MILITARY COUPS AND GOVERNANCE CRISES IN WEST AFRICAN STATES

Abstract

West African states have witnessed the resurgence of military coups in the last quinquennium. The study, which used qualitative methodology drawn from secondary data source argues that the proliferation of military coups in West Africa are products of governance deficits, which is evident
in the perennial socio-economic challenges, increasing poverty level, low Human Development Index, rising spate of insecurity, democratic retrogression marked by widespread sit-tight syndrome, electoral malpractice, and shrinking democratic and human rights space. It is within
the purview of these governance deficits that the West African military has continued to organize coups and counter-coups as a corrective measure to the incapacities of democratic government and its apparatus to engineer sustainable growth and development. In all West African coups, military officers emphasised the need to address the persistent governance deficits that democratic governance has neglected. The study, however, recommends the transformation of democratic governance structures and capacities to reflect sustainable and global best practices that prioritise
the welfare of citizens, promote democratic values and culture of good governance towards addressing the inherent challenges emanating from military incursion into politics.