Citizens frustrated with civilian governments, but military rule not a viable alternative - Fayemi

Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti, says military ruleis not a viable alternative in tackling governance deficits in West Africa. Fayemi spoke in Abuja on Friday at the opening ceremony ofthe meeting of experts hosted by the Amandla Institute for Policy andLeadership Advancement to reflect on the opportunities and challenges that havedefined West Africa’s integration journey. The two-day meeting was organised in collaboration with theAfrican Leadership Centre, the Council for the Development of Social ScienceResearch in Africa (CODESRIA), and the West Africa Citizen Think Tank (WATHI). While noting that poverty, inequality, governance deficits,and insecurity have risen in West Africa, Fayemi said the challenges cannot beeffectively addressed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)in its current form. “There is an urgent need for a new, citizen-centred approachthat responds to the real concerns of ordinary West Africans, rather thanfocusing solely on the priorities of political leaders,” he said. Fayemi, who is also the co-founder of the Amanda Institute,said traditional military strategies alone are inadequate in tackling thecomplex threats posed by insurgents and terrorist groups. “Many of these groups are deeply embedded within communitiesand even, in some cases, within the military itself,” he said. “What is needed is a more sophisticated intelligence-basedapproach, combined with efforts to address the underlying social and economicdrivers of insecurity. “We need a comprehensive human security strategy that dealswith issues of poverty, inequality, and governance failures, which extremistgroups continue to exploit. “While it is understandable that many citizens arefrustrated with civilian governments that have failed to deliver on governanceand security, we should also not mince words that military rule is not a viablealternative in tackling governance deficits. “History has shown that military regimes do not providesustainable solutions. In fact, in the three countries that have now exitedECOWAS, terrorism and insecurity have worsened since the military took over.” Fayemi tasked ECOWAS to engage Mali, Burkina Faso, andNiger, who exited the regional bloc, on a pathway back to democraticgovernance. Omar Touray, ECOWAS Commission president, said coups in thelast years have threatened the bloc’s values of democracy and security. Touray, represented by Abdufatah Musah, commissioner forpolitical affairs, peace and security, said ECOWAS needed “deep introspectionand honest self-assessment” on a way forward for effective regionalintegration.

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