Nigeria’s Dr Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary General of United Nations, has attributed the recent wave of unconstitutional change of government in some countries in West Africa to trust deficit, broken governance and weakening of the social contract.
Mohammed disclosed in Abuja while delivering a lecture titled: “Unconstitutional change of Government and attainment of the African Union’s 2063 Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – The case of West Africa and the Sahel sub-region” on the occasion of the 2024 Annual Lecture of Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN).
She said that the topic was timely and a strong reminder that political crisis and instability are often created by bad governance and does not emerge out of thin air.
“There are root causes. It is strongly linked with lack of progress on sustainable, inclusive development. It is the result of choices that the world makes or fails to make in relation to supporting countries as they heal divisions and climb the development ladder.
“Together, we would need to build pathways for solutions that can not only bridge political and social divides within West Africa and the Sahel but can spur development and provide hope and a life of dignity for the over 100 million people who call our sub-region home,” Mohammed noted.
The UN Deputy Secretary General expressed concern on how unconstitutional change of government poses a great threat to the bold vision of peace and prosperity put forward by Agenda 2063.
She said; “Each and every one of these changes is a stark reminder of the deeper and more structural issues that we must address as a global community. Let us remind ourselves that we are living in a world deeply connected, by its norms and standards to financial systems and trade.
“These turbulent unconstitutional changes also represent a “worst-case scenario” for sustainable development across West Africa and the Sahel, as we draw closer to the deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, many of which are slipping from reach.
“They also represent a major barrier to the bold vision of peace and prosperity put forward by Agenda 2063.”
“Many countries face deep-seated governance challenges. But military governments are not the solution.
“We must create the conditions that allow our citizens to address the root causes of political instability, even if it means having the courage to challenge the model, not the principles of democracy we practice.
“It is essential that our collective voice and unified positions shape our regional future.
Our Continent stands at a crossroads as the world appears to have taken its gaze off Africa,” Mohammed said.
She said; “We may appear down, but we are far from out. African leaders must continue to forge a path towards delivering our vision for the Continent enshrined in Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda. Leaders must demonstrate unwavering unity and a firm commitment to uphold our values and beliefs.
“They must stand together, with no fight between them, determined to live up to the courage of their convictions.
“In this spirit, the United Nations will continue to work hand in hand with Africa to achieve sustainable peace and development. Let us seize this moment as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to all our people.”
In his address of welcome, the President of AFRPN, Ambassador Gani Lawal, noted that the topic of the lecture, like the five previous lectures, was carefully chosen to create opportunity to listen to the perspectives of a nodal International Relations professional who had been following and researching into the historical antecedent and outcome of issues, actions and inactions that led to this development.
The Chief Host of the occasion, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs said that people who are clamouring for military government should realise where Nigeria was coming from with regard to military regimes.
Tuggar stated that the first act of any military regime is to suspend the constitution and break the social contract between the people and the government.
He posited that people should not romanticise the military regimes, which is often characterized by public executions by firing squad and abuse of human rights.
Tuggar further stressed that democracy despite its shortcomings, is the ideal system of government and therefore requires constant work to improve.
The Chief Guest of Honour, Vice-President kashim Shettima, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, emphasized the need for democracy to be sustained in Africa through good governance.
AFRPN consists of retired and serving Nigerian diplomats and all stakeholders in the business of Foreign Relations.
The association’s target is to impact the foreign policy of Nigeria in a positive way from the perspectives of intellectual brain storming exercise of its experienced members and practitioners on topical issues through lectures, workshops and publications as well as mentoring of upcoming diplomats.