Nigeria’s military currently ranks fourth in Africa according to Global Firepower 2023 ranking, but that’s not the focus of this throwback piece.
In 1990, West African leaders established the ECOMOG as a military arm of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to intervene in conflicts within the region, particularly the Liberian civil war which started in December 1989.
Nigeria, under the leadership of former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, played a prominent role in pushing for the establishment of the ECOMOG force, and due to the strength of its armed forces, it automatically became the backbone of the regional force.
