Foreign

ECOWAS Parliament says regional security operations must be strengthened to prevent coups

Published

2 months ago

July 28, 2023

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament have said that the ECOWAS Commission must strengthen collective regional security operations with the African Union to stop the threat of coup d’etats in the sub-region.

This is one of the recommendations contained in the draft report presented at the end of delocalised meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament Joint Committees on Political Affairs, Peace, Security, and the African Peer Review Mechanism, Judicial Affairs and Human rights, Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment on Friday.

The delocalised meeting, which held in Monrovia, Liberia, from July 25 to July 28, aimed at proffering the best mechanisms for ensuring greater political inclusion in governance in member states, peace, security to prevent and resolve the multifaceted crisis faced by states.

The draft report which would be adopted by plenary at the next session of the Parliament contained recommendations to the Member States, the ECOWAS Commission and Parliament on ensuring the peace, security, stabilisation and good governance in Member States.

With the threats of insecurity in the region, the ECOWAS Parliament Committees stated: “We appeal to the ECOWAS Commission to work hard to strengthen collective regional security operation in collaboration with the African Union and key partners.

“To encourage regional efforts in addressing the concerns and common security challenges that makes the state fragile and susceptible to coups.

“Encourages the ECWOAS Commission to continue to intensify dialogue with the transitional authorities in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

It stated that: “In order to ensure the follow up and implementation of the transition time-table with a view to accelerate the return to constitutional order in these states.

“Urges the ECOWAS Parliament to develop mechanisms to enable it to be proactive, operational in conflict prevention and management.

“Urges the member states to centralise military commands to avoid formation of elite military units or parallel military forces whose command and control is outside a unified command structure.”

Speaking to journalists at the end of the meeting, Sen. Edwin Snowe, Leader of the Liberian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, lamented the backslide in democratic rule in the sub-region, describing it as a shame on the region’s democracy which must be stopped.

Snowe, who was also Chair of the Joint Committees’ delocalised meeting, expressed optimism in the leadership of President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, who is Chair of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of States, to intervene in the recent coup in the Republic of Niger.

“It is actually war in Guinea Bissau two weeks ago when President Tinubu said zero tolerance to coup d’etats and less than two weeks later there is coup d’etat.

“This morning, the President have asked me to join him on Sunday to Abuja for the Extraordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Heads of State. We hope that the Heads of States will come up with some decisive positions of this matter.

“It is actually a shame on our region and we hope that we will find a way to stop this. Because it 8d backsliding from democracy. Gone are the days when we had the Samuel Doe, Jerry Rawlings, Yahaya Jameh, Abacha’s. Gone are those days.

“We have made significant progress in our drive to democracy so to see us going back to where we come from is a shame and I hope that something will be done in a faster manner for us to correct the situation.

“It is a big test for Nigeria and the leadership of the Chairmanship of President Tinubu and we are hoping that there will be some drastic measures to correct this situation in our region.

“This time around, ECOWAS will not be a sleeping bulldog. I believe in the leadership of President Tinubu and I am sure he will make a difference,” Snowe said.

He however noted that for every successful coup with a loss of a member state, it undermines the work of ECOWAS bodies and institutions, reiterating that the leadership of ECOWAS will stand firm protecting the region’s democracy.

Foreign

Coup attempt in Burkina Faso

Published

3 days ago

September 28, 2023

Alero Danjuma

The junta in Burkina Faso, which toppled a military regime to gain power, has announced that there was a coup attempt.

In a statement, the junta said an attempt by some army officers to seize power and plunge the country into chaos was thwarted.

“The dark intention of attacking the institutions of the Republic and plunging our country in chaos… investigations will help unmask the instigators of this plot.”

“Officers and other alleged actors involved in this attempt at destabilisation have been arrested and others are actively sought,” read the statement from Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo, spokesman for the regime.

The military government said it would seek to shed all possible light on this plot, adding that it regretted “that officers whose oath is to defend their homeland have strayed into an undertaking of this nature”.

It said while four people had been detained, two were on the run.

The statement added that the regime launched investigation based on “credible allegations about a plot against state security implicating officers.”

“We regret that officers whose oath is to defend their homeland have strayed into an undertaking of this nature, which aims to hinder the Burkinabe people’s march for sovereignty and total liberation from the terrorist hordes trying to enslave them.”

The junta came to power after two military coups last year, triggered in part by a worsening insurgency by armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that has destabilised Burkina Faso and its neighbours.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the junta leader, seized power on September 30, 2022, the country’s second coup in eight months.

From 2020 till date, there have been seven coups across Africa.

Foreign

Manufacturers sack 3,567 workers, unsold goods hit ₦‎272billion – MAN

Published

4 days ago

September 27, 2023

Olakunle Adeniyi

No fewer than 3,567 jobs were lost in the manufacturing sector in the first half of 2023 according to figures obtained by The PUNCH from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.

MAN disclosed this in its half yearly review of the economy, which was released on Tuesday.

According to the report, employment generation in the manufacturing sector declined to 6,428 in the first half of 2023.

This was 32.8 per cent reduction in employment generation capacity when compared with 9,559 jobs generated in the first half of 2022.

The report read partly, “In the same vein, a total of 3,567 jobs were lost in the first half of 2023, indicating 1,855 more jobs lost when compared with the 1,709 jobs lost in the corresponding half of 2022, and 850 more jobs lost when compared with 2708 jobs lost in the last half of 2022.”

MAN said the decline in the number of jobs created in the sector during the period further highlighted the unfriendly business environment, resulting from the hasty policies and residual effect of the currency redesign policy that led to the naira crunch.

The report also stated that the inventory of unsold finished products in the manufacturing sector increased to N271.9bn during the first half of 2023, compared to N187bn in the corresponding period of 2022.

This indicated a substantial rise of N84.88bn or 45.4 per cent over the timeframe. It also showed N11.64bn or 4.1 per cent decline when compared with the inventory value of N283.6bn recorded in the second half of 2022.

“This increase in inventory can be attributed to a weakened purchasing power of the consumers, brought about by diminishing real household income resulting from the ongoing escalation of inflationary pressures, compounded by the scarcity of naira in the first quarter of the year and the aftermath of the subsidy removal,” the report said.

It noted that subsidy removal and exchange rate unification policy towards the end of the first half left the economy on the brink of uncertainty, caused a ripple effect that further eroded investors’ confidence.

MAN stated that, “As a result, businesses and foreign investors are increasingly wary of committing capital, thereby hindering economic growth and prospects for recovery.

“The combined effect of these is the resultant higher inflationary pressure, which fuels the cost of production, reducing consumers’ purchasing power and having a greater impact on the manufacturers.”