The Nigerian Armed Forces in an Era of International Sanctions, 1993- 1999

The period 1993-1999 was a challenging period for the Nigerian Armed Forces as it was a period which saw the imposition of sanctions on Nigeria’s military regimes by Western Countries following the refusal of the military to return power to civilian rule in the aftermath of the annulment of a democratic election in 1993. The impact of these sanctions were far reaching as opportunities available for overseas training and the provision of sophisticated weapons and other military supplies to the Armed Forces were halted. In both cases, professionalism and force capabilities were undermined. With the lifting of sanctions following the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria came out of her pariah status and was reintegrated in the international system as members of Nigeria’s military resumed training abroad and various bilateral agreements were signed between Nigeria and other countries to cover military cooperation in manpower development and arms procurement. Therefore the development of the Nigerian Armed Forces over the years has depended on appropriate foreign policy decisions, that is, harmonious relations with the West. This papers submission is that the Armed Forces during the period under consideration were both a casualty of, and a beneficiary from, foreign relations depending on the regime in power.