Governance expert and lawyer, Joe Abah, says the 1966 military coup is Nigeria’s worst national tragedy.
Abah stated this at ‘The Platform Nigeria’, an Independence Day event hosted by Covenant Nation Church in Lagos on Wednesday.
The legal practitioner, who spoke on the programme’s theme, ‘Rebuilding Our Nation’, emphasized that Nigeria’s 1963 Republican Constitution offered a stronger structure for governance and economic development.
“The Federal Government and the regions in Nigeria then had concurrent responsibilities for many things, including arms and ammunition.
“Each region was responsible for internal security and policing. Unlike today, when we have a unitary police force, each region had its own police. They could conduct censuses truthfully because it was not tied to revenue sharing,” he said.
He pointed out that the 1966 coup ushered in nearly 30 years of military rule, noting that it is the greatest tragedy that ever befell the nation.
Independence Anniversary: 1966 coup Nigeria’s worst national tragedy – Joe Abah