The spate of democratic wave that blew across the continent of Africa in the
1990s came with the hope of economic transformation and an end to the decades of
backwardness, poverty and want. Prior to this period, democratic governance was the
exception rather than the norm. Military high command across the continent dictated
the pace for many decades and most times falling short of the messianic appeal that
drew them into politics and governing with their diktat nature and abuse of human
rights, the economies of most countries of the continent where the military juntas were
entrenched, experienced stall and retrogression, creating contrition for grumbling by the
weakened civil society in these countries. However, the turn in the dynamics of the
international system following the collapse of communism and insistence of the
continent‟s development partners on democratization, compelled many of the military
juntas to retreat back to their barracks, thus opening the space for inflow of investments
which is in dire need to reverberate the ailing economies. But after a brief spell of
power in the hands of the civilian authorities, the lustre of power seem to be drawing
some elements in the military high command to the old scenarios which resemble a
reverse wave of democratization, thus allowing the gains of civilian advancement to be
lost while the countries relapse. One of the expected areas of relapses with the
resurgence of the military back in power is in capital flows into the countries for
development purposes. The examines these issues and concludes that the resurgence of
military rule in the West African sub-region is a set back to the development of the
countries in the sub-region,