Niger’s unpopular President and the military coup makers of 2010

By CHIDO NWANGWU, Publisher of USAfricaonline.com

Special & Exclusive commentary for USAfricaonline.com and CLASSmagazine, Houston

USAfrica: On Thursday February 18, 2010, following the USAfrica global news alert on the coup-in-progress in the poor African country of Niger, thousands of USAfricaonline.com readers, especially Nigerians bombarded my e-mail, text and phone lines with “questions” about whether the coup was “really” in “Niger” republic or “Chido, did you mean to say Nigeria”? Apparently, the many curious Nigerians not the Nigeriens had their preferred geography in mind.

Of particular note was the text back from one of my friends, a Pastor, who queried me with a loaded question: “what do you mean?”

Others have wondered about the background to the Thursday morning  February 18, 2010 events which was punctuated by violent showdown and exchange of gunfire in Niamey, the country’s capital.

I will attempt a summary, a thumbnail sketch of the background especially of the man who upon his first election in 1999 as President promised that “My first priority will be political stability and then institutional and social stability.” Evidently, he brought neither stability nor true democracy.

This is not to suggest or encourage military rules and unconstitutional disruptions of emerging democracies in Africa or elsewhere. But did not someone say that “the facts are what they are.” Tandja sowed the whirlwind, and he reaped a storm!

First, it is useful to note that Nigeria got its independence in August 1960 (ahead of Nigeria’s October 1960) from France; Nigeria got its own from Britain. Tandja has key contacts and soldier-civilian models he looked up to and collaborated with inside Nigeria. The man served in the 1990s as Niger’s ambassador to Nigeria. His power play book is, largely, the same as Nigeria’s former military dictators of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Second, the 71-year-old Mamadou Tandja, a former soldier, was born in the modest, dusty town of Maine-Soroa. He has been imposing controversial methods and bullying tactics to keep himself in power.

Third, like many of the politically-minded soldiers of the 1960s enlistment across Africa and Asia, he had his eyes on the political plum, and his first foray was his role as part of the officer’s corp who in 1974 organized and pulled through a military coup that brought then Lt. Col. Seyni Kountché to rule the impoverished Niger.

Tandja remained part of the ruling elite until he retired from the army in 1991 to lead a political group, the National Movement for the Development of Society, MNSD. Under the banner of the MNSD, Tandja sought the presidential seat of Niger as a civilian candidate and failed twice, in 1993 and 1996. Then in 1999, he muscled his way into power through a controversial election. He sought for a second term and secured it in 2004, setting forth for a more controversial five-year rulership.

In one of his most controversial moves, after more than 10 years in office as commander-in-chief and president, he extended his rule via an unfair referendum in August 2009. The conflicts and rumbles within and outside the military grew….

A few months following the twisted referendum, he dissolved the Nigerien national assembly/parliament and the country’s court for constitutional issues. Soon after,  in October 2009, he rail-roaded a parliamentary election which was widely condemned by African countries, the U.S., European countries and donor agencies who for almost 50 years have supported the needs of the poor country which shares borders with Nigeria’s northern region.

Tandja’s greedy quest for power forced the use of international sanctions against his already poor country; although Niger has uranium and a few precious metals. ECOWAS suspended Niger.

USAfrica African Countries Index show that Tandja’s rule has been more a negative, corrupt mixed bag for the relatively impoverished Nigeriens, his neighbors and the international community. The colonial powers of France have unusually treated Tandja as one of their favorites; except this time, his cup was more than full with the heady and corrupting wine of maximum power and the giddy dance for life president. Regrettably, it’s taking a military coup to shake his golden palace in Niamey.

Again, I underscore the fact that I prefer that these hypocritical, retrogressive former soldiers who seek to rule over and over are voted out through the ballot boxes. But their serial violations of the sanctity of the peoples’ votes through rigging and dissolution of parliaments and courts, seem to make military coups possible and likely in Africa, and elsewhere.

Into 2010 in Niger, whether the military coup succeeds or not, Tandja’s age and relevance to Niger’s future and representative democracy are dim and out.

• Chido Nwangwu, honored by the Washington-D. C.based National Immigration Forum for utilizing multimedia to fight authoritarianism and foster freedom of expression, is the Founder & Publisher of first African-owned, U.S-based professional newspaper published on the internet USAfricaonline.com, The Black Business Journal, CLASSmagazine, PhotoWorks.TV, AchebeBooks.com, USAfrica.TV and several blogs. He served on the board of the oldest civil rights organization in the U.S., the NAACP Houston;  publicity committee of the Holocaust Museum, Houston; recipient of an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in May 2009; served on Houston former Mayor Lee Brown’s international business advisory board (Africa), and has appeared as an analyst on CNN, VOA, SABC, etc. Also, see Tiger Woods is no Nelson Mandela!

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This USAfricaonline.com commentary is copyrighted. Archiving on any other web site or newspaper is unauthorized except with a Written Approval byUSAfrica Founder. copyright © 1999, 2010. ChidoNwangwu. USAfrica Media Networks. 8303 SW Freeway, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77074. Phone: 713-270-5500.

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