Tinubu advocates good governance to counter coups in West Africa

President Bola Tinubu has urged West African leaders to prioritize good governance and collective prosperity as an essential tool to prevent authoritarian takeovers of power and unconstitutional changes of government in the region.

Tinubu, who doubled as the Chairman of ECOWAS, identified good governance as a key catalyst to secure popular support through the socio-economic transformation and development of West Africa at the 64th ordinary session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

This was disclosed in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

Tinubu added that delivering good governance is not just a fundamental commitment but an avenue to address the concerns of citizens, improve their quality of life, and create a stable environment conducive to the achievement of sustainable development. 

He said that by providing good governance that tackles the challenges of poverty, inequality and other concerns of the people there will be success in addressing the root causes of military interventions in civilian processes in our region.

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Recounting decisions taken by West African leaders to further strengthen the region’s democratic achievements and uphold the right of the people to elect the leaders of their choice, he said the bloc has outlined specific measures to be taken against any member state opting for unconstitutional change of government. 

“While the imposition of punitive sanctions may pose challenges, it is important to underscore that the struggle to protect the fundamental liberties of our Community’s Citizens must be upheld and respected. 

“To this end, I would like to reiterate the imperative of re-engaging with the countries under military rule on the basis of realistic and short transition plans that can deliver democracy and good governance to the innocent populations in those countries.

“On our part, we should be prepared to provide them with technical and material support, to ensure the achievement of these strategic goals,” he said.

President Tinubu used the occasion to applaud President George Weah of Liberia for conceding victory and congratulating his opponent during the last presidential election in Liberia.

President Tinubu also responded to the recent decision by some ECOWAS-member states, under military rule, to float a so-called ‘Alliance of Sahel States’, describing it as distracting and emphasizing the commitment to pursuing ECOWAS integration. 

“The phantom pushback Alliance appears intended to divert our attention from our mutual belief in and commitment to democracy and good governance that will impact the lives of our people. 

“We refuse to be distracted from pursuing the collective dreams, aspirations, and the noble path of ECOWAS integration as it is laid out in our institutional and legal frameworks.

“I take this opportunity to also emphasize that despite the numerous challenges faced in our region, ECOWAS has achieved significant milestones for the betterment of our community.

“ECOWAS activities have always been people-oriented, with a future of raising the living standard of our people. We have to do that through a relentless focus on qualitative service delivery and good governance,” he added.

On the recent disturbances in Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau, the ECOWAS Chairman asked fellow leaders to pay attention to protecting democracy, reiterating ECOWAS’ zero tolerance to unconstitutional changes of government.