The Coup in Niger Republic is apt and positive. Democracy is good, but in Africa, it encourages corruption and naturally enhances corruption and allows the entrenchment of rigid feudalism!!

The Advanced Countries want African continent to remain stagnant, underdeveloped, continuous suppliers of raw materials for the rich advanced Countries, over-dependent on imports, economically dependent on US Dollar pendulum, or a Russian Greek gifts or Chinese trickish economic decoy trade expansionist drive, etc, etc.

The French speaking West African countries are the worst hit by France, age-long permanent and current neo-colonialism !!! Despite the exposures by an African Lady Scholar Ambassador,  who, instead of been commended, was victimized!! She remains our hero. France should not only stop her contractual stealing but should pay restitution back to her former Colonies in West Africa, who are now independent

President Bola Tinubu was too hasty in his reaction to the turbulence in Niger Republic. Leadership is not by “bravado”!! Though I campaigned and voted for Peter Obi and Datti, I actually voted for what I believed was “good governance”,  and I was very happy and excited when President Tinubu started. I even granted interviews to that effect. But there is a policy summersault, which is always a repeating decimal in African politics. That is an issue for another day. The Nigerian Honourable Senators of the 10th Assembly went on holidays with some tokens. The silence is getting louder!!!

History has shown that the best comes out of people who are under-estimated when they are faced with challenges. “Government” anywhere is a continuous entity, administered, periodically, by persons who are elected or appointed or employed or who “captured” power, as in the instant case of Niger. As bad as we may say, a Coup is, it is present everywhere. Recently, Governor Obaseki, shamelessly, and openly accused his deputy governor of staging a “coup” against him.

A coup becomes treasonable when it fails, and the masterminds face the risk of the death penalty. IBB vs. Mamman Vatsa. (Vatsa was IBB’s Friend in the Nigerian military, at that material time). So, coup is a very big risk. But a Government, administered by some Military Junta, who, wrongfully, illegally, forcefully and successfully oust a civilian administration, gains legitimacy, and remains the “Sovereign Government” of that Country; as it is, today in the Republic of Niger.

The Federal Government of Nigeria was in existence under Nigerian Army Generals: Ironsi, Yakubu Gowan, Obasanjo, Buhari/Idiagbon, Ibrahim Babangida, Sanni Abacha and Abubakar. The military government took decisions that still binds Nigerians to date, e.g, the 1999 Constitution as subsequently amended. Gen. IBB was described as a President when he was a military Head of the State of Nigeria. The government in Ghana had her own share in Military take overs and governance. Reference: General Jerry Rawlings.

However, the military leaders that forcefully took the reign of powers from civilian administrators in Africa are most often clueless, backwards, disrespect and disregard laws or rules of law or the rights of the citizens, and they become stupendously rich via corruption at the detriment of the same Citizenry!! There is no Military General that was involved in governance in Nigeria or head of any arm of the military or was appointed a minister as a retired military general that is not a Multi-Millionaire in US dollars None!!! Please mention one !! Cold silence!! I recently read an online, that one Nigerian Army General rtrd, who held sway against Boko Haram, has obtained a “Court Order” to get the ICPC to release the “items” that was recovered from him. Funny.

The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under the civilian administration of Chief Obasanjo and even Buhari, intervened in a very peaceful and practical way to return some west African Countries back to democratic rule when their Military took over powers.

West Africa does not need war now. Speaking realistically, who, among the 15 Countries in West Africa, is the biggest in all ramifications!! Yes, Nigeria!! We already have too many challenges internally to wage war with our Broda and Neighbour, Niger!! Let us ask France to stop, unconditionally, the enslavement of the French West African speaking countries. Let the poor breath, seriously and not the mockery we had in our “House.”

Every country in West Africa must address the deliberate internal enslavement of citizenry!! The Rich is getting richer! The leaders and administrators of the Nigerian State remain within the same set of families, rotating powers and appointments among themselves. The process and / or ability to context and win elections in most of the West African States, remain, exclusively,  within the very rich private citizens or ex-government officials!!

Democracy as practiced in Africa “is the government of the people, by a few very corrupt feudal powers that control the government and for the people.” And the recycling seems to have no end.

See the bogus corruption cases we have in Nigeria. Every Counsellor, LG Chairmen, SAs, SSAs, members of the States Houses of Assembly,  Governors, Commissioners and their counterparts at the Federal levels, are stupendously corrupt and very rich, at the detriment of the citizenry!!

But, we have a chance to get it right; if we get it right, Africa will rule the world. The Advance Countries do not want us to get it right. I was shocked to hear from a very popular African Ex President that NATO ordered a group of AFRICAN PRESIDENTS NOT TO GO TO LIBYA TO INTERVENE IN THE UPRISING THEREIN AT THE MATERIAL TIME, WHEN MUAMAR GADDAFI WAS ALIVE!!!! Where is Libya now??

The issues brought forth by the coup in Niger must be addressed. Nigeria has some ongoing projects worth millions of US dollars meant to boast trans-Borders economic trades among Nigeria, Niger, Chad, etc. The AU should not just sit and shout orders! Where was AU when Lybia went off and NATO ordered African Presidents not to move within African Continents!! The Juntas in Niger bluffed the USA and France but respected and received our own envoys: Sultan of Sokoto, Gen Abubakar, and recently our amiable Sanusi the vibrant out spoken positive minded ex Gov of CBN. If I were President Tinubu, I would have positively exploited that window to improve talks with the Junta.

Finally, the big States in African must sincerely re-align. Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Angola, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Namibia, Uganda, etc, must come together and take bold stance. Africans must go beyond the slogan of lips unity. We can not remain stagnant.

The coup in Niger should make us to focus more on good governance and prudency and make governance all inclusive. There is absolutely no need for a  war in the West Coast. It will definitely have an unpredictable boomerang effect within and even beyond West Africa.

Humble

Chief Abdullai Tony Dania Esq (LL.B, B.L, LL.M, NP) Can Be Reached Via WhatsApp No. +2348033042057