Tema-Ghana, Aug. 08, – Alhaji Khuzaima Mohammed Osman, Eminent Member of the National Peace Council of Ghana, Greater Accra Regional Branch, has deduced that coup d’états are becoming popular again in West Africa due to the corrupt practices of politicians in power.
“Military interventions are beginning to take centre stage for one basic truth: blatant corruption with impunity and the general feeling of ineptitude in the overall system of governance.
“I mean, we are all Ghanaians, to be specific, and Africans in general. We see and observe in hopelessness and helplessness what is happening disgustingly on a daily basis,” Alhaji Khuzaima, who is also the Executive Secretary of the Tijjaniya Muslims Movement of Ghana, has stated.
Speaking in an interview in Tema, on the latest coup in Niger, Alhaji Khuzaima explained that the political elites in the ECOWAS sub region are aware of the consequences of the recent instability.
“It is not just the citizens of Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger who are fed up with the rampant corruption in their countries; Ghanaians, Nigerians, Senegalese, and other West African citizens are equally not happy about the state of affairs.
“I personally, just like many other Ghanaians, do not opt for or favour Coup détats, but the actions of most politicians and their accomplices in the corporate industry coerce good people to start thinking of ways to overhaul the whole system.
“Yet, politicians see all the warning signs but do nothing because they are the overall beneficiaries of the current dispensation,” he stated.
He questioned the rationale for some ECOWAS leaders pressing for and wanting to go to war with the four countries whose military have taken over in the name of preserving democracy.
Alhaji Khuzaima noted that peace-loving people and professionals in the peacebuilding and peacemaking industries are calling for a diplomatic approach instead of a military intervention, which may end up in a disaster.
“What is the essence of democracy if the life of a soldier or innocent citizen is going to be lost as a result of the military intervention in Niger? The question is, are the ECOWAS leaders preserving democracy or protecting their bounties?
The Executive Secretary of the Tijjaniya Muslims Movement of Ghana argued that six ECOWAS countries are grappling with violent religious and political terrorists, and most of these countries share land borders with each other.
“ECOWAS has not been able to eliminate the terrorists over the past 15 years, and we want to add more flames to it.
“ECOWAS leaders must understand that citizens are watching how their counterparts in Niger cheer the coup leaders, and soon some citizens may start calling for the same in their countries if their conditions of living remain the same,” he stated.
Alhaji Khuzaima noted that political officeholders have the keys to changing the living conditions of the people, but they are not willing to do so for their own personal interests.
He said events in Niger should serve as a warning signal and a wake-up call to all other ECOWAS leaders to sit up and rule for the interests of the majority and not for the elite class.
“The political temperature in the ECOWAS sub-region is boiling; democratic governments must serve their people and avoid another coup in the sub-region,” Alhaji Khuzaima stated.
