The Member of Parliament for North Tongu and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to immediately stop all his preparatory mobilisation towards deploying Ghanaian soldiers for an ECOWAS military intervention in Niger.

He said the president’s refusal to submit his Niger Policy to Parliament for thorough scrutiny by the people’s elected representatives was most undemocratic and awfully reckless.

“West African leaders who purport to be lecturing Niger on democracy must be seen leading by example at home. 

Ghana’s gallant soldiers must be kept far away from the looming bloodbath and escalating geopolitical confrontation which is bound to explode with far reaching consequences for stability in an already volatile region,” Mr Ablakwa said in a Facebook post. 

Economy

He said also worthy of consideration was the fact that Ghana’s bankrupt economy could be used as a predictable excuse by President Akufo-Addo as Commander-in-Chief to deny the Ghana Armed Forces the full compliment of materiel, equipment and logistics.

The MP said ECOWAS leaders ought to stop the warmongering and give diplomacy and constructive dialogue a chance, and that the Niger crisis could be resolved without violence and bloodshed. 

“But more fundamentally, African leaders must reflect on the causes of these coups and begin to take urgent concrete steps to prevent more military takeovers. Six coups in three years can only mean that Africa appears to be making a return to the coup era of the 1960s to 1980s.

Focus

“Let’s shift focus from the symptoms and start addressing the real issues of bad leadership, corruption, endemic poverty, democracy that works only for a few cronies and fat cats, massive unemployment, lack of opportunity, state-capture, constitutional manipulation, compromised judiciaries, discredited institutions, neo-colonial exploitation and a disunited Africa,” he said.

Niger, Mr Ablakwa said, was not the first; and it might not be the last without an honest, appropriate, introspective, causative, leadership response.

Two days ago, leaders of the ECOWAS regional bloc said they had agreed to deploy a “standby” military force in Niger.

They, however, did not give any details of the size of the force.

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS, said the use of force would be a “last resort”.

A military junta seized power in Niger on July 26.

SOURCE: GraphicOnline