Nigeria gained political independence from imperial Great Britain in 1960. In 1966 its elected civilian regime was toppled in a coup d'etat that ushered military rule into Nigeria's public affairs. Since 1966, Nigeria has been dominated by military rulers. Even during the two brief non-military periods, in which civilians were voted into office, military men were never far away.

Few Nigerians have bothered to probe the gory details of the coups that have maimed Nigeria's post-independence history. Nowa Omoigui, a cardiologist who has taken interest in military history, must be saluted by all for marshalling this comprehensive catalogue of Nigeria's notorious coups. The depth of rascality depicted in these accounts is disturbing. Urhobo Historical Society also wishes to thank Nigeria2Day@aol.com for distributing Dr. Omoigui's detailed accounts of these military coups to the Nigerian community.