Guinea’s coup d’état not a surprise – former Ambassador

A former Ambassador of Nigeria to Guinea, Babangida Ibrahim, has said that the recent coup d’état that toppled the government of former President Alpha Conde of Guinea did not come to him as a surprise as the country had been politically unstable, which was compounded by economic hardship.

Ibrahim, who served as a non-career diplomat to Guinea between 2012 and 2014, said the country had been in crisis even during the first tenure of Conde which was why for a long time, legislative elections could not take place until it got the support of countries like Nigeria.

• PODCAST: Will Ban Of Telecom Services Curb Banditry?
• Deputy provost’s children abducted as bandits break into Katsina colleg

He said despite Nigeria’s financial and material assistance to Guinea while he was ambassador, the legislative election later conducted had been marred by a lot of controversies and protests that led to loss of lives.

“Guinea is a country that for long had no infrastructure, no good roads and no light, people were economically down, the currency is weak, and there was a lot of economic hardship. Even with the coming of Alpha Conde which it was expected that as opposition, things would change, it still deteriorated and so a lot of people were tired,” he said.

Ibrahim said if Conde had just completed his second term in office and left without changing the constitution, he would have been seen as a statesman and saved himself the humiliation.

According to him, such tendencies by African leaders to change the constitution so as to hold onto power are one of the reasons for instability in the continent.