Reno Omokri Mentions "Only Coup that Led to Better Government" in Nigeria

• Reno Omokri has reacted to the alleged coup plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's government
• The Former Presidential aide warned Nigerians, especially the media, to refrain from coup-baiting
• He mentioned the "only military coup that has ever led to a better government " in the history of Nigeria

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

FCT, Abuja - Former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has warned that any undemocratic change of government would set Nigeria back and may even result in another civil war.

Omokri said it is in the interest of every Nigerian to refrain from coup-baiting.

He urged Nigerians to embrace late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s statement that, "The worst civilian rule is better than the best military dictatorship."

The social media critic stated this via his X handle @renoomokri on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.

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According to Omokri, the coup that toppled the Gowon government in 1975 is the only military coup that has ever led to a better government in Nigeria.

He clarified that the coup was against another military ruler, not a civilian government.

“The only military coup that has ever led to a better government in Nigeria was a coup against another military ruler, and that was the Thursday, July 29, 1975, palace coup that toppled the Gowon government.

“But from when President Shagari was overthrown on Saturday December 31, 1983, to when democracy was restored on Saturday, May 29, 1999, Nigeria retrogressively went downhill, from having an army that the late Lt. General Salihu Ibrahim described as an army of "anything can happen" to a loss of fundamental human rights, and a situation where letter bombs killed journalists, with media houses shutting down, to Nigeria losing her visa free status to the United Kingdom, to state sponsored assassinations, and looting of the Central Bank of Nigeria in an industrial scale, to the point where, but for Bernie Madoff a Nigerian military ruler, Sani Abacha, would have continued to hold the record as the world's biggest thief!”

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He listed the number of military coups Nigeria has experienced since its independence.

"Given that the best predictor of the future is the past, any undemocratic changes of government in Nigeria would set the country back and may even, God forbid, result in another civil war."

Names, agency mentioned in connection to alleged coup

Recall that several high-profile arrests and financial investigations have surfaced in connection with an alleged coup plot in Nigeria.

Former officials, military officers, and a federal agency have been linked to the unfolding case, despite growing public denials.

Reports suggest that billions of naira may have been funnelled to support efforts to destabilise President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

16 military officers detained for alleged coup plot

In a previous story, Legit.ng reported that sixteen senior military officers were detained over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

PREMIUM TIMES obtained exclusive details revealing that 14 of the suspects are from the Nigerian Army, with the remaining two from the Navy and Air Force.

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Investigators suspect Brigadier General Musa Abubakar Sadiq, an infantry officer from Nasarawa State, to be the ringleader.

Source: Legit.ng