The failed coup in Turkey and  lessons for Nigeria

The failure of the military coup in Turkey is a good reminder of the

power of the people to  keep democracy at all cost. Watching  the

unfolding  events  and the failure of the coup plotters to usurp

power, one wonders what the implication and lesson will be for

Turkey and the world in general .  Today,  military coups have been

seen as a misnomer and an abrasion to the much respected democratic

process. Since our world has become a  global village, it is

important to note that  events in Turkey is not  restricted to

Turkey alone. It influences  the nooks and crannies of  the world in

general.
Turkey has experienced a lot of  friction and tension in the

administration of president Erdogan. For a long time president Erdogan has

been criticized as being dictatorial, authoritarian and  undermining the

rule of law . He has also been accused of  circumventing the military.

This must have led to the dissatisfaction of some factions  of the

military to his government. If this coup had succeeded, there is no doubt

it would have given  credence to the military in other developing

countries( particularly in Nigeria) that the era of  disrupting  the

democratic process is back again.
With the exception of the coup in Egypt  about two years ago, there have

not been any  major military coup reported in  Africa. This shows that

countries of Africa are either learning the intricacies  of democratic

process or many of the sit tight authoritarian leaders have mastered the

act of staying put in governance under the guess of democracy.

Interesting to learn that the incidence of coups have been slowing down

in Africa. This must have been from the realization on the part of

military officers that military  coups have  been anachronistic  and

unacceptable to the democratic system.
For  the Nigerian population and military, the failure of this coup in

Turkey should be a good lesson . The administration of president Buhari

should put in place effective mechanism of addressing the fears of many

sections of the Nigerian polity. His administration has so far been

observed as favoring only one section of the Nigerian population( the

north) in all federal appointments. It leaves one wondering what happens

to the constitutional enshrined provision of federal character in all

appointment. The sacking and retirement of many  southern military

officers calls  for concern.  His inability to address the allegation

that the Nigerian chief of army staff General  Tukur Buratai massively

enriched himself by purchasing plush homes in the United Arab Emirates is

scary.  The list goes on and on and president Buhari  has remained numb on

these issues. These are the  issues that bring the dreaded division in any

society and any military.
We hope  that the era of military takeover is over in Nigeria . However,

effective  good leadership ( that listens to the populace) is the panacea

to repelling any  disruption in the democratic  process through military

coups .
The Nigerian military should be aware that the era of military coup is

over. The military should be made aware that there is no reason to

forcefully remove a democratically elected government irrespective of

the level of dislike they have on that democratically elected government.

The due process of democratic governance must be made to run its course.

Governments are removed by elections and that is the due process of

change in a democracy.
The Nigerian people must also  learn that power belong to the people. It

is exhilarating to watch the people of Turkey( listen to the call of

their president ) by going out on the streets to demonstrate and put an

end to this military coup. The people showed that  ordinary  people  are

mightier than the  gun welding soldiers.  Nigeria cannot relapse back to

the last three decades when military coup and instability was the norm.

Remember  General Buhari was part of that  old norm. The young democracy

must be given room to thrive and grow.
Kennedy Kelechi Halams, Ph.D.
Dr Halams is a faculty of International Business at City University in

Seattle Washington.
The post The failed coup in Turkey and  lessons for Nigeria appeared first on Pointblank News .