A former deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and former Presidential hopeful, Kingsley Moghalu, has stated that the reason coups are on the rise in West Africa comes from the way leadership is being practised in the region.
Moghalu who stated this while reacting to the recent development in Niger Republic on Sunday, following the success of the coup carried out by the military in the country, stated that corruption and the absence of rule of law/accountability were responsible for the act.
It would be recalled that the military in the Niger Republic had recently ousted the elected President of the country, Mohamed Bazoum, by keeping him and his family under house arrest at the Presidential lodge in the country.
However, the military leader in the country, General Abdouramane Tchiani declared a military takeover, and himself as the new President of the country.
However, this development in the country has caused different reactions from the Economic Community of West African Countries and around the world.
Reacting to the action,
the former CBN chief, who acknowledged that lack of development is part of what is responsible for the action, stated that African countries have tried coups for decades and It did not yield real development.
“We have tried democracy predominantly for the past three decades. We are still the poorest continent in the world. Now coups are on the rise in the Sahel. So, what is the problem? It’s fundamental and I will tell you,” he said.
Talking further, Moghalu acknowledged that mindset of power
and failed governments in the Sahel is the absence of the rule of law and accountability which can be related towards our “worldview.”
“It’s the African mind. Our worldview, our mindset. The way we think, the arrogance of power, the corruption.”
“The absence of rule of law/accountability.”
“The focus on superstition instead of the rational science/innovation that has driven development elsewhere.
He however warned that Low-level thinking leads to low-level actions, which leads to low-level outcomes.
“Worldviews are fundamental. We must ask ourselves who we are, where we have come, where we are going, how to get there, and the values that underpin our societies,” he added.
