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Former Nigerian President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to undertake deep introspection and recalibrate its approach to dealing with unconstitutional changes of government, warning that the bloc’s current posture is pushing it toward irrelevance.
Delivering the keynote address at the Republic Day Lecture organized by the Ghana Armed Forces and the One Ghana Movement, Chief Obasanjo commended ECOWAS’s evolution from an economic pact to a security and governance-focused body but cautioned that its methods in recent crises have undermined regional unity.
“The resurgence of coups and unconstitutional change of government in West Africa has been a litmus test for the effectiveness and relevance, if not survival, of ECOWAS.
Citing the bloc’s response to the 2023 coup in Niger, Obasanjo criticized the use of sanctions and threats of military intervention, stating that such heavy-handed tactics contributed to Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdrawing from ECOWAS and forming the Alliance of Sahelian States (AES).
“The split has led ECOWAS to a precarious situation. The unprecedented move caught ECOWAS off guard and exposed the regional bloc’s weakness in dealing with defiant member states. Sanctions were no longer enough. Military threats only aggravated the situation.”
He argued that ECOWAS’s rigid approach alienated member states instead of fostering reform and dialogue, adding that the bloc must adapt to maintain credibility and cohesion.
Obasanjo didn’t mince words, stating that ECOWAS is now in “intensive care,” and needs urgent reform.
“ECOWAS is wounded maybe not mortally but it is in the ICU. It will require strong and proactive political attention to keep it alive and healthy again”.
Despite the challenges, the former president reaffirmed his belief in regional integration and the protection of democratic values, urging leaders to adopt smarter, more strategic responses to crises.
“We must ask ourselves: what’s the point of having a union if it cannot exert influence without alienating its members? It’s not about control—it’s about how we lead”.
