Late last night, soldiers took over the ‘democratic’ government in Gabon, making it the seventh in the sixteen countries constituting ECOWAS.

What are the rationale for these coups and what are the antidote to coups? The answers are intertwined.

The major reason is always misgovernance,corruption or nepotism. Or a combination of all.

What this portends for the rest of the subregion is that no country is safe or immune from military take over.

Apart from poverty, hunger, deprivation, unemployment, banditry, kidnapping which are socially linked, there is the external influence theory bcos of the crave by the West to ‘recolonise ‘ the region bcos of the super abundant natural resources which have not been tapped for the benefit of the masses but a privileged few.

Coming back home, successive governments after  the first Republic have not been able to take away penury, underdevelopment and economic mishaps from the masses.

The country is bereft of pragmatic leaders who can address the wants of the masses. Our systems are not allowed to work while same set of leaders and their relations are recycled on every change of government.

Our brand of democracy is damned too expensive and our economy is import based. Successive governments have not been able to revamp our economy and make us productive and export earning economy.

Even the few honest individuals who are interested in agronomy are discouraged by herdsmen and inability to access loans and grants to advance in their business.

It is a shame that Nigerians are not considered more worthy than being given palliatives which will not even get to the needy.

Have we even considered the meaning of Palliative?, Palliatives are given to patients in hopeless situations just to ‘hang on’ pending eventual demise.

Therefore, Nigerian government should think more of sustainable economy based on local production, adequate power supply, good road network and affordable transportation system.

The government could use the over ₦180b wastage on palliatives to refurbish our moribund refineries and ensure that our crude is refined locally. If this is done, subsidy will not arise.

The government must realise that the masses are being taken for granted as penury pervades the land. While the masses are living under excruciating conditions, they hear the sirens of their leaders and their families who contrastingly live in opulence and affluence.

The time to act is now!