Chief Ayo Opadokun, General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), has stated that President Bola Tinubu should not be expected to resolve Nigeria’s deep-rooted governance crises within three years, insisting that the country has been misgoverned for 57 of its 65 years of independence.
Opadokun made the remarks on Thursday during the launch of his book, The Gun Hegemony, at the MUSON Centre in Lagos. The event was attended by top dignitaries including President Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Attorney-General, Mr. Lawal Pedro; former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku; and Vanguard publisher Sam Amuka-Pemu.
In his address, Opadokun traced Nigeria’s prolonged governance failures to military rule and its enduring influence on civilian administrations.
He noted that the military governed Nigeria directly for 29 years from 1966 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1999 and indirectly for another 16 years through former military leaders who later became civilian presidents.
“The military governed for the first time for 13 years, from 1966 to 1979. In their second coming, they governed for 16 years,” Opadokun stated, emphasizing that the structural and institutional decay accumulated over decades cannot be undone in one presidential term.
