The Legacy of Nigerian Armed Forces as Precursor for a Viable Nation Building in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examined the legacy of Nigerian Armed Forces as precursor for a viable nation building in Nigeria. The paper captured briefly the historical origin of the Nigerian Armed Force, which was established under the umbrella of West African Force, 28th December, 1922. On that note, the constitutional mandates of the Armed Forces for building a viable nation in Nigeria were explicated to include; quelling of internal civil crises, protection of country territory from external attack and restoration of peace and order in the country. It also, adumbrated and discussed in details the armed forces score card in Nigeria, which are more or less the achievements and contributions of the various regimes such as; creation of States, establishment of National Youth Service Corps and transition to civil rule. As such, the paper recommended that civilian's administrations are advised to work closely with the Armed Forces, noting that building a viable and sustainable nation, is not limited to border of the political elites