Bayonets For Democracy

 By Chidi Odinkalu

Democracy is a very evocative notion. In the name of restoring or defending it, presidents have wielded bayonets, levied war, and executed coups. On August 10, 2023 a summit of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, rose from its convening in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, with an explicit order for “the deployment of the ECOWAS Standby Force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger”.

 The following day, the headline was “West African nations order troops to restore democracy in Niger after military coup.” But, if the idea of “ordering troops” to “restore democracy” sounds like an oxymoron, it’s because it actually is. 

Libya: Tragedy Of A Promising Nation

By Akinkuolie Rasheed

The NATO-led military campaign which eventually destroyed Libya started in early 2011 and Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader was killed in October the same year by dissident groups. Since then, the country has not known peace and the crisis is still raging. 

Libya under Gaddafi was an epitome of development and good governance. It had the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in Africa, which is an aggregate of living standards, such as, access to education, medical services, potable water and such amenities which make life comfortable and worthwhile for ordinary people. Libyans were not paying water rates, electricity bills and income taxes.  

A newly married couple would be entitled to a free furnished apartment by the state and, in addition, substantial sums of money to settle into their new life.