ECOWAS Crumbles as the Sahel States Dissociate!

The Revolution was not Televised
Alliance of Sahel States formed their Confederation
You will not be able to stay home, brother
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and
Skip out for beer during commercials
Because the revolution will not be televised

The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In four parts without commercial interruptions
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
Blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John Mitchell
General Abrams and Spiro Agnew
To eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary
The revolution will not be televised

The revolution will not be televised
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolution_Will_Not_Be_Televised

Finally, the leaders of the three Sahel States (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) announced their divorce from the neocolonial entity called the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). They also announced the formation of a Confederation with Malian President Assimi Goita appointed President of the Alliance of Sahel States for a one-year term.

The Burkinabe president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, stressed that this is a “unique and memorable” date and affirmed that the people of the Sahel “have decided to rebel and take control of their destiny” against the imperialist countries.

This alliance contains a mutual defense pact to fight the jihadist groups present in the area after their departure from the Western countries, which provided them with military assistance against terrorism, and from their neighbors in the West African bloc, which threatened military intervention after the coup in Niger almost a year ago.”

Although no sentient being with an IQ higher than room temperature should have been surprised by the move, rattled by the move, the idiotic neocolonial puppets in Abuja (the headquarters of ECOWAS) scrambled to persuade the revolutionary divorcees to repent and come back to the fold.

The reply: Thanks, but no thanks. Who wants to go back and join an economic union that has not in its 48 years of existence managed to build a highway to link its most important cities - Lagos-Accra-Abidjan-Dakar? One which continues to serve as a vehicle and rented mouth for Western imperialism.

“This summit marks a decisive step for the future of our common space. Together, we will consolidate the foundations of our true independence, a guarantee of true peace and sustainable development through the creation of the 'Alliance of Sahel States' Confederation,'” Capt. Ibrahim Traore, the leader of Burkina Faso.

Let it not be said that some of us were not concerned enough to raise our voices.

Although not perfect, since ECOWAS is the only thing we have going for us in West Africa, we felt the need to protect it, given especially the dizzying speed at which the 500-year-old West-led Geopolitical World is being reconfigured by China and Russia-led BRICS and SCO.

Sadly the ramifications of these tectonic shifts in Global Geopolitics appear to be of no concern to the idiotic leaders in Africa whose sole remit in life and power appear to loot the treasury and continue the impoverishment of their impoverished people. That is a story for another day.

When Tinubu and his gang of Western stooges launched their ill-advised onslaught on the Sahel states, yours truly went to town to warn them of the consequences of their folly.

Frantically, I wrote seven (yes, 7) strong-worded articles to warn Tinubu and co. Of course, they did not listen to me; they don't hear the voices of their people as they prefer to listen to their curators in Western capitals!

Rather than rehash, let me extract some of the things I told our misrulers which they ignored.

1. Some questions for President Tinubu

I know that it's early in his presidency to start a serious discussion on the presidency of Bola Tinubu, but the Yoruba people [to which both I and the Nigerian leader belong] have proverbs to cover almost all contingencies.

One that is most fitting for the Nigeria's president is: Ojú tó máa báni kalẹ́, kò ní ti àárọ̀ ṣe ipin. / The eyes that would serve one until old age, won't be rheumy while one is young.

Why did President Tinubu, whose loyal supporters call Asiwaju ( Leader; the one that leads) commit such an egregious faux pas in his first foray into foreign affairs?

Yes, I talk of his disastrous decision to issue an ultimatum to the coup leaders in Niger?

As a leader, an African, and, principally, a Yoruba, Tinubu ought to know better than to leave his foes no margin for them to save face.

The issuing of ultimatums is alien to the Yorubas and to the African system of Conflict Resolution.

It is simply not done.
The junta in Niamey, rightfully so, ignored the unwise ultimatum, making the president of Nigeria look like a complete idiot!

Tinubu's folly was compounded further when he claimed that he issued his order on behalf of ECOWAS, an organization with reprobate characters like Alhassan Ouattara and Faure Gnassingbe as members.

Are we to believe that the Nigerian president felt no compunction whatever as he stood side by side with Faure, whose father killed Togo's first elected (right in front of the American Embassy where he had earlier sought shelter); the man that the Togolese army brought to power; the man whose family has ruled Togo like forever and a half?

The most cursory glance at the wiki pages of these two unsavory “leaders” makes Tinubu's position look more ridiculous.

The Nigerian president came across as, at best, an ill-informed sanctimonious hypocrite and, at worst, an unashamed/unabashed puppet of Western imperialism, who is unattuned to the anti-neocolonialism feelings of the African people, especially the younger generations of Africans, whose future political vultures like Tinubu has destroyed for their pecuniary gains…” - https://open.substack.com/pub/femiakogun/p/some-questions-for-president-tinubu

1. A sad parade of Bemedalled Clowns

Sorry to revisit this. But it is simply impossible not to be angry when one looks at the pictures of these bemedalled CLOWNS.

These are ECOWAS Defence Chiefs who cannot think about how to meet and plan how to get rid of all the civil and uncivil wars plaguing the sub-region.

Yet, they hastily organized meets where the only agenda was how to return a French puppet who sold his nation's patrimony for a paltry 5%.

The anger is compounded when one looks at how the rest of the world is currently trying hard to regain its sovereignty and build a more equitable World Order.

These clowns failed to see anything ironic in heading organizations that have not managed to set up indigenous arms industries in the six decades since independence.

We must wonder what goes on in the minds and heads of these military honchos in West Africa as they watch Russia (population 149 million) bravely and single-handedly defeat the combined armies of NATO in the crazy proxy watch that the West launched in Ukraine.

What do they say when they meet with their counterparts in, for example, Iran and see the competence and the professionalism of the Iranian Armed Forces, plus arrays of advanced weapons they engineered to guarantee their country's safety and sovereign independence, or do these people imagine that the West would not have attacked Iran if they think that they can win?

Do they teach Geopolitics in African Military Academies?

It is beyond belief that this sad parade of military leaders has not thought it fit to plan how Africa, the only continent to have survived the twin carnage of slavery and colonialism, will never again, experience such calamities.

To those who find my tone harsh on those who misgovern(ed) Africa, I reply that, after six decades of indulging these reprobate misrulers, I am tired of watching a sad parade of misrulers misgoverning the continent of Africa. I think that it is time every African makes it clear that she has had enough of the shameless corrupt misrulers. Those who feel comfortable with the current situation, or believe that the political elite, which appears to be irredeemably corrupt, deserves our praises and reverence should consider themselves as part of the problem...” - https://femiakogun.substack.com/p/a-sad-parade-of-bemedalled-clowns

1. In this picture, you will find everything that is wrong with Africa

These are ECOWAS Defence Chiefs meeting in Accra, Ghana (the birthland of Kwame Nkrumah, of all places), not to plan how to integrate their forces to protect the region from marauding terrorists, or to counter the moves by world powers to turn the region into the next arena of violent geopolitical drama. They are not there to actualize Kwame Nkrumah's idea of an African High Command.

No, these military people are not interested in any of that. Also of no interest to them is how best to facilitate the easy movements of their citizens across the artificial colonial borders European cartographers erected to sunder societies and keep people apart.

Okay, that is a political decision for political leaders to make, but the professional soldiers should make it their business to tell their political bosses that their jobs would be easier if the politicians could release their people from the bondage of being penned in colonial garrisons euphemistically call countries in Africa.

Are we to believe that these military men do not see anything wrong in having foreigners establish MILITARY BASES in West Africa like the French and the Americans do?

What exactly do these Defence Chiefs understand by their oaths to defend the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of their countries? What does sovereignty mean to these people? What do they understand by INDEPENDENCE? Were they taught any lessons in history as part of their training, or did they sleep throughout their lectures that they don't know the history of how our people were captured and sold into slavery, and later colonized by those who pretended to be friends?

It must be galling to every conscious African to witness the day when African soldiers will be organizing and planning to defend the interests of France in Africa. Given its wretched interventions in Africa since it claims to have de-colonize (we talk of the 40+ coups it has organized; we talk of the obnoxious Pacte Coloniale; we talk of its continued brutal exploitation of the resources of its colonies (mind you, we didn't say ex); we talk of its testing atomic weapons in the Sahara; etc, etc…” - https://femiakogun.substack.com/p/in-this-picture-you-will-find-everything

1. On whose behalf is the Nigerian Defence Chief speaking?

Per a report in the Nigerian daily, The Punch: “Troops of the Economic Community of West African States have pledged readiness to deploy its standby force that could restore the civil rule in Niger Republic should diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup there fail.

All member states except those under military rule and Cape Verde pledged to participate in the standby force at a meeting in Accra, Ghana's capital, on Thursday.

According to Reuters, ECOWAS commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, was quoted to have said, “Let no one be in doubt if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa…are ready to answer to the call of duty.

“By all means available, constitutional order will be restored in the country,” Musah told assembled defense chiefs from member countries, listing past ECOWAS deployments in The Gambia, and Liberia as examples of readiness.”

Al Jazeera quoted Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, to have said, “Democracy is what we stand for and it's what we encourage.”

The focus of our gathering is not simply to react to events, but to proactively chart a course that results in peace and promotes stability.” - https://punchng.com/niger-coup-ecowas-ready-to-deploy-standby-forces-if-defence-chiefs/

If these reports were true, it bodes ill for Nigeria…” - https://femiakogun.substack.com/p/on-whose-behalf-is-the-nigerian-defence

1. Why I think that Nigeria will not intervene in Niger

First, Nigeria hasn't gotten the money to squander on stupid military misadventures. It is virtually a bankrupt nation, run aground by the insatiable greed of its otiose political elites. Long-suffering Nigerian workers have tried to ameliorate their depressing economic situations by calling for numerous strikes.

Nigerians cannot remember the last time their economic outlook looked gloomier!

The question for the “analysts” who argued that Nigeria as the “Giant of Africa” should project power is: In which parallel universe do these miseducated buffoons inhabit? Anyone who is not cocooned behind an academic wall, and has traveled around the ECOWAS subregion will not know that Nigeria is considered a Failed Lilliputian.

The delusions of grandeur, while true in the 1970s, are long gone. No thanks to the sad parade of insatiably greedy and corrupt leaders that misruled the country!

Even if Tinubu were to magically conjure up the money, how would he sell his intervention to very angry and restless Nigerians who find it difficult to put garri (one of Nigeria's cheapest staple foods) on the table? How will he justify expending humongous money to send troops to go and rescue a French puppet in Niamey?

Let's also not forget that even the legitimacy of Tinubu's presidency is yet to be determined by the tribunal. A leader whose election is being hotly contested is hardly one to give preachments on the sanctity of democracy!

Let's also not forget that the alacrity with which Tinubu rallied to become the loudest Chihuahua of the West's interests in Nigeria only led credibility to the perception that the West had some heavy dirt on his past shenanigans which they might release to spoil his case at the Election Tribunal.

Second, and more importantly, any stupid mistake to invade Niger will engulf the whole of West Africa in uncontrollable firestorms! Anyone who lives in West Africa will be aware that the region sits on a tinderbox!

Third, any intervention will not carry popular support; the politicians have hugely disappointed the people. No dividend has been redounded to the masses from their huge investment in democracy!

Honestly, the spectacle of ECOWAS leaders in their expensive Agbadas (flowing gowns) and their ultra-expensive foreign-made limousines calling emergency meetings not to discuss the economic plight of their sub-region, or the abysmal (almost sub-human) poverty of a good portion of their citizens is just unconscionable.

The question beggared is: Do these so-called leaders have no shame at all? Do they not see how ridiculous they look to the rest of the world, as they huff and puff over the termination of one of their members in the country that is widely considered the poorest in the West?

Fourth, Per International law, the only body that is authorized to sanction a military intervention in a sovereign country is the United Nations Security Council.

How will Tinubu and his fellow dreamers get a UNSC vote without Russia and China vetoing them to Kingdom Come? Or, will they allow themselves to be goaded by their curators in the West to compound their folly with more illegality?

Do these leaders forget that the ECOWAS was supposed to be an Economic Union of Sovereign Nations? Or, which provision of the ECOWAS Treaty gave them, or anybody, the power to intervene in the internal affairs of a member - militarily or otherwise?

Fifth, the very suggestion of military intervention in Niger has already shredded any notion of ECOWAS unity; it has split the organization, with Mali and Burkina Faso saying that they will consider any attack on Niger as a declaration of war. Both Algeria and Egypt (with powerful armies) also said that they will not countenance any intervention by ECOWAS - they, (unlike the ECOWAS leaders) probably remember the effects that the destruction of Libya had on their countries…” - https://femiakogun.substack.com/p/why-i-think-that-nigeria-will-not

1. First, they came for Libya, now they're gunning for Niger

It is quite unfortunate that given his inexperience and newness to the top job, Nigeria's President Tinubu chose to surround himself with geopolitical neophytes with absolutely no knowledge/sense of history.

In 2011, Nigerians were shamed when then President Goodluck Jonathan naively agreed to support UNSC Resolution 1973 which NATO brazenly abused to launch the attack against Libya. We were told that the West promised him a permanent UNSC for Nigeria. They must have promised the same thing to another naive and illiterate African president, Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

It was an epic betrayal of Africa by leaders who ought to know better. The West never hides its intentions to lie, to cheat, to do whatever it takes to promote its interests. Why was Jonathan and Zuma so Naive to buy the lie that the West's fight with Libya was over “democracy,” or concerns for human rights? Since when in its wretched history has the West promoted anything beyond its narrow parochial interests which its sycophantic media help to wrap in a humanitarian halo?

It beggars belief and reel with incredulity that we have Africans today, especially in leadership positions, who believe that the same people who enslaved and colonized us and treated our ancestors worse than beasts have somehow had some epiphanies that made them committed to promoting our welfare.

Ok, if slavery and colonialism were too distant for some to remember, how do we explain the situation whereby some Africans believe that the West which has killed every single progressive leader in Africa, the same West whose companies loot African resources at thieving price is the Messiah of Africa?

These are rather simple questions that anyone with even a single-digit IQ ought to be able to ask… “ https://femiakogun.substack.com/p/first-they-came-for-libya-now-they

1. A public appeal to President Tinubu

“People don't pine for democracy. They want homes, medicine, jobs, schools... with a few exceptions, democracy has not brought good government to developing countries." - Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

It is quite unfortunate that the Nigerian president, Asiwaju Tinubu, who touted experience as one of his special qualities, decided to violate some basic tenets of rulership/leadership in Africa, especially as taught by his Yoruba people.

The first one is that a Chief does not make new laws when he is angry.

Having suffered grievously under military dictatorship (we all did), we can excuse his disdain for military rule, but rulers/leaders are not supposed to lose their heads so much so that their actions are ill-thought-out, knee-jerked, and driven by emotion and anger.

The reason is quite simple: A Chief's actions can have very dire consequences.

Second, Africa's conflict resolution mechanism prides itself on reaching conclusions that seek to satisfactorily reconcile warring parties. Issuing ultimatums is alien to our way of resolving conflicts.

The Yorubas have ample proverbs to guide them. One is: Iku ya ju eshin lo. To wit: Death is preferable to ignominy.

As we seek to solve problems, we do not give people ultimatums that would make them lose face. Another proverb: Ti a ba le ewure kan ogiri, o ma bu ni je / If we push a goat to the wall, it will bite back. Of course, goats do not have the sharp teeth of carnivores to inflict grievous harm, but our ancestors simply try to tell us not to tempt fate.

Our ancestors left us a corpus of wise sayings to allow us to make decisions that are based on sound reasoning, it is quite unfortunate that an elder like Tinubu chose to ignore them.

One of the reasons why the late Chief MKO Abiola wowed many people is that his comments are often laden with deep Yoruba proverbs. Alas, Tinubu who proclaimed himself an apostle of Abiola, appeared not to have imbibed much of a wisdom from that great man.

We can excuse Tinubu's angry and irrational response to the coup in Niger because he is new to the job, and foreign policy was never touted as one of his fortes, but his inability to reach back into the wisdom bank of his own Yoruba people is simply inexcusable.

How will Tinubu explain himself to Nigerians if the Junta in Niamey decided to disrupt the flow of the River Niger and deprived the Kainji Dam of water required to run the turbines? … - https://open.substack.com/pub/femiakogun/p/a-public-appeal-to-president-tinubu