Northern Elders Back Niger Republic, Ask Tinubu To Remove Sanctions Against Military Regime

By Gideon Njoku

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove all sanctions which the Nigerian Government placed on the Military Government of neighbouring Niger Republic.

NEF, on Tuesday, said such removal would pave way for a fruitful negotiation with the Military Regime.

On July 26, 2023, the Nigerien Military  overthrew the Democratic Government of President Mohammed Bazoum, and placed him and his son in custody in a deplorable condition.

In response to the Coup, President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, immediately ordered the disconnection of  power supply to the Niger Republic by Nigeria, and closed all  borders between the two countries as part of the measures to pressurise the Junta to reinstate President Bazoum in office.

ECOWAS, under Tinubu, has also threatened to use Military Force against the Junta, a threat, most Nigerians, including the Senate of the Federal Republic and Northerners and several organisations rejected. Most of the Northern elite insist that Niger Republic is part of Nigeria and a declaration of war against it means a declaration of war against the North.

Speaking to Journalists in Abuja on Tuesday,  Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, NEF’s  Director of Publicity and Advocacy, on behalf of the Convener Professor Ango Abdullahi, said the removal of sanctions on  Niger Republic will make negotiations easier to conduct. The sanctions, he noted, are affecting, negatively, the morale and welfare of Nigerians and Nigeriens  and detracting  from the existing positive disposition towards Nigeria’s position.

His words: “Nigeria should remove all sanctions and other measures intended to force the government and people of Niger into acquiescence.

“This will make negotiations led by Nigeria, using all assets that both countries value, easier to conduct. The Forum notes the apology offered by the military leaders in Niger to our President over the manner in which his envoys, General Abdusalami and His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, were received.

NEF also said that the safety of President Bazoum and his family and the restoration of the constitutional order must remain non-negotiable priorities.”

NEF, also urged the military leaders in Niger to accord due cognizance and respect for the position of ECOWAS, whose fundamental principles and goals the Niger Republic submitted to.

NEF: “Active negotiations regarding President Bazoum and the plans of the military leadership in Niger should commence immediately.

“Nigeria is uniquely placed to engage the leadership of the Niger Republic to accept these with the minimum of delay.

“President Tinubu is Chairman of ECOWAS and leader of Nigerians.

He should explore ways of balancing these responsibilities without doing any injury to the position of Nigeria and Nigerians in the Niger Republic and the unity of the ECOWAS”, NEF noted.

Furthermore, NEF said the use of force against Niger should be ruled out, as it is unlikely to achieve the goals of restoring the constitutional order and improving the frontiers of democratic systems in West Africa.

“It will compound the security and humanitarian crises in the ECOWAS region. It is likely to weaken and further divide the ECOWAS and provide greater access for non-African interests into the lives of Africans, with negative consequences.

“The ECOWAS should actively re-assess the roles and designs of non-African interests in the West African region. In addition to multiple threats from armed groups in the Sahel and the region, we are becoming increasingly victims of global military manoeuvres and a scramble for our assets.

“Ordinary Africans understand this, and they resent another wave of exploitation of our weaknesses and our resources by parts of the world who have little respect for Africa.

African leaders must improve the quality of elections and governance so that African people can value and defend democracy in Africa with greater vigour.

“NEF commends all leaders and persons of influence, including the Nigerian Senate, who are contributing to a genuine resolution of the situation in the Niger Republic.

“We urge President Tinubu to recognise this unique moment in history and conduct himself in such a manner that it records his role as defining statesmanship.”