Academics and stakeholders have cautioned that if the Economic Community of West African States is unable to reinstate democratic government in the Republic of Niger, the organisation may no longer exist.
They did this while urging support for the ECOWAS decision to consider armed measures in its attempt to topple the military junta that has seized power in Niger.
At a symposium hosted by the Department of History and International Relations at Lagos State University on Friday, the speakers took turns presenting their arguments.
Dr. Adewunmi Falode, the symposium’s organiser and department head, stated that the meeting’s goal was to bring the general public up to date on advancements in Niger.
“The purpose of the symposium is to inform the public of the situation’s real facts. We are academics with no emotional attachments. Our work is based on facts, not feelings. Our evaluation is unbiased. It will act as a guide for what is taking place in that region of the world, he said.
Speaking on the subject of “Coup D’etat in Niger Republic: National, Regional and Global Ramifications,” the academics stressed that it was imperative that the ECOWAS halt any potential trend towards military rule in the area.
The military option is preferable, according to Dr. Olawale Lawal, a lecturer in the division, who also noted that the ECOWAS standby force was capable of handling the situation.
ECOWAS planned to deploy its newly established combined force for a variety of purposes, he continued, and the situation in Niger is the first well-known illustration of this.
Lawal stated, “We all have international organisations, and in establishing them, there are diplomatic tools, and that is when you have the military alternatives.” They are all actively involved in diplomatic relations. When they are having problems, they speak. Because of this, there are declarations, protocols, and conventions. However, if you break some of these standards, it will be communicated that you do so, and if you continue to break conventions, the military option may be used.
“West Africa established a permanent military command in December 2022 to combat fundamental jihadism and coup d’etat. The Niger coup is the first classic example of the exhibition of the might of what ECOWAS sought to use the Army for because all other coups occurred before December while the Niger coup took place after that date. In the end, the combined forces of the Nigerian military and its allies will not be able to overcome the ECOWAS.
Dr. Habeeb Sanni, a different lecturer, asserted that ECOWAS must use the military option or it will disintegrate.
The military, he added, has no place in politics, and the coup in Niger is antithetical to democratic ideals.
According to Dr. Henry Ogunjewo of the Department of History and Strategic Studies at the University of Lagos, no one knows which country would be the next to act if ECOWAS did nothing.
