Military Rule, Economic Recession and Labour Militancy: Evidence from Conflict Resolution Mechanisms Utilised Between 1986 and 1992 in Nigeria

The study focused on the impact of economic recession on labour conflict resolution under the military in Nigeria. The data show that the military presence did not significantly affect the labour conflict resolution scenario even though a combination of economic recession and repressive military rule produced a tense labour conflict situation in Nigeria between 1984 and 1992. Thus, there was no significant difference in the number of conflict, tools of conflict expression and mechanisms of conflict resolution between the pre-recession and recession periods. In spite of this, the data conceal the fact that the fear of military repression affected labour conflict and the economic recession had an inverse relationship to conflict. Moreover, the military in the period of economic recession made glaring use of corporatist strategy in caging labour. Insightfully, corporatism as a tool of labour-government relations has continued even in Nigeria’s current democracy and has implications for the development of a responsive civil society critical in the sustenance of democracy and development.