COUPS: Provide Good Governance Or Be Ready For Pain, Ozekhome Tells African Leaders

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, has advised that African leaders must provide good governance to their people to avoid a situation where the military will overthrow a sitting democratic government.

The senior lawyer made this known on Friday while delivering his keynote address at the public presentation of a book titled “International Humanitarian Law and Armed Conflicts: An African Perspective”.

The event was organized in Abuja by the International Human Rights Commission, and the book was authored by the IHRC Head of Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria, Dr. Hezekiah Duru.

Ozekhome said that good governance was the way to go, and warned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) about the negative impact of a military intervention in a country.

The activist said that the examples of a single-family holding sway in a country’s political leadership for many years is proof of the leadership failure bedeviling Africa.

“The international community never came to dictate to us how to govern ourselves during instances of military interventions. We have no moral authority to go and intervene in another sovereign state’s internal affairs.”

“Are you saying that there are no other families in those countries that can produce leaders? African leaders should give good governance to the people. Where they are not ready for the gain, they should be ready for the pain,” Ozekhome said.

On his part, the Sultan of Sokoto, who was represented by Professor Ahmed Mora, urged relevant stakeholders to work towards peaceful resolution and dialogue rather than war.

He said that the Islamic religion advocates the promotion and protection of human rights.

The Federal Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, suggested that human rights protection is key to mainstreaming development in a country, thereby deterring any possibility of a military coup or war.