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Professor Tijani Muhammadu Bande, who previously served as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has attributed the increasing military-led calls for leadership changes in West African nations to the failure of governance, which he claims has been marked by ineffectiveness and mismanagement.
He argued that these military takeovers are a direct response to what he described as entrenched poor leadership, which has failed to meet the aspirations of the people.
Yesterday, in Ilorin, Kwara State, he delivered this observation at the gathering of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellows Alumni Association of Nigeria (COSFAN), an event that brought together key figures from across the region.
The event was thoughtfully organized to commemorate the 80th birthday of Professor Ibrahim Gambari, who served as Chief of Staff to former President Muhammadu Buhari, reflecting on his pivotal contributions to the nation’s leadership.
The event was further highlighted by the launch of Readings in Diplomacy, Democracy, Peace, and Development, a book crafted by COSFAN to honor the immense contributions of Professor Gambari to the realms of diplomacy, democracy, and peace.
He went on to explain that the rising tide of military rule in Africa was fueled by blatant electoral failures and the growing belief that elections rarely succeed in displacing bad leadership, offering a semblance of legitimacy for military interventions.
Prof. Bande, who is the book reviewer, said: “Most changes to the constitution in West Africa countries are about more powers to the President but yet, there is little to show that concentrated power meant improvement in the lives of citizens and Togo and Guinea are cases in point.
“In other places, violence followed the weak transparency of governments. So, coup d’etats happened in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic.
“Justifications of these acts are mainly from security to poverty, to loss of sovereignty to erstwhile colonial powers.
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“Certainly, frustration with flawed elections and a sense that elections hardly remove bad leaders have given a veneer of support to some for this dangerous direction.
“For example, in Mali, the failure to secure people for a decade played into the hands of the coupists as the death toll reached 2,000 people. One and half million became refugees. Street protests against President Boubacar Keita was taken advantage of by the military.”
Bande also canvassed ethics in governance and social relations, saying the development would help the country in her challenges and also make progress.
“Because of the multiple diversities characterising Nigeria, values and norms are not uniform. Furthermore, technology, migration and urbanisation and the erosion of traditional values, among other things, have impacted behaviour and norms.
“Dysfunctional and corruption behaviour must be removed in Nigeria, otherwise the incessant search for material wealth at all costs will continue to fuel inefficiency, inequality, inferior standards and even violence.
“Agencies for dealing with these ills, such as ICPC, EFCC, NOA, NDLEA, have made their contributions but the problem has continued unabated.”
He described the celebrant, Prof. Gambari, as a committed Nigerian and internationalist, saying his exposures have touched peace and development globally and regionally.
National President of COSFAN, Dr. Ekundayo Samuel, in his welcome speech, said: “We are here to honour a diplomat, a scholar, a true luminary, and a cherished patron of COSFAN, as he marks his 80th birthday.
“This occasion is made even more special as we present a festschrift, titled ‘Reading in Diplomacy, Democracy, Peace and Development’, a tribute that encapsulates a lifetime of dedication, intellect, and service to humanity.”
In his remarks on the occasion, Kwara State governor and chairman, Nigeria’s Governors Forum, NGF, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said he was proud of the celebrant.
