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  • Tinubu tasks ECOWAS Parliament on strong ties, unity

    Tinubu tasks ECOWAS Parliament on strong ties, unity

    President Bola Tinubu has tasked ECOWAS member states to strengthen ties, and reject forces bent on causing division within the community.

    He made the call at the inauguration of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament, on Thursday in Abuja.

    Tinubu, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, said regional solidarity was imperative to strengthen the bloc’s resilience and effectiveness.

    He emphasised that member states cannot afford to remain passive spectators while the community faces the threat of disintegration.

    “We stand united against such forces and are committed to ensuring that our unity remains unshaken. We must ensure that cooperation amongst us is strengthened, with a view to building a sense of common destiny and purpose. No one can do this for us. We must come together.

    “To this extent, reinforcing the legitimacy of the decisions taken by the Authority of Heads of State is key in sending a message that ECOWAS is one indivisible body. It is also very important that the executives, on the other hand, show similar confidence in the Parliament, which would indeed deepen democracy in our region.

    “Meanwhile, in the midst of ongoing challenges, our partnership can be a driving force for stability, growth, and prosperity in our region,” he said.

    The President restated Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to the aspirations of the community and the fundamental objectives on which the ECOWAS Parliament was established.

    Read Also: Tinubu inaugurates ECOWAS Parliament

    He reiterated the important role of the ECOWAS Parliament in the bloc’s journey towards a future of peace and prosperity for all.

    Tinubu said success cannot be achieved in the bloc without the loyal contribution and hard work of the community’s legislative agency.

    “Furthermore, to realize the ECOWAS ‘Vision 2050’, we require greater involvement of the people in the decision-making processes of the community. That can only be achieved through their duly-elected representatives who, being members of their national parliaments, are seconded to the community parliament.

    “We are here, collectively, to serve all the good and great people of West Africa. I am aware that the ECOWAS Parliament is seeking enhanced powers, primarily through the election of its members by direct universal suffrage.

    “This will increase the role parliamentarians must play and the responsibilities that they will assume in advancing our regional development objectives, particularly in harmonizing laws and regulations across the member states.

    “Indeed, the practice of directly electing public officials aligns with the democratic principles that Nigeria upholds, as it enhances the legitimacy of our democratic institutions. This principle is also in line with the spirit of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

    “As a one-time legislator myself, I look forward to reviewing a proposal regarding this matter, and we stand ready to support direct elections into the ECOWAS Parliament. We believe this would ensure that citizens have a direct say in their representation – in addition to the legitimacy and credibility such a process will confer,” the President said.

    Tinubu also stated that Nigeria, as the host of the community’s institution, would continue to support the Parliament to achieve its objectives.

    “I am aware of the plan to have all ECOWAS institutions in one complex and of the good progress that has been made. Nigeria is also working to meet its responsibilities in constructing the ECOWAS Parliament’s Headquarters in Abuja within the same complex.

    “I would like to emphasize that, as you conduct the business of the 6th Legislature, it is my hope that your discussions will provide you the opportunity to address the prime concerns of the region and come up with resolutions that will lead to the attainment of peace and the advancement of all.

    “You can stand assured that Nigeria is always ready to support the ECOWAS Parliament, in whatever endeavours you are engaged, to move the ECOWAS mission forward,” Tinubu said.

    (NAN)

  • Tinubu inaugurates ECOWAS Parliament

    Tinubu inaugurates ECOWAS Parliament

    President Bola Tinubu on Thursday inaugurated the sixth Legislature of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament.

    Tinubu performed this duty as the current Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

    The inauguration, which took place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, was graced by President Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, representatives of parliamentarians of other ECOWAS countries, diplomats and top government officials, among others.

    Deputy Senate President Barau and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP- Kogi Central), were among other legislators from the West African subregion that took their oaths of office as members of the sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS parliament during the opening session.

    Akpabio transmitted the list of the Nigerian Delegation to the President of the ECOWAS Commission and the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament.

    Read Also: ECOWAS Parliament gets two new MPs

    Furthermore, the leader of the Nigerian delegation to the 6th ECOWAS Parliament is the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin.

    The ECOWAS Parliament is one of the institutions of ECOWAS established by the ECOWAS Treaty of May 28, 1975, signed in Lagos, Nigeria.

    The treaty was revised in July 1993 and signed in Abidjan and it is what is currently in use.

    ECOWAS Parliament comprises 115 members drawn from the 15-member State of which Nigeria is one.

    Nigeria has been allotted out of this number, 35 slots (that is 17 Senators and 18 Honourable members), followed by Ghana which has eight seats. Côte d’Ivoire is allotted seven seats, while Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Senegal have six seats, respectively.

    The tenure of office for members is four years beginning from the date of inauguration.

  • ECOWAS remains pillar of democracy in Africa, must be protected, says Institute

    ECOWAS remains pillar of democracy in Africa, must be protected, says Institute

    The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) says the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) remains the pillar of democracy in Africa and must be protected and supported by Member States.

     Dr Chris Kwaja, the Country Director of the institute, made this known on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Kwaja said that ECOWAS served as a guardian of democracy and democratic governance in the region, and must be protected at all cost against threats especially unconstitutional change of government in West Africa.

    “The role of the ECOWAS in the African region is too enormous to overlook or undermine and must be protected and supported by members and other countries where democracy has gained deep roots.

    “ECOWAS needs the support of everyone to deliver on its mandate of protecting democracy in the region, protecting the people of West Africa from threats, and most importantly holding the region together.

    “The world is undergoing huge transformation and this transformation is one in which the threats today are multidimensional which requires multidimensional responses.

    “ECOWAS must be positioned in a way that it can respond to these threats regardless of where they are coming from,” he said.

    Kwaja said that there are threats against democracy in West Africa and ECOWAS needed the support of countries where democracy had gained roots to protect the region from enemies of democracy.

    Read Also: Lessons from ECOWAS sanctions debacle

    He said that Africa should not just depend on the individual member states or its people, but garners the needed support from strong regional institutions with the capacity to mobilise all available resources both human and financial.

    He, however, said that there was a need for states within the region to defend and protect ECOWAS because there are great threats targeted at it which were linked to terrorism, insurgency, and particularly relating to climate change.

     Kwaja said that because West Africa was one of the regions with the highest rate of vulnerability to climate change, all forms of support were required from the international community.

    He advised that ECOWAS to be proactive in responding to threats. (NAN)

  • Lessons from ECOWAS sanctions debacle

    Lessons from ECOWAS sanctions debacle

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) must doubtless have learnt some hard lessons from its recent sanctions debacle. It had imposed or reinforced already imposed sanctions on Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic, and briefly and alarmingly even contemplated military intervention in some of them to restore elected governments. In the face of widespread and regional opposition to some of the decisions of the regional body, the option of deploying troops to quell coups and restore civil rule was quickly jettisoned. Sanctions, however, remained in force and were even tightened. But after a few months of dithering, and many more months of sober calculations and introspections, ECOWAS leaders recognised the limit of their power and deftly seized upon well-meaning calls by former leaders to soften their stand. Military intervention was dispensed with, and sanctions also lifted.

    At their February 4, 2024 extraordinary session in Abuja, Nigeria, ECOWAS leaders had announced the unilateral lifting of sanctions on the four errant dictatorships in the sub-region without getting corresponding concessions. This column was mystified. Last week, the sanctioning countries had begun to relax their mneasures. None of them disclosed what concessions had led them to their drastic actions. Nor did ECOWAS leaders say what they got in return when they lifted sanctions last month. All they said was that sanctions had been partially lifted. In the kitchen midden of broken diplomatic forays, there was no indication about which sanctions were retained. Meanwhile, the four affected military governments barely said a word: they kept their gravitas and were secretly pleased that ECOWAS leaders blinked first, and no concession had been wrung from them. In the case of Nigeria and Niger Republic which share borders, the climb-down was even more dismal, with Nigeria’s food security much more threatened than anticipated. Of course, there were some rumours about the impending release of the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, but nothing was concrete, not even a scintilla of hope that the coupists would reverse themselves in their formation of the tripartite Alliance of Sahel States or their subordination to Russian hegemony.

    Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu is the current ECOWAS chairman, and he had the onerous task of dealing with the madness in the Sahel barely weeks into his leadership. His efforts backfired badly. But it was not under him that sanctions were first proved both desultory and nugatory. Indeed, the sub-region has consistently proved in more than a decade that sanctions never really worked – not in West Africa, and not anywhere else. In most cases, sanctions merely and paradoxically served to inspire internal cohesion as well as rally the people around their military tormentors. The brusque exit of Niger Republic, Mali and Burkina Faso from ECOWAS should have served to present ECOWAS with other more credible and visionary options of dealing with recalcitrant and erring members. Instead, the regional body panicked, embraced a chimera, and allowed itself to be trundled off in the wrong but predictable and futile path of jaded diplomacy.

    On March 3 and weeks before then, this column had suggested that ECOWAS call the bluff of the erring coupists. Admittedly, the suggestion was weighty and too fraught with difficulties and diplomatic uncertainties; but it was certainly better and far more promising than the unilateral actions of the regional leaders. If they will get any concessions whatsoever, they will be little, grudging and even galling. They should have stuck to their guns and resisted the pressures by former ECOWAS leaders whose calculations were unsure, misplaced and sentimental. Will the current set of regional leaders ever get another chance of resetting the course of the region and imposing discipline? It is doubtful. Their unilateral actions have emboldened the erring military dictators who will now have no reason to amend their ways, and it will probably take another set of regional leaders to remake West Africa and enthrone democracy throughout the sub-region.

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    This column had argued two weeks ago along these lines: “There are suggestions that sanctions were also hurting the rest of ECOWAS, not just the outcasts…The new dimension of establishing another sub-regional body under Russian gaze instead of French tutelage may also have panicked the regional body. However, the lifting of sanctions is certain to have long-term consequences for ECOWAS. The decision may serve to arrest the centrifugal tendencies in the group in the short run, but it will be a double-edged sword that cuts and wounds both ways, delivering few benefits. This appeasement will hurt the sub-region by encouraging military adventurism, rewarding disobedience to regional rules, and indicating that coupists would no longer face retribution for rascality. ECOWAS may have shown itself flexible in order to prevent fracturing an organisation founded in 1975, but what becomes of the laws binding the region together? Last month, former Nigerian military head of state Yakubu Gowon wrote a letter to the heads of state of ECOWAS, coaxing them into taking steps to reunite the sub-region and reverse the fragmentation of ECOWAS. They appear to have heeded him. But of what use is peace at any cost, when it was the sanctioned members that sacked elected governments by force and violated the rules and regulations of the regional body?

    “ECOWAS will now have to wait to see whether the errant military rulers will take their olive branch. But the embattled military rulers will find no incentive in taking the regional body’s offer, for after their untidy and amateurish exit, they have become used to no one breathing down their necks. They will suffer from withdrawal symptoms should they return to ECOWAS, and may even be tempted to dictate terms. If they deign to take the olive branch, they may even demand to attend meetings in civil impersonator dresses. There is no rule they won’t violate, and no aspiration they won’t covet. ECOWAS is made up of 15 members. Only three members had conspired to upend the tranquility of the regional organisation and called its bluff, almost without consequence. Instead of the one-sided rapprochement ECOWAS has embarked upon, it would have been better had the group looked inwards, reinvented the regional body and turned it into a showpiece. There is of course the uncomfortable factor of some of the borders being virtually artificial and tough to police, such as the Nigeria-Niger Republic borders, but there are ways to manage those problems without endangering the unity and credibility of the organisation. ECOWAS may yet rue the appeasement it has embarked upon in the name of Lent and Ramadan and other sentimental considerations.”

  • ‘Date for ECOWAS single currency unrealistic’

    ‘Date for ECOWAS single currency unrealistic’

    The Director-General, West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), Dr Olorunsola Olowofeso, has said the expectation for an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Single Currency by 2027 is no longer realistic.

    Oluwafeso, who spoke yesterday in Abuja, said this was due to the inability of the WAMZ member-states to meet the required criteria.

    He spoke against the backdrop of the recent 48th meeting of the Committee of Governors of the central banks of the member-states of the WAMZ in Abuja.

    According to him, it is unlikely that any of the member-states will satisfy all four primary convergence criteria on a sustainable basis between 2024 and 2026.

    Read Also: ECOWAS recorded 3,500 terrorist attacks in 2023, says Commission

    He said: “The quest for a single currency by WAMZ will take much longer to achieve as the convergence indicators have declined significantly. The assessment of member states’ performance reveals that, as of the end of June 2023, all member states failed to meet all the four primary convergence criteria.

    “The zone’s performance score declined to 29.2 per cent, compared to 41.7 per cent during the same period in 2022.”

    He said the medium-term projections on macroeconomic convergence suggested that none of the WAMZ member-states would meet all the primary convergence criteria sustainably between now and 2027 for the convergence phase of the ECOWAS Single Currency Roadmap.

    Meanwhile, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Wale Edun, said Nigeria remained committed to achieving the WAMZ objectives.

     “I am sure we have the wherewithal and resilience to realise the WAMZ ambition. We must, as a bloc, work together to strengthen and improve the economies of the zone,” Edun said.

  • ECOWAS recorded 3,500 terrorist attacks in 2023, says Commission

    ECOWAS recorded 3,500 terrorist attacks in 2023, says Commission

    • To establish anti-terrorism force

    No fewer than 3,000 terrorist attacks were recorded in the sub-region in 2023, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, said yesterday.

    The ECOWAS Commission said it also recorded about 9,000 deaths as a result of terrorism attacks within the same period under review.

    Consequently, the Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musa, said the regional bloc was establishing an Anti-Terrorism Force to address the challenge.

    Musa spoke at the weekly press briefing of the ECOWAS Commission yesterday in Abuja.

    He explained, “The whole geographical area of West Africa is rich in human and natural resources. However, our geographic area is an area of immense vulnerability.

    “In 2023 alone, about 3,500 terrorist attacks were recorded in the ECOWAS region alone. This includes close to 2,000 in Burkina Faso, over 1,044 in Mali, and 500 in Niger Republic. These incidents have resulted in close to 9,000 fatalities including 7,000 in the three Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

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    “In the three Sahel countries, a total of 4.8million people faced food insecurity, 2.4million people were internally displaced and close to 9,000 schools remain closed in the region.”Burkina Faso has already taken over from Afghanistan.”

    On the creation of the Counter Terrorism Force, Musa said that the region will soon work out modalities to finance the force.

    “On terrorism, you would recall during the previous ECOWAS meeting, the Heads of State decided that there was a need to create a counter-terrorism force to help fight terrorism in the region. This is presently underway.

    “Very soon, there will be a meeting of Ministers of Finance and Defence to work out the modalities of raising our own resources in the region to finance that counter terrorism force,” he said.

    The ECOWAS Commissioner also applauded the announced formation of a joint anti-terrorism force by Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic.

    He said it was a welcome development.

  • Benin’s Oba advocates friendship in resolving ECOWAS conflicts

    Benin’s Oba advocates friendship in resolving ECOWAS conflicts

    The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, has called for the reenactment of African brotherhood in resolving age-long conflicts among members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

     He said the bloodline ties among some past leaders in Nigeria, and other prominent neighbours like Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, seemed to have compounded the ECOWAS crises-resolution machinery for the ECOWAS Chairman, President Bola Tinubu.

     The monarch spoke yesterday at his palace in Benin, when Edo State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Agun Gbenga Joseph, paid him a courtesy visit.

    Read Also: Double-edged sword of ECOWAS

     The traditional ruler, who was Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Italy and other countries, said: “Our border is so porous. That is why when there was a coup d’état in Niger. I was personally worried about how we were going to deal with it.

     “Niger and Nigeria are almost the same. Some people live in Nigeria and work in Niger. Others live in Niger and work in Nigeria. I am sure Nigeriens are leaders in some of our establishments in Nigeria.

     “So, I thought it was going to be very difficult for President Tinubu, as ECOWAS Chairman, to deal with the problem. But, recently, we heard that the sanctions were lifted. We should find ways to resolve our differences and work together.”

     The NSCDC commandant, Joseph had earlier solicited the prayers of Oba of Benin to succeed, while he listed steps his command had taken to curb crimes in Edo.

     Joseph, who was accompanied by senior officers of NSCDC, which was established by Act 3 of 2003, urged Nigerians to continue to support Tinubu’s administration, to move the nation forward.

  • Double-edged sword of ECOWAS

    Double-edged sword of ECOWAS

    Two Saturdays ago, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at its extraordinary session in Abuja announced the partial lifting of sanctions against Guinea, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and Mali. The heads of state and government cited the Lent period and Ramadan to justify their softening. It is unclear what sanctions are left after the partial lifting of sanctions, or by what margin the vote to lift sanctions was carried among the heads of state. What is undisputable is that ECOWAS leaders have climbed down from their high horses. They were not the offenders in this stalemate, but they have demonstrated no stomach for a fight, the kind of fight levied against them by the newly created Alliance of Sahel States. Yet they are the ones making overtures and eating humble pie. There were no reports of subterranean moves by the excommunicated countries to reach an understanding with the regional body, and no indication that a deal was in the offing. But perhaps there were backdoor negotiations going on. All that is known, however, is that the outcome has benefited one side, and left the other side with egg on its face. ECOWAS has unilaterally and virtually ended most of the sanctions it imposed without getting any notable concession in return from the obdurate military heads of state of the affected countries.

    There are suggestions that the sanctions were also hurting the rest of ECOWAS, not just the outcasts, or that it was a grudging acceptance that sanctions have never worked. The new dimension of establishing another sub-regional body under Russian gaze instead of French tutelage may also have panicked the regional body. However, the lifting of sanctions is certain to have long-term consequences for ECOWAS. It may serve to arrest the centrifugal tendencies in the group in the short run, but it will be a double-edged sword that cuts and wounds both ways, delivering few benefits. This appeasement will hurt the sub-region by encouraging military adventurism, rewarding disobedience to regional rules, and indicating that coupists would no longer face retribution for rascality. ECOWAS may have shown itself flexible in order to prevent fracturing an organisation founded in 1975, but what becomes of the laws binding the region together? Last month, former Nigerian military head of state Yakubu Gowon wrote a letter to the heads of state of ECOWAS, coaxing them to take steps to reunite the sub-region and reverse the fragmentation of ECOWAS. They appear to have heeded him. But of what use is peace at any cost, when it was the sanctioned members that sacked elected governments by force and violated the rules and regulations of the regional body?

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    ECOWAS will now have to wait to see whether the errant military rulers will take their olive branch. But the embattled military rulers will find no incentive in taking the regional body’s offer, for after their untidy and amateurish exit, they have become used to no one breathing down their necks. They will suffer from withdrawal symptoms should they return to ECOWAS, and may even be tempted to dictate terms. If they deign to take the olive branch, they may even demand to attend meetings in civil dress. There is no rule they won’t violate, and no aspiration they won’t covet. ECOWAS is made up of 15 members. Only three members have conspired to upend the tranquility of the regional organisation and called its bluff, almost without consequence. Instead of the one-sided rapprochement ECOWAS has embarked upon, it would have been better had the group looked inwards, reinvented the regional body and turned it into a showpiece. There is of course the uncomfortable factor of some of the borders being virtually artificial and tough to police, such as the Nigeria-Niger Republic borders, but there are ways to manage those kind of problems without endangering the unity and credibility of the organisation. ECOWAS may yet rue the appeasement it has embarked upon in the name of Lent and Ramadan and other sentimental considerations.

  • ECOWAS stakeholders, partners kickstart initiative to end coups

    ECOWAS stakeholders, partners kickstart initiative to end coups

    Concerned about the need to entrench democracy and end the spate of military coups that have troubled the West Africa sub-region since the January 13, 1963, Togolese military coup, regional stakeholders and various international partners have launched the Regional Citizens’ Dialogue Programme (RCDP) – a collaborative initiative focused on tackling the problem.

    Stakeholders represented at the RCDP’s launch at Fraser Suites hotel in Abuja emphatically resolved to commence processes towards implementation of an initial four-year programme for mobilizing the populace and monitoring situations to prevent and respond to any likely unconstitutional changes of government in any part of West Africa.

     Initiated by a coalition of think tanks and civil society organizations including Nigeria’s National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and the Regional Centre for Governance and Security Policy Initiative which is affiliated with the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), diplomatic representatives from the European Union, Spain, Portugal as well as civil society representatives across the ECOWAS sub-region, along with the Interparty Advisory Council and experts on peace and security from across the continent deliberated and made recommendations.

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    “This initiative was necessitated by the recent surge in Unconstitutional Changes of Government (UCGs) in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which has posed significant threats to the political stability and democratic progress in the region; this troubling trend, evidenced by military takeovers and the overthrow of democratically-elected governments has cast a shadow over the achievements in democratization, including the development of political and security institutions, electoral processes, and the safeguarding of freedoms and democratic rights amongst others.

    “Furthermore, this trend jeopardizes regional and global efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism in sub-regions like the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin,” they noted in a communiqué that included eight-point recommendation/action points.

  • As ECOWAS flunks democracy’s

    As ECOWAS flunks democracy’s

    The recent and erroneous decision by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to lift sanctions on Niger Republic is naturally bound to have a plethora of  far-reaching consequences for the military governed country and the region as a whole.

    Niger has been at the receiving end of a number of sanctions issued by the regional body  since its military forces overthrew the President Mohammed Bazoum administration last year. ECOWAS, which had much asserted it’s authority by enforcing it’s list of sanctions in which it had  hoped  to force the hand of the regime and reinstate the deposed Bazoum to.power took the policy summersault to the chagrin of a number of democracy enthusiasts who believe that there is nothing to gain from rapprochement with the unconstitutional government in Niger.

      While ECOWAS has cited the need for stability and cooperation as it’s justification for  its decision, the move has raised serious concerns about the organization’s commitment to promoting democracy and good governance.

    Let us explore the various consequences of such a  decision to lift sanctions on Niger.

    ECOWAS may have sent the signal to other nations within its sphere of influence that it is ok for countries to jettison the democratic form of governance for other less constitutional alternatives. By lifting sanctions on Niger, ECOWAS is effectively condoning the country’s democratic backsliding and sending a message that member states can flout democratic norms without  any consequences, setting perhaps a return to the dark days of the 70’s ,80’s and 90’s when a number of African nations, most particularly West African states were under the unimpressive regimes of the military boys.

    Then there is the issue of regional stability and security, with Niger located in a region marred by conflict, terrorism, and instability. The junta’s  crackdown on opposition and civil society groups could exacerbate tensions and create  breeding grounds for extremism and violence. ECOWAS’s decision may indirectly help fuel such  discontent and instability in the region, which could inturn have immense spillover effects on neighboring countries.

    ECOWAS via this volte face may have dealt its legitimacy as a regional organisation with the goal of promoting democracy, good governance, and regional integration in West Africa a moral blow, it’s failure to hold these member states accountable may seriously jeopardise it’s standing amongst other regional bodies and world powers. It further risks losing the trust and support of civil society groups, human rights organizations, and democratic advocates in the region undermining much the organization’s ability to effectively address regional challenges and promote peace and stability in West Africa.

    This sets a very  dangerous precedent and basically  undermines efforts to hold governments accountable for their actions. It also weakens the credibility of ECOWAS as a regional organization committed to promoting democracy and good governance.

    Some have even cited that the decision to lift sanctions on Niger could have been based on a number of economic reasons, if this is true then this can then be seen as inadvertently rewarding a government with a questionable human rights record and sending a message that economic interests take precedence over human rights and democratic principles. This could undermine efforts to promote good governance and rule of law in the region, hindering the growth of a number of institutions and downplaying the importance of democratic norms in a region such as ours.

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    While it is a commonly observed that on a number of occasions sanctions barely hurt the ruling classes who are the major targets of such sanctions but the rest of the population, what the West African regional body could have done was to fine-tune the sanctions as well as strengthen to their enforcement of such to deal more blows to the junta making it weaker and much more vulnerable to pressure from the regional body.

    Yes, Democracy’s cynics might thumb their noses at the type of democracy we practice in these climes, insisting that since we barely have democracy in these governments which profess to being a democracy, then the only option is to seek alternatives such as military rule, these persons haven’t sat down to count the costs of human rights abuses and the suppression of liberties lending credence to.that Churchilllian quote which says that ” Democracy is the Worst Form of Government but it is better than any other form of government.

    Besides these it is important to point out that democracy as a process is hindered every time it is interrupted, making its gains ineligible, can we imagine where Nigeria would have been without the interruptions of 1966,1983 and 1993?

    Niger  which has been repeatedly facing political turmoil in recent years, including a military coup in 2020 that ousted former President Mahamadou Issoufou is an example of the consequences of such interventions, ECOWAS however has chosen to sleep in the same bed with the junta flunking Democracy’s chances in this part of West Africa.

    We should also be ready to engage the likes of Mali,Burkina Faso and Guinea parting them.lighlty on the hands.

    By flouting its own democratic principles and rewarding a government with a questionable human rights record, ECOWAS has undermined its credibility as a regional organization committed to promoting democracy and good governance. This decision sets a dangerous precedent and sends a troubling message to other member states that they can get away with flouting democratic norms without consequence.

    Sad.