The African anti-coup coalition

And in Abuja, the ink had not dried on their puerile statement when martial music took over the Niger airwaves punctuated only by sporadic gunshots. And it sounded not only hollow but silly when the AU responded with condemnation. What would Jean Ping have preferred, a Tandja transformed as a Mugabe or a Gadaffi rather […]

And in Abuja, the ink had not dried on their puerile statement when martial music took over the Niger airwaves punctuated only by sporadic gunshots. And it sounded not only hollow but silly when the AU responded with condemnation. What would Jean Ping have preferred, a Tandja transformed as a Mugabe or a Gadaffi rather than the soldier boys? Such blatant hypocrisy is what makes others look at the continent and its leaders as pitiable people.

So, why do transmogrified despots want the ladder removed after they have climbed and settled in? For one, they have helped to under-develop the continent so badly that Walter Rodney is cringing in his grave now that Africans have made European underdevelopment of the continent a mere child’s play. The second reason is that true democrats are truly not easy to come by even among those who have now organised themselves as the anti-coup lobby group. Each and everyone member of the group is a Tandja, a Gadaffi or a Mugabe waiting for the proper time.

Besides the ones mentioned, what kind of democracy exists in Egypt, Uganda and Algeria, the Gambia or are these not African countries? Did their leaders not show up at the Addis Ababa or Abuja meet? What kind of democracy would Morgan Tsvangirai have provided for Zimbabwe or his brother Raila Odinga in Kenya beyond what the people they are ruling with could provide? The truth is we, the citizenry are as tired of a pack of glorified boy scouts who run away from rag tag rebel groups and find it difficult to quell riots lording it over us as leaders, but what choice do we have? The despots make peaceful change impossible, surround themselves with trusted henchmen and keep milking the country until it stumbles only to fly away and leave those countries for the vultures.

But beyond all these is another reason – desire to satisfy the wishes of the donor agencies and powerful countries which have no interest in seeing a people’s government in Africa but would support any regime that will help sustain the situation that turns Africa into a beggar continent. They are the powerful countries whose companies milk the continent’s natural resources and pay only a fraction to the sheikhs of corruption while they repatriate their proceeds. Africa, the richest continent with unprecedented resources and a vast potential is hugely dependent on foreign aid for survival. Where are the proceeds of kleptomania kept but the vaults of Europe and America? The way things go in this continent, we would continue to be the butt of other people’s jokes as we scuttle here and there with our boy scouts in power occasionally allowing a few lapdogs.

Except in Ghana since the Rawlings revolution and a few other countries, the perks of office are far too outlandish for those who have pushed themselves to the position of power to relinquish it. The entire country lives and works for one man in the genetic monarchical order of pre-flag independence era.

In our own country Umaru Musa Yar’adua incurs an undisclosed amount of money for his medicare along with extra allowances for a coterie of aides since November 23 without account. Ministers and lawmakers have made pilgrimages to the hospital they failed to build at home and came back with nothing, but perhaps nothing beats the insult as much as the presidential plane that has been parked at the Riyadh airport incurring demurrage for the tax-payer. And all these is no investment that would yield any tangible return – Yar’adua stands either to return as a recuperating invalid or end up six feet under. Yet, there are average Nigerians who die for lack of N200 to treat a mosquito bite.

I understand that these things are only said by misguided misanthropes like us who think that they will not die. But aren’t we all mortals susceptible to live and die and if lucky, end up in a hole six feet under? This situation whereby people refuse to talk about the cost of the President’s health is eating through Nigeria’s local and foreign reserves and does more economic damage than the power vacuum. While not making a case for military take-over, isn’t this the kind of ‘democracy’ that makes it impossible to divorce the state from the man who heads it? Aren’t these ways of behaviour the rationale for the kind of constitutional crisis that leads to military take-over? Our leaders know how to keep the glorified boy scouts at bay – play by the rules, but how many of them are ready to do just that? Until African leaders do what is right and quit while the ovation is still loud, there is only one reaction to such anti-coup coalition – that is – talk is cheap!