Human rights advocate and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has asserted that the exploitation of natural resources has been a driving force behind the series of military coups witnessed within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Falana made this assertion in a communiqué issued on Thursday.
In his statement, Falana highlighted the critical connection between the mismanagement of resources and the political instability prevalent in the region. He emphasized the pressing need for improved governance and transparent economic practices within the ECOWAS region.
The legal expert pinpointed the “reckless exploitation of natural resources” as a central catalyst for the unsettling political turbulence and the rise of unconstitutional shifts in governmental power. Falana underscored that the unregulated extraction of the region’s abundant natural resources, coupled with external influences, particularly remnants of former colonial regimes, has perpetuated economic disparities. These disparities have in turn led to a growing sense of frustration and grievances among the populace, creating a conducive environment for military coups and power struggles.
He said, “We have confirmed that another principal cause of change in governments in West Africa is the reckless exploitation of the natural resources of the member states of the ECOWAS by former colonial regimes and their allies.
“Such exploitation is compounded by the control of the national economy by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The implementation of the anti-people policies of the foreign forces has continued to increase the poverty of the entire population of the region.
“Out of frustration with civilian governments, unemployed youths and victims of human rights abuse usually troop to the streets to celebrate coup plotters. The Ecowas leaders should end the crude exploitation of natural resources and empower the people to control the commonwealth of member states in accordance with Article 21 (1) of the Charter, which provides:
“All peoples shall freely dispose of their wealth and natural resources. This right shall be exercised in the exclusive interest of the people. In no case shall a people be deprived of it.”
The ECOWAS has been increasingly scrutinized as a growing number of its member states grapple with political upheavals. Falana also drew attention to the manipulation of constitutions and referenda by elected governments to extend presidential tenures as a significant factor behind the unconstitutional changes in government.
Furthermore, Falana urged President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, the new Chairman of ECOWAS, to expedite the passage of amendments while imposing sanctions on democratically elected presidents who attempt to amend national constitutions to extend their tenure beyond the prescribed two terms.
