The planned needless military intervention in Niger Republic

 

As formal declaration of war by leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by Nigeria, on Niger Republic following Sunday’s expiration of seven days ultimatum handed the military junta to restore the government of President Mohammed Bazoum looms, we want to strongly caution the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC-led President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to drag Nigeria into avoidable military invasion because of the monumental adverse consequences such hasty decision portends both for the country and her citizens.

 

Indeed, we wholeheartedly throw our weight behind recent wise counsel and demand by many eminent Nigerians and organizations that diplomacy and not war holds the ace to resolving the Niger coup staged by her presidential guards because of the domestic and international dimensions of the change of government. Their major concern being that any outbreak of war in the landlocked country with estimated 75percent of its population adjudged poor will result in deaths, destruction and destabilization of the sub-region.

 

Recall that against democratic tenets, the Commander of the Presidential Guard in Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, on July 26, 2023, overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, seized power and took over the government thus attracting condemnations from most members of the international community but sparking wild jubilation from many Nigeriens in apparent backing for the military junta.

 

Consequently, we note that as the leader of ECOWAS,  President Tinubu in response invited other West African leaders who after ending their deliberation in Abuja, gave a week deadline to Tchiani that Bazoum must be reinstated or face a military force from the regional body similar to ECOMOG deplored in Liberia and Sierra Leone years back to forcefully restore democratic governance.

 

 

As a further step, which is commendable, the Nigerian leader dispatched a high-powered delegation consisting of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, a retired Brigadier-General, unaccompanied by either serving or retired diplomats, to meet the Military High Command in Niger but who unfortunately, only met with representatives of the coup leaders.

 

Before then and in what we believe is a hasty decisive action, the Nigerian Government cut off electricity supply to that country in deference to sanctions imposed on it by the ECOWAS Heads of States and Governments without first exhausting diplomatic options. In other words, the ultimatum issued to the junta was yet to expire before Tinubu began enforcing some of the sanctions perhaps enraging the military leaders not receive the peace delegation and resulting in the initial collapse of diplomatic  efforts to resolve the impasse.

 

It is therefore not surprising that the junta swiftly severed with ties with Nigeria, Togo, France and the United States. “The functions of the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassadors of the Republic of Niger” to France, Nigeria, Togo and the United States are terminated,” the coup leaders declared.

 

Not unexpectedly however, the military leadership in Mali and Burkina Faso threw their full weight behind Gen. Tchiani, vowing that any attack on Niger would be regarded as declaration of war against their countries which will be resisted even as facts revealed that the deposed President Bazoum, his family and some officials of his administration are being held by the coup plotters.

 

And reacting angrily to the outcome of extraordinary summits of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and of the West African Economic and Monetary Union held recently in Abuja over the political crisis in Niger, the transition governments of Burkina Faso and Mali not only expressed fraternal solidarity and the solidarity in brotherhood of the Burkinabe and Malian people with the people of Niger who they noted have “decided, responsibly, to take their destiny into their own hands and to be accountable in the face of history for complete sovereignty; denounced  the “sanctions that increase the populations’ suffering and imperil the spirit of Panafricanism” and warned that “any military intervention against Niger would mean a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali”.

 

Continuing, they alerted the global disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger that might destabilize the entire region similar to  that of the unilateral intervention of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO in Libya, which has been identified as the root cause of the steady spread of terrorism in the Sahel region and in West Africa in general.

 

In our view, their stand point seems to have received full support of Moscow with the Russian foreign ministry, cautioning that the use of force by the ECOWAS would be unhelpful and not contribute to a settlement, adding that Moscow considers it essential to defuse current tensions as well as “prevent a new degradation” of the situation in the West African country.

 

And coming on the heels of the collapse of diplomatic moves to resolve the crisis, the President had formally written the Nigerian Senate of the coup in Niger Republic and the resolutions of ECOWAS on how to return the democratically elected Government to power and the letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the floor during plenary seeking the Red Chamber’s authorization for the use of force against the junta in deference to section 5 subsection (4) (a) and (b) of the 1999 constitution as amended.

 

The kernel of the correspondence titled: “Implementation of the resolutions of the Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS) on the political situation in Niger Republic” include that, as “Chair of ECOWAS, Nigeria has the obligation to lead in the implementation of the directives outlined in the communique. I have directed all our extra ministerial developments and agencies including military and paramilitary agencies which actions include: “Closure and monitoring of all land borders with Niger Republic and reactivation of the border drill exercise”.

 

Similarly, other sanctions are, “Cutting off electricity supply to Niger Republic; Mobilizing international support for the implementation of the provisions of the ECOWAS communique; Preventing the operation of commercial and special flights into and from Niger Republic and Blockade of goods in transit to Niger Republic especially from Lagos and the Eastern seaports; Embarking on sensitization of Nigerians and Nigeriens on the imperative of these actions particularly via the social media as well as Military buildup and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance by the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant to the ECOWAS communique”, upon the August 6 expiration of the ultimatum.

 

We, however, consider the move by Tinubu for an express approval of the Senate for the use of military force at this point of nation’s socio-economic and political development as not only unacceptable, undesirable and unnecessary but capable of throwing the subregion into chaos, avoidable suffering, loss of precious lives, humanitarian crisis, mass destruction of property and major war with the West and Russia backing the opposing combatants, the end of which no one can predict.

 

It is our strong opinion that the Federal Government should heed the wise counsel of some of our elder statesmen and patriots that declaration of war on Niger Republic is totally against Nigeria’s interest and should not be contemplated given our numerous challenges, but rather an intensification of diplomatic offensive for a peaceful settlement of the political crisis in that country given the hitherto flourishing bilateral relationship between the two neighboring nations.

Without mincing words, we demand that Nigeriens should be allowed to deal with their internal while Tinubu should focused squarely at resolving current insecurity, severe economic hardship for which palliatives are being awaited, poverty and mass unemployment in the land.

 

We are deeply concerned about the likely negative repercussions of a full scale war since seven Northern states, namely Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno share 1,608 kilometres long borders with five regions in Niger Republic as residents of these states will be direct targets of bullets and missiles from the enemies and could result in a resurgence of terrorists attacks in the border areas.

 

Therefore, Tinubu should heed the recent words of caution by the former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George that in the country today must not be forced on an endless war because “there is no food, no financial power to buy fuel, no light, no money” and more importantly most Nigerians are psychologically stranded and going through hell.

We urge the Senators to wholeheartedly reject the President’s request on Niger Republic.