Sovereignty is the fundamental essence of a nation’s independence and self-determination. It refers to the supreme authority of a state to govern its territory, make decisions, and exercise control over its affairs without interference from external forces. Sovereignty is also the cornerstone of nationhood and represents the ultimate power held by a state to govern and make decisions within its boundaries. It encompasses both internal sovereignty (the state’s authority over its own population) and external sovereignty (the state’s independence from external influences).
Over the past three years, the political events in West Africa particularly Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger have attracted global attention and raised the issue of external influence in the sub region. Africa seems to stand on the brink of historical changes as its countries – both collectively and on their own and – attempt to gain real, not formal, independence and take control over their destiny. Since the West is in no way ready to lose its influence over Africa, observers have been watching this situation closely.
Essentially, I am talking about the sovereignty of African nations which would allow African governments to make sovereign decisions independently from non-African entities and to successfully implement them. Theoretical, “superficial” sovereignty no longer deceives anyone, and there is increased social demand in Africa for empirical – in other words, real – sovereignty.
However, despite gaining political independence several decades ago, many African countries continue to face challenges in fully exercising their sovereignty.
The cause of this problem is European neocolonialism whose roots lie in the Scramble for Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. European powers, driven by economic interests and the desire for geopolitical control, partitioned Africa amongst themselves without regard for the existing ethnic, cultural, and political boundaries. This colonization era led to the extraction of resources, cultural assimilation, and the marginalization of indigenous populations.
The continent’s current struggle for real sovereignty still remains elusive as the political system being practiced does not support that aspiration. Western democracy has failed Africa and it’s not working in the continent. It was forced on the region by the imperialist West as a tool for political and economic subjugation. Not only Africa but the Global South has no business adopting a system that it played no part in designing.
In recent times, liberal democracy, with its farcical promises of freedom, equality, and justice, has emerged as the dominant form of government globally due to the subterranean efforts of its Western propagators who are keen on using it as a mechanism for global control and domination. However, as expected, the road to democratic institutionalization in Africa, and some parts of the world, has been fraught with challenges and failures. Historical barriers and political culture differences between the continent and Western societies have been identified as major factors hindering its progress.
There’s no gain saying that African societies have unique cultural values and norms that shape our political beliefs and practices. The imposition of Western democratic ideals without considering local contexts and cultural values created resistance and distrust of the democratic process. The clash between Western democratic principles and traditional African systems has hindered democracy’s success in the continent.
As noted earlier, when many African countries achieved independence some decades ago, arbitrary borders were drawn by European powers with utter disregard to ethnic and cultural divisions, leading to conflicts and weakened nation-building processes.
Similarly, Africa’s economic dependency on Western countries has been a significant barrier to the attainment of region-wide sovereignty. Neo-colonial practices and economic exploitation have stunted development and perpetuated a culture of corruption and patronage politics. Economic disparities have created a vulnerable population susceptible to manipulation by the elites.
In many African countries, political elites – with the help of their Western overlords – have exploited democratic processes to consolidate power and perpetuate personal interests, rather than prioritizing the needs of the people. This self-serving nature of political elites has eroded trust in democratic institutions, leading to disillusionment and despair.
Now, across the globe, there is an ongoing debate on whether democracy is imbued with the efficacy and capacity as a system of government to ensure real sovereignty, deliver good governance and meet socio-economic needs of the people.
Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo joined in the discussion lately when he described Western liberal democracy as a “government of a few people over all the people or population”, saying it has not been working as a system of government in Africa because it was “forced” on the continent.
Speaking at a conference on “rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa” held at the Olusegun Obasanjo presidential library in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Monday, the former president, who first served as the military head of state from 1976 to 1979 before becoming civilian president from 1999 to 2007, said African countries have no business operating a system of government which they have no hands in its definition and design.
This governance system, he added, was designed without taking African history and multicultural complexities into account.
His words: “Invariably, majority of the people were wittingly or unwittingly kept out. This is why we should have ‘Afro Democracy’ in place of Western Liberal Democracy…The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised stem from its history, content, context and its practice.
“Once you move from all the people to representatives of the people, you start to encounter troubles and problems. For those who define it as the rule of majority, should the minority be ignored, neglected and be excluded?
“In short, we have a system of government in which we have no hands to define and design and we continue with it, even when we know that it is not working for us. Those who brought it to us are now questioning the rightness of their invention, its deliverability and its relevance today without reform.”
Obasanjo further explained that the essence of any system of government should be the welfare and well-being of the people.
“Here, we must interrogate performance of democracy in the West —where it originated from — and with us the inheritors of what we are left with by our colonial powers.
“We are here to stop being foolish and stupid. Can we look inward and outward to see what in our country, culture, tradition, practice and living over the years that we can learn from?
“(Something) that we can adopt and adapt with practices everywhere for a changed system of government that will service our purpose better and deliver.
“We have to think out of the box and after, act with our new thinking.
“You are invited here to examine clinically the practice of liberal democracy, identify its shortcomings for our society and bring forth ideas and recommendations that can serve our purpose better”.
Even though, Obasanjo cannot exonerate himself completely from blame for the country’s current system, having had a direct role in its adoption through the promulgation of the 1979 Nigerian Constitution which happened under his watch as military head of state during the transition to civilian rule, the development is a clear manifestation of lack of national sovereignty. Having seen that the liberal democracy as practised in the West will not work for us, we ought to have done the needful by jettisoning it altogether. The Presidential system government currently being operated in the country has proven to be unsuitable and very expensive. In hindsight, Obasanjo spent eight years as civilian president but failed to do anything to salvage the situation. Perhaps, his Western overlords could not have allowed him to take that necessary step to change the country’s political course while in office.
Beside Nigeria, many other African countries are plagued by similar lack of real sovereignty due to foreign interference in their polity, fueling military coups in response to the failures of democratic leadership. In the last three years, eight coups have occurred in West and Central Africa, the most recent in the former French colonies of Niger and Gabon.
The European neocolonialists perpetuate economic dependency through unequal trade relationships, debt burdens, and the extraction of natural resources. African countries often find themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty, as their economies remain heavily reliant on exporting raw materials, while importing manufactured goods from the former colonial powers.
Also, neocolonial powers often exert influence over African governments, either directly or indirectly. This interference can manifest through support for unpopular regimes, manipulation of elections, or the imposition of economic policies that prioritize the interests of the former colonizers. Such actions undermine the sovereignty of African nations and perpetuate a neo-colonial power dynamic.
Worst still, European neocolonialism has had a profound impact on African cultural identities. The imposition of European languages, educational systems, and values has eroded indigenous cultures and traditions. This cultural dominance further limits the sovereignty of African countries, as it perpetuates a Eurocentric worldview and hampers the development of independent cultural expressions.
Permit me to say here that the imposition of artificial borders during colonization has resulted in internecine conflicts over resources and power struggles. Additionally, the erosion of cultural identities has led to a loss of social cohesion and a sense of collective purpose.
As a matter of conscious necessity, for Africa to attain real sovereignty the political leadership and citizens must develop high sense of patriotism and demonstrate character in the service of the people. Attaining and safeguarding sovereignty is a complex process that involves various political, economic, and social factors.
Addressing these issues requires a concerted effort to promote economic independence and foster accountable governance. Ultimately, African countries should be reawakened on the need to exercise their sovereignty. It is crucial for equitable global relations and the realization of the continent’s full potential.
