Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on Saturday, July 15, urged African leaders to respect democracy, rule of law, and to guarantee political stability. He had made this remark while attending a high-level event organised by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, on the margins of Fifth Mid-Year African Union (AU) coordination meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.
Tinubu had also encouraged African military institutions and states to recognise and respect the necessity for democratic renewal, saying that coup d’état should not be encouraged in the continent, as there were numerous challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity, and climate change to be tackled.
The President, in a statement, presented by Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa, the permanent secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs, had lamented the trend of the military men straying into the political scene and issuing threats to peace, security and stability of countries, as well as generating poverty and displacement.
Tinubu had also acknowledged that democracy could present challenges in terms of management and dynamics.
On comparing military rule and democracy, he had noted that democracy ensured for good governance, inclusivity, transparency, and accountability.
The ECOWAS Chairperson had finally, urged the United Nations to take a firm stance against military coups, acknowledging that democracy and development were like two peas in a pod for achieving sustainable goals for the African vision.
