Ex President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that any developments that encourage coups in the continent should be eradicated totally.

He noted that the rampart military coups in Africa indicates that the people are in search of someone to liberate them. He added that would never encourage coup based on his tragic experience in the hands of late General Sanni Abacha.

He added that, “Having suffered in the hands of Abacha, I won’t support a military coup. But if it has to come, what can we do?

“The point is this, do we have conditions that encourage the type of things that are happening, if we don’t have the conditions that encourage them, they may not happen.

“That does not mean it should be encouraged. What it means is that we should make sure that we do everything to prevent coups from happening.

“When you see things that happen in many countries, and I will not exclude Nigeria, then you wonder and don’t forget, don’t forget particularly the youth, they support most of these coups.

“The one in Gabon, the Coup leader was being carried on the head by the youths, not by old wretched men and women like me, but by youths. The youths are looking for liberators, and we must bear that in mind. Why do we have to allow the youth to start looking for liberators beyond the government of the day? Why?”

“And if you have been in government for 40 years and you are not tired, maybe you need retirement,” he added.

“One, let me make it clear, I don’t support a coup because personally, I have been a victim of a coup. Two, the good thing about democracy, if it works and delivers, is that you can sit down and dialogue and debate and discuss. But your democracy must take integrity along with it.

“Your democracy must take honesty along with it. Your democracy must take character along with it. Your democracy must take those attributes, God-given attributes, inclusive society, no marginalization, no exclusion, no favouritism.”