By Ademola Ajao, Reporting
PROFESSOR Emmanuel Remi Aiyede of the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan, has asserted that sovereignty is no longer an inherent right in the contemporary global order.
He made the assertion on Wednesday while presenting his lead paper titled “Breaking the Charter: Venezuela, Trump, and the Path to a New Global Disorder” at a discussion forum organised by the University of Ibadan Senior Staff Club.
According to Professor Aiyede, everything in today’s international system, including sovereignty, has become transactional. He cited the case of the United States’ invasion of Venezuela and the alleged abduction of its president, noting that powerful states act based on interest rather than principle.
“If protecting your sovereignty helps them achieve their objective, they will respect it; but if violating your sovereignty enables them to achieve their goal, they will do so,” he said.
He further observed that the prevailing mindset among world leaders reflects a state of disorder, as nations struggle to make sense of unfolding global events.
Professor Aiyede noted that the invasion of Venezuela on 3 January 2026 did not signify a transition but rather a rupture, adding that the United States carried out an action more damaging than any previous violation of international norms.
The first discussant, Asiwaju Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, SAN, former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Oyo State, described the situation as a harsh reality that must be confronted with courage and clarity.
He called for the building of a new global order capable of reclaiming a peaceful, secure, and prosperous future for humanity.
Adebayo argued that democratic nations must form a coalition of the principled to politically and economically isolate the United States, while also reclaiming democratic sovereignty.
He added that citizens must demand that their legislatures reclaim global authority and hold executive powers accountable.
The second discussant, Professor Olisa Moujama of the Department of History, University of Ibadan, stated that what occurred in Venezuela had been planned decades earlier and was not solely the action of former US President Donald Trump.
He explained that towards the end of the 20th century, senior advisers within the American government began advocating for a more active and aggressive role for the United States in global affairs.
According to him, current events are merely the execution of a script written over thirty years ago.
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