Nigeria, Nov. 21 -- When Nigerians speak of "the military era," they often imagine a distant past-khaki uniforms on the evening news, martial music before national broadcasts, decrees read through straight faces, and curfews that pulled entire cities into silence. But the truth is more uncomfortable: the military never really left. Yes, the barracks returned power to civilians in 1999, but the military mentality, the instinct for command, force, fear, and unquestionable authority, still dominates our political culture, public institutions, and even personal relationships. Nigeria is one of the few post-colonial nations whose entire social fabric was rewoven by decades of authoritarian rule. From 1966 to 1999, soldiers governed Nigeria for...