Posted by Yakubu Gowon, a former head of state of Nigeria and a founding father of ECOWAS, has declined an invitation to help in the difficulties besetting the regional organization.
At the ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, Gowon was invited to a “press conference” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ECOWAS Commission.
His intended topic was the present regional situation, including the coups in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso and the accompanying threats by those countries to leave the organization. He hoped to give long-term answers to this problem.
According to 460PLAY, on January 28, the three military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger declared their desire to withdraw from ECOWAS. They claim that the regional organization is “under the influence of foreign powers and of betraying its founding principles” and is thus a danger to its members.
Following coups, they said that the regional body had imposed sanctions that were unlawful, cruel, and careless, and that it had failed to back their efforts to combat terrorism and insecurity.
According to 460PLAY, ECOWAS has been pressuring the three nations to end their military dictatorships by sanctioning them and thwarting their plans for protracted democratic transitions.