The new chairman of the West African regional bloc, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, says the region would not condone military coups as they make efforts to strengthen democracy.
Tinubu was elected head of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday at its 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau.
The Nigerian leader is the latest entrant into the exclusive club of heads of state in West Africa. He enthusiastically accepted the ''honour'' on behalf of Nigeria with a pledge to bear the responsibility of his office as ECOWAS chairman.
Tinubu warned that threats to peace in the sub-region had reached an alarming proportion with terrorism and an emerging pattern of military takeover that demanded urgent and concerted actions.
In the past three years, there have been several coups in West Africa notably in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea. The Nigerian leader promised to uphold the rule of law and strengthen institutions as he leads the regional organisation.
"We must stand firm on democracy. There is no governance, freedom and rule of law without democracy. We will not accept coup after coup in West Africa again,'' Tinubu said.
Creeping threats
"There is no one here among us who did not campaign to be a leader. We didn't give our soldiers resources, we didn't invest in them, in their boots, in their training to violate the freedom of the people,'' a statement from the Nigerian presidency quoted Tinubu as saying.
For the military ''to turn their guns against civil authorities is a violation of the principles upon which they were hired, which is to defend the sovereignty of their nations. We must not sit in ECOWAS as toothless bulldogs," he added.
''Democracy is very difficult to manage, but it is the best form of government,'' he stressed. The Nigerian leader said insecurity and creeping terrorism were stunting the progress and development of the region.
Tinubu called for collective action from member states, pledging that under his leadership, frameworks would be harmonised to actualize the dreams of ECOWAS.
"I will ensure that we immediately harmonise these plans and mobilise resources as well as the political will towards the actualization of the initiatives. As terrorists do not respect boundaries, we must work collectively to have an effective regional counterterrorism measure,” he said.
