As wide reactions continue to trail the decision of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to activate a standby force against the Niger Republic junta, some political scientists in Nigeria have described the move as self-preservative, saying it is symptomatic of the ingrained greed of the West Africa leaders and will eventually end the region in double jeopardy.
The political scientists in a separate interview with Tribune Online noted that the many indices of poor governance decking the West African countries are the biggest factors encouraging the citizens to somehow yearn for military overthrow.
Speaking, the president of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), Professor Hassan Saliu of the University of Ilorin, noted that coup-making is becoming contagious in West Africa and no government would like to be overthrown by non-democratic forces. “Therefore, it is not out of place to say that self-preservation is persuading the West Africa leaders to return democratic structure back to Niger so as to discourage the military men in their own country from attempting to usurp power as those in Niger had done,” he opined.
The Don said the resolve of the West African leaders to activate military action against the Niger military junta is in line with ECOWAS protocol that there should be no undemocratic change of government in the region.
He said: “The leaders are also afraid that if they allow it, there may be a military coup in their own countries too. Thirdly, President Tinubu wants to be seen playing big on the world scene. Therefore, this is a baptism of fire for him. And I see him not letting it go, because he has an agenda to control democracy in West Africa. Don’t forget that when he took over as ECOWAS Chairman, he made a statement to that effect. He and other leaders in the region are now being emboldened by the promise of assistance from the Western countries,” he added.
Also reacting, a professor of Conflict, Security Governance, and Comparative Politics at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Professor Chukwuemeka Jaja Nwanegbo, opined that that: “Those that call it self-preservation actually did not make many mistakes, because indeed the entire arrangement that came into the West Africa region after the third wave of democratisation was for countries to peer-protect each other and their democracies. But while the failure of governance has made the people think the military offers a better option, the governments of West Africa are also crossing the boundary of sovereignty. We know that regional integration creates a supernatural body, but it does not give them the permission to really infuse their will into the national policies of a country.
“The whole issue is quite complicated. But what I think we can do as a people is for ECOWAS leadership, ahead of time, to begin to intervene in the governance principles in the West Africa sub-regions to avert a further reoccurrence of this kind of crisis that is happening in Niger. Having lost Niger, going to fight the country and kill its citizens so as to remove the military government will be double jeopardy and that is my thinking really because many citizens are going to die. The same people that ECOWAS is supposed to protect will be killed.
Also reacting, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Professor Azeez Olaniyan, said a bloodbath looms in Niger with the ECOWAS’ military activation. (Read more on page 13 of today’s Sunday Tribune).
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