Following the seeming spread of Coup d’état across Africa, experts in the fields of political science, international relations and security on Thursday converged on the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka to appraise recent developments, and concluded that predictions of coups have not materialized in Nigeria mainly as a result of the influence of ethnicity and religion.
They however decried what they described as the dearth of progressive democracy and collapse of governance in Africa, adding that the West African sub-region was fast becoming a fragile entity with a frustrated population, and called for progressive and grassroots rebuilding of the populace.
At a roundtable discussion organized by the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka with the theme, “The rumbles in the West African sub-region: Causes, dynamics and challenges”, the experts noted that the threat by the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS to invade Niger Republic was at the instance of the West and attributed the cause of the political instability in the sub-region to certain factors which had for years, been ignored by the political leaders.
According to them, the resurgence of military takeover of political power in West Africa was motivated by hopelessness and frustration of the people, warning against “miniaturing of the civic space as well as demarketing of democratic governance and democratic institutions”.
Speaking at the event, a scholar from the National Defence College, Abuja, Dr. Nnia Okereke insisted that the resurgence of coups drew attention to myriads of conditions that needed to be addressed, noting that the challenge buttresses the fact that development remained a serious challenge in the sub-region.
He warned that using parliament dominated by partymen to secure tenure elongation for political leaders were not ideal for democracy.
Equally speaking, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, Professor OBC Nwankwo expressed shock that instead of governments becoming responsive to the yearnings of the people, there has been a total collapse of governance.
“What is important in the coups is the extent people are willing and ready to take charge of their affairs and to decolonize their minds.
“Emancipation is important. Let us stop taking standards from the West. Everything we are doing, even in Nigeria, is to please the West. Unless we emancipate ourselves and decolonize our minds, we cannot make progress”, he said.
Earlier, Head of the Department of Political Science at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Professor Jaja Nwanegbo called for sober reflection by African leaders on the causes of military takeover of political power in the region.
He urged leaders to make a commitment towards ensuring that the resources of the continent served the interests of the people.
