By Ismail Amanatullahi
This year, Africa has been assailed with numerous attempted coups, making it 10 attempts from the year 2020 till date; and they are mostly in west and central Africa— a rapid undoing of democratic systems in the region.
It is a fact that the military protects the country from external aggressions, internal disturbances, emergencies and the likes. However, in a democratic country, there is an equal distribution of powers, and a restricted role of armed forces in the context of regulating the country. Maybe that’s the reason armies try to interfere in the governance and regulation of the country.
It came as a shock to most when it was announced on 26 July, 2023 that the military had taken over the ruling of Niger from her President, Bazoum which signified a pause in the democratic rule of the country. Why has this come to be? Why a coup?
Before delving into the reasons for the coups, we should know what a coup is. Coup d’etat means sudden overthrow or removal of government. Military coup means getting the power or sudden overthrow of an existing government by militaries.
Many reasons have been suggested to be the cause of the Niger coup. It has been held that the debate over the ethnicity and legitimacy of Bazoum is questioned. Bazoum who is from Niger’s Arab minority ethnic has always been labeled as having foreign origin and cannot lead pureblood Nigeriens. They lent credence to a large number of foreign military which he allowed to troop in while his countrymen were not well received by them. They believe he undermined them.
The failure of regional organizations such as ECOWAS and the African Union to take a firm stance against military power seizures in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Mali emboldened the Nigeriens military. This portrays one of the reasons for proper sanction, it is to deter imitators of crime. The failure to sanction earlier coup perpetrators has led to an imitation of it by the subsequent perpetrators.
Sequel to the coup of 26 July 2023,ECOWAS sent the deployment of a “standby force” to restore constitutional rule in the country on 10, August 2023. The soldiers who overthrew democratically elected Bazoum in July have quickly entrenched themselves in power, rebuffed most dialogue efforts and kept Bazoum, his wife and son under arrest at the government house. Despite this order, there has been no change and the military still holds power till date.
On 30 August, 2023, Africans experienced another shock when a coup was declared in Gabon. This coup ousted Ali Bongo Ondimba whose family has ruled Gabon for 55 years. His father, Omar Bongo ruled Gabon from 1967 until his death in 2009 and Ali Bongo was elected to succeed his father that same year. The coup happened after Ali Bongo was elected to rule for the third time, breaking the dynastic rule of the Bongo family.
According to the BBC, the army says it intervened because of election fraud and a president staying in power for too long.
The ousted President, Ali Bongo has faced accusations of election fraud since the inception of his government.
This coup would have been categorized as a sad event unless it isn’t for the citizens of Gabon who were seen in videos celebrating the military intervention. They perceived it to be the better option but is it really?
Nigeria has experienced five military coups already. Although I wasn’t present, books written and tales narrated have pictured it to be a master servant kind of rule where obedience is to follow order without complaint. Rights are infringed and constitutions abandoned. The complaint box was destroyed and opinions sealed and buried in the hearts of men.
Fear has risen and a question lingers— will Nigeria experience a coup too? Nigeria has been ridden with corruption for so long now; it has become a part of its description. A new fault in the government arises each day and although with the appointment of President Tinubu, a lot of people have renewed hope for a better Nigeria. Recently, as each day passes, Nigerians have begun to question that belief.
The removal of subsidies served as a giant chip off the block of faith. At first it was rejoiced over but as time went by, prices of stuff hiked, cost of transportation has risen, doubling its former price. Masses are suffering from the removal and voices are heard questioning why there was no provision for a “soft landing” before the removal of subsidy.
Education has suffered a doubling in price too and some scholarships had to resort to paying half the fee because they cannot shoulder it all. Average and lower class parents are groaning, the weight of it all making their shoulders slump. Some cannot afford the fee and children of poor masses have to drop out.
Should we talk about unemployment, insecurity, poor healthcare, bad roads, Nepotism amongst others. This leads me back to my original question, is Nigeria at a risk of coup? Is Coup truly the answer to the incapabilities of these presidents? Is there really no other possible route? These and many more questions assail the mind but we would have to wait and see the answers.