Military rulers treated Nigeria’s oil wealth as ‘spoils of war’ — Prof. Aluko

Professor Mobolaji Aluko, a Chemical Engineering expert at Howard University and Commissioner for Infrastructure in Ekiti State, has criticized Nigeria’s successive military governments for treating the nation's oil wealth as "spoils of war". Aluko argued this mindset contributed to the country’s economic and political difficulties, as military leaders misused oil revenues that could have been used for infrastructure and institution-building.

He stated that the oil boom provided the military with substantial resources at a time when coups were common, and the military’s approach to the country’s resources, described as "looting", exacerbated the challenges they were meant to resolve. Aluko noted that military interventions, initially aimed at tackling political instability, instead intensified the problem by fostering a cycle of internal strife and preventing the establishment of stable democratic institutions.

He highlighted how the military’s struggles for power among themselves became a major issue, with each coup making the situation worse. Despite brief periods of civilian rule, Aluko contended that civilian governments often operated under military influence, suggesting that the shadow of military control lingered even after formal power transfers.

His analysis, presented on Channels Television, adds to ongoing discussions about Nigeria's resource management and the consequences of prolonged military rule on the country’s development.