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Since the first coup d’état in Nigeria in January 1966, the army has always maintained close des with civilian politicians: neither group has governed without the backing of the other. The 1999 elections, confirming the army’s return to barracks, brought to power Olusegun Obasanjo, a retired general, symbol of this “marriage of convenience” between politicians and army. The restoration of a parliamentary regime did little to quieten popular unrest over a number of important issues, such as the application of Koranic law, the redistribution of petrol revenues, federal power-sharing or the constitution of a sovereign and national assembly. The transition to democracy in Nigeria has been a long and difficult process: in any event, it can not be reduced to the simple issue of transforming a dictatorship into a parliamentary regime.