Niger's Coup D'etat Should Be A Lesson For ECOWAS Leaders--Non Aligned Voters Association of Ghana

The Non-Aligned Voters Association of Ghana (NAVAG), a non partisan voters community in Ghana is calling on the entire leadership of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be circumspect at the recent military take over in Niger Republic and change their governance style to the people of the subregion.

ECOWAS has a population of about four hundred million people and is considered one of the richest subregions in the world in terms of natural resources.

The entire economic community of West Africa is still has her resourced being exploitated, economically oppressed and  governed by proxy by her colonial masters.

With all the centuries of exploitation, the subregion is still the richest yet many of her citizens lives in abject poverty, has no access to quality and affordable education, cannot access quality and affordable healthcare, no access to affordable housing and good infrastructure for social and economic life.

With all the riches of the subregion , a good number of her citizens cannot provide three square meals per day for themselves and unemployment is on the rise. Hope for the average youth is near oblivion.

NAVAG do not support truncating democratic governments with military adventurism however it's time our leaders  ponder on why the surge of  military take overs especially the current ones in the poor countries which have rich mineral resources namely Mali, Burkina Faso ,Guinea and Niger .

From the lenses of NAVAG, the trend is not solely against democratic system of governance but an entire exercise against foreign exploitation and oppression breeding poverty and underdevelopment.

Niger is on record to be the second poorest country in the world yet it has a resource (uranium) which powers a good number of lighting in France and other advance countries whilst over 70% of Nigeriens do not have light. 

Any sanctions against Niger would rather worsen the very plight they are fighting against.

NAVAG called for an immediate cessation of any military action against the coup makers now, urges ECOWAS leaders to dialogue and fashion out how to reverse their current state of poverty and hopelessness and assured them of sincere commitment to assist the junta return Niger to civilian governance in the shortest possible time.

ECOWAS leadership should be mindful that it's not only Niger but almost all the French speaking countries has expressed support for Niger because the peculiarity of their economic challenges.

 They are committed to liberate themselves damn the consequence. Until they resist oppression, economic emmancipation and prosperity will be an illusion .

Our leaders themselves need to make democracy workable and lucrative to attract the trust and hope of their citizens.

The mediating team of leaders should be presidents whose democracies and systems of governance are envies of others.

Those whose elections  were free , fair and transparent. 

Those leaders should not be those whose electoral bodies are made up of appointees of their political parties, whose security service are not full of partisan intakes and appointments to leadership, whose democracies are subject to good governance, accountability and not intimidating their opponents.

This Niger issue according to NAVAG should be a bedrock for a refreshed continental consciousness to reawakening Africa's self determination, sufficiently and prosperity.

ECOWAS leaders should think and rethink to avoid this proxy war against Niger and the  damning consequentialism  on the subregion.

The subregion has already a lot of terrorism confronting her, let's not open another pack of insecurity .