February 19, 2010

PRESS STATEMENT  

WE CONDEMN AND REJECT THE COUP IN NIGER

The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress condemns the takeover of political power by a military junta in the Republic of Niger on Thursday February 18, 2010. Congress finds it completely unacceptable and calls on ECOWAS, AU and UN to immediately enforce stiff economic sanctions on the military government that is to be formed.

While we commend the Chairman of ECOWAS, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan and Ramtane Lamamra, AU’s Security Commissioner for promptly condemning the military coup in Niger, we urge these continental bodies to go beyond condemnation and put in place a programme of action to force the junta out of power in Niger and restore democracy and state institutions in the country.

The ECOWAS and the AU, in developing this programme to restore democracy, must take on board that Mamadou Tandja is an illegitimate leader of Niger having fraudulently amended the country’s constitution to impose himself on the Nigerien people for a so-called third term.

While we denounce the coup, we also condemn President Mamadou Tandja who in the first place created a fertile ground for the military to seize power. President Tandja has held on to power for more than a decade creating tension in the country when he changed the constitution last August to allow him to stay in power beyond his legal term limit.

We urge the political leadership across Africa to shield and protect democracy by providing exemplary leadership through good governance inspired by personal integrity that is capable of instituting solid democratic institutions that is independent of individuals and personalities.

We believe that the recent resurgence of the military in politics in Africa is a direct fallout of the failure of governance marked by greed, corruption and lack of moral principles on the part of the political leadership in most countries across the continent.

We therefore call for a change of attitude by our leaders and their concept of governance that has arrested the development of our continent many decades after the end of colonialism.

The NLC firmly believes that no matter the inherent inefficiencies and inadequacies in a democratic system, it remains absolutely preferable to a military dictatorship under which fundamental human rights are never guaranteed. The experience with the military in government in most of our countries also showed that no sooner had they come with some messianic pretensions than they plunge their countries into deeper crisis via crass and reckless use of state power.  

Comrade John Odah

   General Secretary