WHY COUP IS COMMON IN AFRICA- UNDP. (PHOTO).

 Why coup is common in Africa – UNDP

…as Nigeria sends 197 soldiers to Gambia on peacekeeping

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has identified over-ambition of young military officers who do not want to wait for their turn as one of the major causes of coups d’état in Africa.

The UNDP Team Lead, Governance, Peace and Security, Matthew Alao, made this known shortly after the Graduation Ceremony of the Leadership and National Cohesion Course  at Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State.

While stating that the military cannot be divorced from the society where it situates, the UNDP team lead listed over-ambition by young military officers, eroding core societal values, religious beliefs, and lack of education as the key reasons for more coups in West African countries and Africa at large.

While warning that this leadership deficit is taking a toll on the country and should be addressed right from the family unit to the community level, Alao also described Nigeria today as very individualistic, saying, “We have lost it. Now it’s all about I and my family. And this is leading us nowhere. This is why this course is very critical at this moment.”

Alao said the leadership course, which happened to be the brainchild of the past Commandant of the Peacekeeping Centre, Major General Obinna, was born due to the spate of coups happening in West Africa. 

“They felt that providing leadership training to the middle-level military and civilians is an antidote to it. They felt that because that quality training, that orientation on subordination is weakening in the military and political space of West Africa. They felt that UNDP, with the funding made available by the government of Japan, is sponsoring it,” Alao added.

On the persistent coups and counter-coups staged in Africa by military officers, Alao said the fundamental problem the world is facing today is the lack of core values. 

“Our core values are fast breaking down. You will see agitation and expectation on so many issues that may not be reality.

“Most people don’t go to school. Some do go to school but do not have employable skills. This contributes to what is happening. And because the military cannot be divorced from the society where it situates, they also feel part of that agitation. When that cry is going on, it speculates and overshadows the event. I think that is one of the reasons for coups.

“Then, maybe over-ambition by the young officers. They don’t want to wait for their turn. The idea of young people wanting to be there is another cause of coups.

“Young people need to learn. Because if young people don’t learn, we continue to somersault. After all, this country was ruled by 27-year-olds. At a point they delivered, but they didn’t deliver well. If the military of those days had the necessary experience and requisite vision when Nigeria was still in the morning, they would have planned our future and laid the foundation and we wouldn’t be where we are today. We wouldn’t be clamoring for roads, infrastructure, and all that. Suppose the people that found this country, like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, were able to do something up to the late 80s, Nigeria would have been better than this. The situation we are now is dangerous.

“In those days, Ibadan was flourishing, Kaduna was a hub,  Lagos was a factory ground, but within a blink of an eye under the Structural Adjustment Program, everything collapsed.”

Meanwhile, the Commandant, Peacekeeping Centre, Kaduna, Maj. Gen. Ademola Adedoja, said that 167 soldiers would be deployed to The Gambia on a peacekeeping mission.

Adedoja announced this at the graduation of the troops from Pre-deployment Training at the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji, in Kaduna State on Friday. 

He said that the officers have gone through intense training in line with the Standard UN Core Pre-Deployment Training Modules.

The six-week Pre-deployment Training, according to him, commenced on 4 May 2024 and aimed to equip the earmarked unit with the requisite skills and knowledge to function effectively and efficiently in their deployment to The Gambia. 

He said that as part of their training, the troops were taken through cross-cutting issues like Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, Conduct and Discipline, as well as Protection of Civilians, amongst others, expressing optimism that without gainsaying, they have been adequately prepared for the mission at hand.

He cautioned the officers to avoid any ugly incidents like trafficking of illicit substances and sexual exploitation and abuse that could tarnish the image of the country and the Nigerian Armed Forces, while explaining that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has zero tolerance for such acts. He noted that the Nigerian government will not tolerate any contravention of these rules and regulations.

“The Pre-Deployment Training was to equip the earmarked unit with the requisite skills and knowledge to function effectively and efficiently in their deployment to The Gambia. 

As part of their training, the troops were taken through cross-cutting issues like Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, Conduct and Discipline, as well as Protection of Civilians, amongst others. It is without gainsaying that they have been adequately prepared for the mission at hand.

“For me, today’s graduation ceremony once more shows the commitment of Nigeria and the Nigerian Armed Forces to global peace and security. Nigeria has since the 1960s contributed troops to different peace support operations from Congo, Yugoslavia, and Lebanon, amongst others. Also, as the powerhouse of the West Africa sub-region, Nigeria has committed both human and material resources to the attainment of peace in the sub-region,”the commandant stated.