Military coups and re-emergence of opportunist putschists

The taking over of governments by force of arms or coup d’état  is gradually becoming the norm in Africa, especially in West Africa, where the Armed Forces of Mali, Guinea-Conakry and Burkina Faso have taken over the reins of government, thereby, bringing back the dark era of military governments, which  took away the joy of independence from Africa.
  
Colonel Assimi Goita of Mali, Colonel Mammady Doumbouya of the Armed Forces of Guinea-Conakry and Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba, an officer in the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso have overthrown their respective governments. There was an attempted coup in Guinea Bissau, which luckily failed, but took several lives with it. 
 
These coups were staged for selfish and personal reasons. The putsch in Mali was a preemptive action to cover up high level corruption in the country, which a BBC Service documentary titled: ‘Fallen and forgotten in Mali’ exposed.  It revealed how unserviceable weapons were purchased from Asia, bulletproof vests were stuffed with paper cardboards, entitlements of fallen soldiers were stolen etc. The proceeds of such corrupt practices were used by senior military officers to fund opulent lifestyles in the country and abroad. The taking over of the government was to block the probe of these corrupt practices.

The foreign powers involved in the war are not acting out of altruism or in good faith. The core objective is to set up military bases in West Africa, in furtherance of the plans to have a permanent foothold in Africa, their dream ‘place in the sun’ The Malian war can be resolved in-house by the people of Mali, with the support of ECOWAS. And this will be after getting rid of the soldiers.
 
The tenure elongation by some Heads of State is not in their interest, nor in the interest of the community. Tenure of eight years in office is enough to make a meaningful impact, by a government with vision and purpose. The leaders involved in this game should leave, when the ovation is loudest, rather than face the humiliation of being driven out of office by an angry crowd or opportunist soldiers.
 
The open market, privatisation, devaluation of currency policies, which became the norm in Africa in the past four decades, created a small group of rich oligarchs and a very poor population. This factor, which cannot be ignored, is responsible for the kidnappings and such heinous crimes in the continent. A Made in Africa economic policy, which will place emphasis on education, healthcare, agricultural production, raw materials transformation, direct welfare programs for the needy, protection and support for small and middle scale businesses will create jobs, social harmony and peaceful coexistence between the rich and the poor. When all of these issues are resolved holistically, there will be no room for opportunist soldiers to disrupt the democratic system, nor for the people to seek redress by violence.
 
Finally, let it be reiterated, once again that military coup in the community is anathema, which will not be tolerated. Military officers should aspire to become Generals and not Heads of State. 
Ambassador Akinkuolie was director of Trade, Investment and Policy Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, Nigeria.