Military governments in Nigeria, though undemocratic, recorded several achievements, including the following.
1. The military created a greater sense of unity among Nigerian citizens. Military regimes kept Nigeria together through the civil war and set up the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which posts graduates to states other than their own.
2. The Murtala Mohammed regime settled the problems of abandoned property in Rivers State. Abandoned property refers to houses that Igbo owners left in Port Harcourt and other parts of Rivers State during the civil war, which were later taken over by others.
3. The relocation of the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja by the Murtala/Obasanjo regime was a big achievement of the military. The regime chose Abuja, a central and ethnically neutral site, as the new capital; the actual move from Lagos was completed later under the Babangida military government.
4. The establishment of the iron and steel industry. The aim was to produce steel locally for construction, machinery and other industries, and so reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported steel.
5. The military helped to promote infrastructural development. Military regimes built roads, bridges, airports, seaports and housing estates, many of them paid for with oil revenue.
How it is asked: typical essay forms are “Highlight five achievements of military rule in Nigeria” and “Assess five contributions of the military to the development of Nigeria”.