By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
Nigeria is no longer in the bad books of the world as a land where the military covet and control power.
Time was when Nigeria held the bad record as the coup-plotting capital of the whole wide world.
There was even a time when a drunken Nigerian coup-maker declared a dawn-to-dusk curfew!
Nigeria now preaches the gospel of following the constitutional order, though some doubting Didymus would rather dismiss the democracy as “coup at the polls.”
The late President Umaru Musa ‘Yar’Adua did not help matters when he openly declared that the election that brought him to power was flawed.
Let’s not go there for now – in the national interest.
As patriots, let’s play up the old-new National Anthem: “Nigeria we hail thee…”
However, the catch as per today is that some other African countries are not following the good example of Nigeria in turning away from military power grabbing via the facility of coups.
As I write now, there is the matter of the abortive coup in Congo Democratic Republic.
Going a year back, the wee Central African country of Gabon was rocked by a military coup in the small hours of August 30, 2023.
The Gabon putsch occurred just barely over a month after the July 2023 coup in Niger Republic.
As things stand now, these seven African countries – Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad, Mali, and Sudan – are under the charge of military dictatorship.
While the coup in Gabon marked the end of the 55-year-rule of the Bongo family, the Niger coup abruptly ended the civilian regime of the then just elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
In both instances, economic degeneracy and electoral malfeasance were the buoys of the coup leaders.
It’s remarkable that the streets rose in tumultuous support of the coup-makers much to the chagrin of ill-assorted defenders of democracy.
There were also jubilations on the streets of Conakry in September 2021 when the military ousted President Alpha Conde of Guinea.
The attempts to preach popular democracy in the bid to stop the coup-plotters were very ineffective.
The order by Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the leader of the Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS), that the coup honcho and head of Niger’s Presidential Guard, General Abdoulrahamane Tchiani, should immediately hand back power to the ousted Bazoum was flatly rebuffed.
In Gabon, a video was shown of the overthrown President Ali Bongo urging his people to come out in the streets to “make some noise”, but nobody heeded his call.
Given the open support of the public, the emergent military powers can be said to be interventionist rather than adventurist.
Anti-French colonial policies are quite high in the minds of the peoples of the countries supporting the coups in Francophone Africa.
There have been 11 attempted coups in West and Central Africa since 2020.
Burkina Faso, as a standout case, has been ruled by the military for 26 years of its 63 years of independence.
In equal measure, Mali has also in 63 years of independence witnessed 26 years of military dictatorship.
The current Niger imbroglio points to the fact that the country has been under the jackboots of the military for 39 years of its 64 years of independence.
In 67 years of independence, Sudan has been ruled by the military for 32 years.
It needs a recall that the first coup in Africa happened on January 13, 1963 when President Sylvanus Olympio of Togo was assassinated.
Ever since, there had been well over 100 successful coups across Africa, with even a greater number being aborted or unsuccessful.
It is galling that 45 of Africa’s 54 countries must have witnessed a military coup plot. Sudan owns the record of having the most coup plots, numbering 17, with six being successful.
It is Burkina Faso that holds the eagle’s feather of nine successful coups with only one abortion!
As stated earlier, Nigeria used to rank quite high in the coup business until 1999 when General Abdulsalami Abubakar handed over civil power to ex-General Olusegun Obasanjo.
From independence in 1960 to the transition to civil rule in 1999, Nigeria experienced nine successful military coups and three aborted putsches.
It was after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the diabolical coming to power of the iron regime of General Sani Abacha who wanted to transmute to a civilian democratic leader of the country that the majority of Nigerians, with the support of the international community, somewhat vowed: Never Again!
The heart of the matter is that democracy must render dividends to the people for them to defend it.
Culturally, democracy and the African king are not the best of friends.
An African king sees the throne as his forever, and he is therefore alarmed that democracy makes the case for elections and the concomitant change in leadership. Asking the king to quit power is akin to trying to move a mountain.
The sure way to keep away military power mongers is good governance that guarantees the wellness of the populace.
Who could have prophesied that “The Arab Spring” would start so innocuously on December 17, 2010 when a Tunisian man, Mohammed Bouazizi, who was unable to find work and had to make ends meet by selling fruits at a roadside stand set himself on fire when a municipal inspector confiscated his wares?
His death on January 4, 2011 caused the uprising of the people that led to the sacking of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14, 2011, thus ending his 23 years in power.
If the people are alienated by any government that lays claims to being a democracy, a coup or revolution or mere anarchy supervenes!
No preachment on patriotism can save the day.
Uzor Maxim Uzoatu is a renowned poet, journalist and author