The Return of Military Coups in Africa: Good or Bad?
How Bad Governance in Africa Led To Increasing Rejection of Civilian Leaders
Dear Subscribers,
I am pleased to be back. I am sorry for the disruption in our Publication. I am aware that quality content and consistency in writing and couple of other things are the determinants of success for an Online News Publication.
Couple of things I did not expect happened. I broke my reading glasses by mistake. And, so I couldn't read and write as much as I need to for over a week before I bought another one. Another issue that came up was that I was trying to set up The Writing Service Journal, writingservicejournal.substack.com, my Second Journal. Efforts to get someone who can design the Logos for the Two Journals and couple of other things took my time and also caused the break in publication. Sincere Apologies. Many Thanks to You for subscribing to yemimichaeljournal.substack.com.
A lot of things have happened within the period we have not been able to publish.
Some of these things include the Return of Military Coups in some African Countries, the fact that Chief Dele Momodu, Publisher of The Boss Newspaper and Ovation Magazine became a Member of PDP-People’s Democratic Party, Nigeria’s biggest and ineffective opposition party, the fact that many big names are now joining APC-All Progressives’ Party, Nigeria’s ineffective ruling party and some other issues.
I will like to look at these matters starting with the return of coups in Africa.
The Return of Military Coups in Africa: Good or Bad?
Coups are not new in Africa, a potentially great but crisis-ridden continent. Coups became an option for those who were dissatisfied with governance in African countries like Nigeria, Ghana and other countries when those saddled with the responsibilities of governing some African countries mismanaged their affairs.
Some of the reasons cited by the Coup Plotters such as Major Kaduna Nzeogwu in Nigeria and Jerry Rawlings in Ghana are corruption and nepotism. We are still dealing with the same issues today.
With the exception of Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso (who was murdered) and a few others, those that seized power through coups because of bad governance end up becoming bunch of corrupt and incompetent lot.
Frankly, majority of the civilians that took over power were birds of a feather. They were not better. Both civilians and the military people end up enriching themselves at the expense of their people.
How Bad Governance Resulted In Increasing Rejection of Civilian Leaders in Africa
Many problems are responsible for the developmental issues in Africa. The major one that has been identified by Scholars and other Members of the Intelligentsia is leadership and followership problem. To be specific, the main issue is faulty selection of leaders and followers that could not offer commendable complementary role.
Reasonable number of the best brains or competent people don’t have the opportunities to lead.
The capable and genuine ones that managed to emerge end up being corrupted by the system or could not just perform well. Many of them are not just well-prepared. You cannot give what you don’t have. So the saying goes.
The negative impact is that their incompetence and lack of sincerity of purpose exacerbate or worsen the lives of their people.
And, when people are displeased with bad governance, they have no option than to reject this by way of protest and other means available or possible.
The leadership and followership problem is a troubling matter that this Journal will look at and proffer solutions to, someday.
Nigeria might have been fortunate as far as having a good President is concerned if Chief Obafemi Awolowo had succeeded in becoming the President, if former, late President Musa Yar’adua and General Murtala Muhammed have lived long and maybe if Chief M.K.O-Moshood Kasimawo Olawale Abiola, had been allowed to govern Nigeria.
Well, these people have their own shortcomings. They are not perfect. Who is? They might have done more good things if you consider what they were able to do as unelected persons to improve quality of lives of Nigerians.
Recently, fed up with misrule in Guinea and Sudan, the people and the military there protested against the governance of the Presidents of the aforementioned countries. Some other African countries’ Presidents are currently dealing with public protests against them.
A BBC Report in October 2021 stated that many Sudanese actually want military rulers to replace their civilian leaders. It is that bad.
Well, the return of military coups will disrupt development. And, that is bad. But, then, the intervention of the military people in governance in Africa may turn things around for good since many of the civilian leaders have failed. It is hard to say if the military men and women can offer better governance because they are products of their society and it is the same society that produced the civilian leaders. So, where do we go from here?
Hopefully, Africa will be fortunate someday to have competent leaders who genuinely want to improve development.
Comments are welcome.