(PRESS STATEMENT)
Coalition for the Survival of Nigeria (CSN) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to mobilise African countries through the continental and regional groups to resist foreign interferences in their internal affairs.
In a statement by CSN signed by its Chairman, Chief Ezekiel Afunkonyo, the Coalition, which reviewed the incidence of coups across the continent, particularly in the West African subregion, said that Nigeria must provide leadership in stemming the tide of coups on the continent.
According to the Coalition, “Nigeria must lead from the front by addressing governance deficits in the form of non-fulfilment of the entitlements of citizenship, socio-economic frustrations, tribalism, religious bigotry, sectionalism and the growing insecurity in the country.”
It noted that “there are increasingly young Africans who have lost patience and confidence in their corrupt leaders and would welcome coupists promising radical changes, as was witnessed on the streets of Niamey-Niger and Ouagadougou-Burkina Faso, following the takeovers, with some elated Guineans even kissing the soldiers.”
The Coalition therefore urged Nigeria to liaise with continental and subregional bodies like the Africa Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be firm and unbiased in their show of contempt for all types of coups.
It said that creating international avenues for punishing coupists must be supported by global powers devoid of sentiments, maintaining that Nigeria should champion the resistance of foreign interference in African countries through African regional organisations.
The Coalition also urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure that his administration doubles down on upholding the core values of responsiveness, transparency, accountability and civic responsibility in a deliberate bid to promote good governance, equity and justice, which would serve as an exemplar to other African leaders.
