The new military rulers in Niger Republic, the country which marked independence day on Thursday, August 3, 2023 have a Sunday ultimatum from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It is that they give up power and restore elected President Mohammed Bazoum to power or face serious measures, including possible invasion.
Author: Editor
It is bad news for Africa. Democracy is once again on the run from the gun. Military adventurers have shot their way into power in six sub-Saharan African countries in three years, between 2020 and 2023. Mali (2020), Chad (2021), Guinea (2021), Burkina Faso (2022), Sudan (2021) and the latest, Mali, a couple of weeks ago as of this writing, changed agbada for khaki.
Not only are military coups becoming frighteningly frequent in West and Central Africa, virtually all of them, it appears, also speak French. For the fifth time in three years in West Africa, soldiers struck again in Niger, Nigeria’s Northern neighbour, where former President Muhammadu Buhari had teasingly longed for refuge from Nigeria’s hostile press.
One of the major sore points in the Nigerian story has been the negative role played by non-state actors in the making and the unmaking of Nigeria – those characters who drag the country back and down, those who seize state assets, those who steal our crude oil, the merchants of death and disgrace who denigrate and devalue the Nigerian green passport and collective humanity but there are also many non-state actors whose actions project the nation positively, reminding us that in the midst of the increasing mass psychosis in our land, the blood of humaneness still runs in some veins.
This type of threat worked effectively in ousting President Jammeh of the Gambia in 2017 because there was unity of purpose in the entire region and the military threat against such a small country was credible. The situation in Niger and in West Africa today is significantly different after a fourth coup in the region. It is important to think carefully before taking a risky path. I am however confident that it is possible to reverse the current trend of the return of the military.
As you read this, AFRICA still has no permanent seat – no seat at all at the United Nations Security Council. This is one of the reasons AFRICAN leaders of thought insist the west and its institutions take Africa for a ride. Yet, the same UN finds it convenient to motivate and Green-Light a military attack on an African country by African nations on behalf of a European nation that sits permanently on the UN Security Council. I find this very troubling and confusing.
A 2022 Food and Agricultural Organisation of United Nation (FAO) report estimates that 19.4 million Nigerians in 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory are at the recent of hunger
On July 16, 2923, Nigeria’s apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), upgraded the eNaira by introducing a chip-enabled Near Field Communication (NFC) device into the electronic currency. The feature will enhance the use of the eNaira by Nigerians who do not have smart phones or access to the Internet.
For many people, the past few months have been a difficult and demanding one. The high cost of goods and services has made it difficult for most of us to afford food, shelter, clothing and healthcare. The rate of insecurity and other social vices is increasing. It appears that a lot of the things we depended on are no longer reliable. The very fundamentals of life tremble. Here we are, and maybe we’re wondering where we’re going. Don’t despair!
Apart from the fact that it happened at the doorstep of Nigeria, the regional power, it has come at a time earlier ones are posing regional challenges and attracting elements actors in the region are uncomfortable with.