President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has raised alarm over the recent trend of the unconstitutional takeover of power in some West African countries, urging world leaders to reject such illegal acts.
According to Buhari, such unconstitutional takeovers, sometimes in reaction to unilateral changes of constitutions by some leaders, should not be tolerated by the international community.
In his speech at the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly on Friday in New York, the president warned that the democratic gains of the past decades in West Africa ‘‘are now being eroded’’ due to these negative trends.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the president’s address in Abuja, reported that President Buhari affirmed Nigeria’s support to efforts by ECOWAS, AU and the UN to address this growing challenge.
Buhari himself is former Nigerian Military dictator who truncated Nigeria’s second democratic experiment on December 31, 2021 and became Military head of state between 1983 and 1985.
‘‘As leaders of our individual Member-States, we need to adhere to the constitutional provisions of our countries, particularly on term limits.
“This is one area that generates crisis and political tension in our sub-region,’’ he said.
The President urged the international community not only to deal with the symptoms of conflict but also the immediate causes that fuel conflicts in the first place.
‘‘These include poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities.
‘‘There are no easy solutions to these conditions. They require long-term investments and more effective international cooperation.
“In this connection, my delegation underscores the importance of promoting peaceful, unfettered, and inclusive participation of states in global actions towards conflict prevention.
‘‘This will facilitate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063,” he said.
The president’s speech, delivered from the podium of the General Assembly hall, addressed other matters on the international agenda of interest to Nigeria, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Arms Trade Treaty, climate change and terrorism.
The speech also touched on the efforts of his administration on anti-corruption, debt suspension, international trade, UN Security Council Reform, Palestinian Question, racial discrimination, among others. (NAN)
