Nigeria, Jan. 16 -- Yesterday was Armed Forces Remembrance Day signalling the emergence of the military sixty years ago. On the 15th of January 1966 to be precise, a certain Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu addressed Nigerians through Radio Kaduna announcing martial law and the takeover of power by the Supreme Council of the Revolution. The aim of their action, he said, was to "establish a strong, united and prosperous nation free of corruption and internal strife. Our method of achieving this is purely military", he arrogantly said. By the end of the day, a significant part of the political class in the North and the West had been wiped out and the military had taken over the political system.

In his column in Daily Times (3/2/1966), the late ant...