CHAPTER TWO 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND CURRENT CHALLENGES “In summary, Nigerian society has all the potentialities of greatness, namely, enormous natural and human resources, a virile and enterprising population, and a reservoir of skilled and trained manpower. However, pitted against these are the country’s ethnic and religious diversity, and the marginalisation of the vast majority of the people. There remains the challenge of converting Nigeria’s assets and liabilities into positive development, which calls for ingenious social engineering and committed and purposeful governance.” Nigeria African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR), chapter 2 2.1 Introduction 58. Nigeria attained independence in 1960, but, given its erratic political evolution and development since casting off the yoke of colonialism, it is still considered a young democracy. Years of despotic and debilitating military rule rendered the country vulnerable to arbitrary and often poor governance, a lack of transparency and accountability, lawlessness, underdevelopment, economic instability, and severe human rights violations. The negative consequences of arbitrary military rule, accompanied by the ousting of the operation and jurisdiction of nascent institutions of administration and governance in the executive, legislature and judiciary, cannot be overstated. 59. Nonetheless, in the same period, major breakthroughs were experienced in the economic and financial sector, largely as a result of the oil boom of the 1970s. Nigerians resident both in Nigeria and in the diaspora also shone as intellectuals in all fields, and as leaders and astute entrepreneurs, holding the national torch high in what were otherwise dark times for the country. Nigeria also managed, despite the enormous challenges to its internal coherence posed by ethnoregional and religious divisions and years of misrule, to stay intact as a single political entity and to develop one of the most enduring federal systems of government in Africa when most African federations that existed were being dismantled. 60. The indomitable spirit of Nigerians would not allow them to be subdued or dominated forever under undemocratic leaders. During the various military regimes, the civil society of Nigeria developed into a force to be reckoned with, forming strong pressure groups within Nigeria and the diaspora. Calls for constitutional reform began as far back as the earliest years of the republic and are still being heard. Down the years, Nigerians have held on to the ideals of democratic participation, inclusion and equity. In the past 11 years, continuous civilian rule – although not without its fragilities and setbacks as a consequence of tenuous institution building and the crystallisation of democratic norms – has offered a vital core 41