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ECOWAS AND DEMOCRATIC SUSTAINABILITY IN WEST AFRICA: A CRITIQUE OF PROTOCOL 2001

ABSTRACT

The wide spread enthusiasm exhibited by both the signatories of Protocol 2001 as well as ordinary citizens of their various countries following the signing of the treaty in 2001 stemmed from their belief that at long last various governments of members states of ECOWAS are committed and sincere in instituting democracy and good governance in their countries and this would usher in peace and development of all ECOWAS states. However, after 23 years of its execution, the goal which the treaty sought to achieve is even more illusive today than then. The objective of this paper is to show that the achievement of democracy and good governance in ECOWAS member states using Protocol 2001 as their road-map is not only infeasible but also unrealizable. Employing Hamza Alavi’s theory of State in Post Colonial Societies as analytical tool, assessing the background colonial legacy and character of ECOWAS member states and relying on secondary sources of data, the paper argues that democracy and good governance as enunciated in Protocol 2001 is floundering in member states because post independence political leaders who assumed political control of member states and their orientation to colonial anti-democratic policies such as deception in acquisition of colonial territories, primitive exploitation and accumulation of wealth, authoritarianism in governance and post-independence policies such as sit-tightism in office by heads of government, creation of family dynasty, judiciary dependence on executive and frequent coups are factors militating against the successful implementation of the tenets of the protocol. The paper avers that since democratic foundation was not properly laid at independence of member states; it is difficult for member states to successfully implement various articles of the protocol. The paper recommends that for conductive atmosphere to be created for democracy to thrive, member states should vigorously fight against the twin-evil of poverty and corruption as well as exercise

tight control over population growth in their countries.

KEYWORDS: ECOWAS, Democratic Sustainability, West Africa, Critique of Protocol 2001

Manasseh E. BASSEY, Ph.D. Aniefiok F. ESETANG, Ph.D.And Effiong N. THOMPSON,

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FINDINGS. VOL. 7 NO.1