Coups: Don’t mock francophone countries - Analyst warns politicians in anglophone West Africa

An analyst, Prof Khalifa Dikwa, has warned politicians in English-speaking West African countries not to mock their counterparts in Francophone nations whose political powers were seized by military juntas.

According to Dikwa, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, the game is over for corrupt members of the political class purloining the people’s resources in Africa.

Dikwa, the Dean of Borno Elders Forum, said the level of widespread poverty, hunger and deprivation experienced in Francophone African nations are the same challenges confronting Anglophone African nations.

He said, “Let them (the political class) not laugh at the francophone countries close to us. Even though English-speaking countries and Portuguese-speaking countries, the scenario is almost the same only that the military and the police in the Commonwealth are more disciplined and they don’t take things (power) easily but the French side have it too much and they can no longer take it. It is too much for them; poverty, hunger and so on. And if the same hunger — right now, our people are dying on a daily basis — if this continues, then people are likely to get to the streets and whatever happens is their own making.”

‘Why Coups In Francophone West Africa Won’t Stop’

The don further said military takeover won’t stop in French-speaking African nations because of the overbearing influence of their colonial master, France.

He said though France claimed to have granted its colonies independence, the French masters never left their colonies in the real sense.

According to the analyst, the influence of France was all over their former colonies to the extent that militaries in the colonies had to train in France, buy weapons in Paris, amongst others.

‘Africa Must Reject Imperialism’

Dikwa said Africa must reject any footprint of imperialism. “Superiority mentality is the main problem of the developed countries particularly France, Britain and America, and today, they are all competing for space in Africa because Africa is the main hub, the direction of the entire world for resources; the resources of the world are in Africa now and it is time for Africa not to give them a blank cheque,” he said.

“All the countries around Nigeria are francophone speaking countries and they have foreign troops. “They (foreign troops) are there because anytime any President, any leader disagrees with the French Government over the sharing of resources, it is a coup”, Dikwa said.

He said, “A country like Nigeria is an existential threat; Nigeria will lead other African countries to free themselves. That is why from Biafra to date, that is why France has never been a friend of Nigeria.”

Six countries in Africa — Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Gabon — have undergone coups in the last three years, with their new rulers resisting demands to quickly return to barracks.