Northern senators, clerics kick as Tinubu writes Senate for clearance

We’ll give diplomacy a chance – ECOWAS security c’ttee

Coup plotters deny Abdulsalami, Sultan entry, ‘discussed’ at airport

Cuts diplomatic ties with Nigeria, Togo, France, US





More Nigerians and groups have joined the league of prominent citizens in advising the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the dangers of using military might to suppress the coup in Niger Republic.

They said dialogue remained the best way out of the impasse, insisting that deploying troops to fight the military junta would rather compound security, social and economic challenges in Nigeria, Niger and other neighbouring countries.

The Ummah Movement, with headquarters at the National Islamic Centre, Dogarawa, Zaria, said it was wrong to use force to bring back the ousted President Mohamed Bazoum who was toppled by his guards.

The group said it was “deeply worried about the reactions trailing the ouster of the civilian government in Niger Republic. We caution against rash sanctions such as cutting off electricity supply to Niger and any form of military action by ECOWAS.

“Rather, diplomatic pressure, dialogue and soft power should be applied to rollback the coup that appears to have originated in a palace power tussle.

“Given Nigeria’s dire economic situation, our persistent insecurity threats, the danger of split in ECOWAS and to avoid playing into the hands of the enemies of African unity and prosperity, we urge President Tinubu to defer to wisdom and diplomacy to achieve return to normalcy in Niger Republic.”

Also, the Northern Senators Forum has cautioned ECOWAS, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, against the use of military force in restoring democracy in Niger Republic.

The senators, under the leadership of Senator Abdul Ahmad Ningi (Bauchi), however, called for political and diplomatic means to restore democratic government in that country.

The forum, in a statement by its spokesperson, Suleiman A. Kawu Sumaila, cautioned that military force would cause the death of many innocent citizens in Niger Republic and seven Nigerian states that share border with that country.


This video frame grab image obtained by AFP from ORTN – Télé Sahel on July 26, 2023 shows Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane (C), spokesperson for the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) speaking during a televised statement. – Soldiers claimed on July 26, 2023 to have overthrown the government of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum in a statement read out on national television, after a day in which the leader was detained in his official residence. (Photo by – / ORTN – Télé Sahel / AFP)


The statement reads, “We take exception to the use of military force until other avenues as mentioned above are exhausted as the consequences will be casualties among the innocent citizens who go about their daily business.

“Besides, about seven northern states that share border with Niger Republic, namely, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno will be negatively affected.

“There is serious implication for our country if military force is used without exhausting all diplomatic channels.”

An Islamic preacher in Kano, Dr Muhammad Sani Umar Rijiyar Lemo, in a video clip widely shared on social media yesterday, warned Tinubu against leading Nigeria to invade Niger.

Rijiyar Lemo said the bond between Nigeria and Niger Republic had gone beyond just being neighbours but that of brotherhood.

He said any military incursion would further add salt to the injury to myriad socio-economic challenges in the Sahel region, advising ECOWAS to find a peaceful means of resolving the issues.

“Everyone knows that war, especially at this moment, comes with several consequences. We won’t know how and when it ends.

“Now, the world is polarised, with every country alienated to certain powers-that-be, and Niger is rich with huge uranium deposits most sought after by these powers. They have interests there,” he said.

Similarly, a former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, yesterday asked Tinubu to think twice before declaring war on Niger Republic.

In a letter he personally wrote to the president in his position as “a Nigerian, a retired General in the Nigerian military, a patriot and a war tactician,” George stated that it is better to continue the diplomatic channel instead of embarking on a “needless war.”

He warned that adopting the military approach could result in the collapse of ECOWAS.

According to him, Tinubu must be circumspect in his actions because he cannot trust the other countries pressuring him to go to war with Niger.

“In Nigeria today, there is no food, no financial power to buy fuel, no light, no money. Nigerians are psychologically stranded and people are really going through a lot. So, I don’t know what our going to Niger Republic with full military power would achieve.

“We should think twice before entering another country militarily. Don’t start what you cannot finish. Niger is one of the largest (land border) countries in the world and one of the poorest. What exactly do we gain if we go to war in Niger? So that people can praise us as a defender of democracy? When people are dying at home, do we need that type of commendation from anybody?

“Also, some countries, such as Algeria, Libya, Chad, Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali share borders with the Niger Republic. Can we trust these countries to support us militarily and otherwise in case of war with Niger Republic?” he asked.

Also speaking, an associate professor in the University of Abuja, Abubakar Kari, said, “Deploying troops or taking any kind of military action against the Niger coupists will be hasty, precipitate and unwise. I don’t believe that ECOWAS has exhausted all diplomatic and peaceful means of resolving the problem. I also don’t believe that Nigerians, including the military, are in support of military deployment in Niger at a time armed non-state actors of all descriptions (Boko Haram, neo-Biafra secessionists, bandits, robbers, and so on) have almost overstretched our security forces.

“We are already fighting too many wars. I equally don’t believe that our economy is healthy enough to enable and sustain a military campaign. Rather than approve military deployment to Niger, the Senate should direct that our response to the Niger crisis should shift from unnecessary sabre-rattling, zero-sum posture and war-mongering rhetoric to constructive engagement with the putschists and other interested parties toward an amicable resolution. The regime of sanctions imposed should be allowed to sink in, and more considered if necessary.”

Protests against Nigeria

Similarly, some aggrieved residents of Niger Republic have staged a protest against President Tinubu who chairs the ECOWAS.

In a viral video on Friday, people were seen chanting anti-Tinubu songs.

They also wielded placards that bore critical messages about the Nigerian leader.

Tinubu seeks Senate’s clearance for action

In another development yesterday, President Tinubu informed the National Assembly about ECOWAS’ proposed military action and other sanctions against the Niger coupists.

He stated this in an official communication read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio at plenary.

He said that in a bid to restore peace, ECOWAS convened a meeting and came out with a communiqué that agreed on closure and monitoring of all land borders with Niger Republic and reactivating of the border drilling exercise.

Other measures include “Cutting off electricity supply to Niger Republic; mobilising international support for the implementation of the provisions of the ECOWAS communiqué; preventing the operation of commercial and special flights into and from Niger Republic; blockade of goods in transit to Niger, especially from Lagos and eastern seaports; embarking on sensitisation of Nigerians and Nigeriens on the imperative of these actions, particularly via the social media; military buildup and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant.”

We’ll give diplomacy a chance, says ECOWAS security c’ttee

However, hours after Tinubu’s letter to the Senate, the security committee of the ECOWAS, comprising military chiefs of some West African countries, said they would give diplomacy a chance in Niger over the current activities of the junta in the country.

The chiefs of defence staff from Togo, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, Cote’Divoire, Cabo Verde and Republic of Benin stated this at the end of their two-day high-powered delegation meeting.

The meeting, which started on Wednesday and chaired by the president of ECOWAS Military Chiefs at Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Gen Christopher Musa, was shunned by the soldiers from Mali, Niger, Guinea and Burkina Faso.

Reading the communiqué from the meeting to journalists, Gen Musa said they resolved to intensify diplomatic efforts to engage with all relevant stakeholders and ensure that dialogue and negotiation is at the forefront of the approach to resolve the crisis in Republic of Niger.

Musa said, “Throughout our discussions, we collectively recognised the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for a well coordinated response. The deliberations have been marked by a spirit of unity, cooperation and determination to address the challenges at hand.

“I am pleased to note that our discussions have yielded valuable insights and actionable recommendations. We have acknowledged the need for a comprehensive approach that encompasses political, security and diplomatic dimensions.

“It is imperative that we translate our deliberations into concrete actions that can effectively address the crisis and prevent a recurrence in the future.”

He said they agreed to “intensify our diplomatic efforts to engage with all relevant stakeholders. Dialogue and negotiation should be at the forefront of our approach in resolving the crisis in Republic of Niger.”

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, ECOWAS, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, said the Authority of Heads of State of ECOWAS was committed to the eradication of all forms of unconstitutional takeover of power in the sub region.

Coup plotters deny Abdulsalami, Sultan entry, ‘discussed’ at airport

Amid the diplomatic row, Daily Trust Saturday reports that former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar, were denied entry into Niamey on arrival on Thursday after President Tinubu mandated them to have a discussion with the Nigerien coup plotters.

Diplomatic sources said they were restricted to the airport only, where they had a discussion with low ranking members of the military junta.

Those familiar with the matter described the development as “embarrassing and an affront” to Nigeria, considering the personalities dispatched by President Tinubu.

Both Abdulsalami and the Sultan are highly regarded at home and abroad. While the former is seen as the architect of Nigeria’s new found democracy when he handed over power to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, the latter is unarguably the leader of the Muslims in Nigeria and highly regarded in Niger, which also has Muslims as the majority.

It was learnt that there was no serious commitment from the coup plotters during the meeting.

One of our diplomatic source said, “The ECOWAS delegation of Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Sultan of Sokoto were not allowed to leave the airport in Niamey when they arrived there yesterday (Thursday). Up to about 11pm they were limited to the airport. The picture in the social media was at the airport where they met in a small room with some representatives of the coup leaders.”

Another source said the emissaries had to return to Nigeria overnight without any tangible commitment as the coup plotters few hours later cut diplomatic ties with Nigeria and others.

“If it is true that Tinubu/ECOWAS special delegation to Niger was restricted to the airport and was received by low-rank officers, that amounts to a well aimed, deliberate and monumental humiliation of Nigeria,” said Dr Kari of the University of Abuja.

“It also means that the mission itself may well have been a diplomatic fiasco. It seems the Niger putschists seized the moment to send a message: that they could not be intimidated; that they would not let go the reins of power easily; and that they are ready for a showdown,” he said.

Coupists cuts ties with Nigeria, Togo, France, US

Much earlier yesterday, the military junta in Niger Republic cut off ties with Nigeria, Togo, France and the United States of America.

The junta under Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani said, “The functions of the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassadors of the Republic of Niger” to France, Nigeria, Togo and the United States are terminated,” Radio France International quoted one of the putschists to have said on national television.

Also, French media companies RFI (Radio France Internationale) and FRANCE 24 have been interrupted in the country.

Broadcasts by the two companies had been inaccessible in Niger since Thursday afternoon, according to AFP journalists. Their signals were cut “on the instructions of the new military authorities,” a senior official told the AFP on condition of anonymity.

Last week’s coup has sparked anti-French protests in Niger, a former French colony.


RFI and FRANCE 24 have condemned the suspension of their broadcasts in Niger.


https://dailytrust.com/pressure-mounts-on-ecowas-against-use-of-force-in-niger/

If you think this country will move forward with this our setup, you are joking...

Any small thing, some group of people will start whipping up tribal sentiments. The North are now telling Tinubu not to send soldiers to Niger that they are brothers...just dey see am

The coupist are not ready to back down .
International interest is also at play here
Nigerian government needs to thread with caution, else, the end result of use of force wouldn't be a favourable o
Dialogue should bring peace

Tinubu just dey shakara. Niger no bi Lagos ooo!

The coupists know that Nigeria is led by a "bloody" civilian president from the South. The Fulani and Nigerien gwodo-gwodo soldiers who have been fending off Lybian dissidents can stand 1:5 Nigerians troop.
Then you add Algeria, Lybia, Mali, Wagner, Russia.

All these sponsored appeals are just Avenue for soft landing for the Bala Blu Bulaga!

Tinubu just dey play. His egoistic statement as ECOWAS chairman is haunting him.

orohbirodeysmel:
If you think this country will move forward with this our setup, you are joking...

Any small thing, some group of people will start whipping up tribal sentiments. The North are now telling Tinubu not to send soldiers to Niger that they are brothers...just dey see am

Verify your claims!

Stop listening to beer parlor news!

Validated:
Tinubu just dey shakara. Niger no bi Lagos ooo!

The coupists know that Nigeria is led by a "bloody" civilian president from the South. The Fulani and Nigerien gwodo-gwodo soldiers who have been fending off Lybian dissidents can stand 1:5 Nigerians troop.
Then you add Algeria, Lybia, Mali, Wagner, Russia.

All these sponsored appeals are just Avenue for soft landing for the Bala Blu Bulaga!

Tinubu just dey play. His egoistic statement as ECOWAS chairman is haunting him.

Hello Kid,

You need to go study about the powers and controlled domains of The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

You cannot downgrade or degrade His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR). If you educated and conversant enough to know the capabilities of his position, you wont be here spewing gibberish!

With all the nations rallying with Niger, it will be a shooting practice for the Nigerian armed forces! All can NEVER match our capabilities. Add Wagner to them!

We are thorough breed sub Saharan army.

Nonsense pressure, this mofos need to learn.

AllenSpencer:


Verify your claims!

Stop listening to beer parlor news!

What are you talking, na you dey get your news from Old men at pool gaming centres...

If FG wants to send military to SE to stop ESN/IPOB sit at home, their leaders will start shouting, they want to kill our youths...

Now look at Niger, Hausa people are now saying, they want to kill their brothers in Niger. That over 3,000 Nigerians are in Niger IDPs

The list goes on

AllenSpencer:


Hello Kid,

You need to go study about the powers and controlled domains of The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

You cannot downgrade or degrade His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR). If you educated and conversant enough to know the capabilities of his position, you wont be here spewing gibberish!

With all the nations rallying with Niger, it will be a shooting practice for the Nigerian armed forces! All can NEVER match our capabilities. Add Wagner to them!

We are thorough breed sub Saharan army.

Did you just say add Wagner? Do you think this will be like shooting unarmed protesters?

orohbirodeysmel:
If you think this country will move forward with this our setup, you are joking...

Any small thing, some group of people will start whipping up tribal sentiments. The North are now telling Tinubu not to send soldiers to Niger that they are brothers...just dey see am

I don't know how you guys reason.

Do you know what national interest is?

The north has close to 1500km border stretch with Niger does Nigeria has the resources to police it if Niger becomes a failed state after the military intervention? The North will bear the full brunt of any adverse aftermath of this war. What the senators are doing is protecting the interest of the north - and that's why we elected them.

The French pushing Tinubu behind the scenes to go to this war are doing so to secure their cheap uranium which powers more than 30% of France's nuclear reactors and 25% of the entire EU. The French military were recently sent parking from Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is where they made base. So this war is about maintaining their military and economic grip on Africa not about any democracy in Niger.

Apart from flawed Democracy (through flawed electoral processes) that litter the African political sphere what is Nigeria's national interest in Niger?

Saifullah01:

I don't know how you guys reason.

Do you know what national interest is?

The north has close to 1500km border stretch with Niger does Nigeria has the resources to police it if Niger becomes a failed state after the military intervention? The North will bear the full brunt of any adverse aftermath of this war. What the senators are doing is protecting the interest of the north - and that's why we elected them.

The French pushing Tinubu behind the scenes to go to this war are doing so to secure their cheap uranium which powers more than 30% of France's nuclear reactors and 25% of the entire EU. The French military were recently sent parking from Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is where they made base. So this war is about maintaining their military and economic grip on Africa not about any democracy in Niger.

Apart from flawed Democracy (through flawed electoral processes) that litter the African political sphere what is Nigeria's national interest in Niger?

@the bolded na big no. Niger are even a liability to Nigeria. They no dey pay nepa bills, they railway up to Maradi na Nigeria money Buhari use do am. They follow they chop the fuel subsidy. I think Nigeria should allow Niger fend for themselves, they are even a liability to us

It's a lie, nobody is mounting any pressure on them, WAGNER don show them wan use style tuwama

Ok the people that are mounting the pressure no get name? Tell us their name so we can go and verify the truth thereof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytUiZZLHHGw

orohbirodeysmel:


@the bolded na big no. Niger are even a liability to Nigeria. They no dey pay nepa bills, 1. they railway up to Maradi na Nigeria money Buhari use do am. They follow they chop the fuel subsidy. I think Nigeria should allow Niger fend for themselves, they are even a liability to us

1. Funny enough, the railway was put up to increase Niger's trade with Nigeria through imports and exports from our seaports yet, before the project even kicks off Mr. BAT is trying to use it as a tool of sanction. Is Niger now expected to make use of our rails and ports when we can easily weaponise everything we have against them?

BAT's haste might just be his undoing.

One wrong move and it will cost several nations, especially one.

But the fact Tinubu thought military action as his first line of response shows he's diplomatically inept.
I hope he gets himself an excellent foreign minister out of his retinue of appointees else we're headed for more foreign embarrassments.
I mean this is something the average mind can see a long way off.
All those sycophants that surround him need to wake up and start telling him some truths instead of worshipping him.
The man is not infallible!!

Besides, what's it with cutting off electricity to Niger over their internal political matter? Are there no archivist or librarians in Aso rock who can show Tinubu the 1965 agreement with Niger over Kainji dam on which shiroro and Zungeru dams are also built?
If Niger sees this as a repudiation of that agreement and engage the Chinese to build a dam across the Niger River at their end will Nigeria not suffer more?
Tinubu should know his personal ego and fragilities can't and should not subsume Nigeria's national interest!

Okay oo

Raheeqilmaktoom:


1. Funny enough, the railway was put up to increase Niger's trade with Nigeria through imports and exports from our seaports yet, before the project even kicks off Mr. BAT is trying to use it as a tool of sanction. Is Niger now expected to make use of our rails and ports when we can easily weaponise everything we have against them?

BAT's haste might just be his undoing.

We were giving the impression he was pragmatic during the elections, but it seems international politics is way out of his league.

The railway is one, now Imagine using electricity as a sanction!

Two main rivers flow through Nigeria Cameroon has built a dam on one, generating electricity and flooding us downstream every year they release excess water.

The second river, Niger allowed us to dam (even though they could have built a dam themselves) with the agreement of selling electricity to them.

Now let me tell you one possible sequence of events: Nigeria goes to war with Niger, the Junta is defeated, the country falls under command of different warlord. The west that instigated us into war strikes a deal with the different war Lords supplying them arms while their uranium export continues, this time probably cheaper since no legitimate government is watching. The Chinese or the Russians come in to help rebuild Niger (at this point the west cares less so long it doesn't stop uranium export). Niger ask the Chinese to biuld them a dam like they did for Ethiopia to avoid reliance on Nigerian electricity. They build a dam for Niger upstream and boom that is the end of hydro power in nigeria.

So what is the long term gain of this military misadventures to Nigeria? A failed Niger at our Northern border flooding us with small arms and an end of hydro power generation in nigeria.

This is just one of the numerous adverse implication of this war. Men we should stop voting for old men.

Saifullah01:


We were giving the impression he was pragmatic during the elections, but it seems international politics is way out of his league.

The railway is one, now Imagine using electricity as a sanction!

Two main rivers flow through Nigeria Cameroon has built a dam on one, generating electricity and flooding us downstream every year they release excess water.

The second river, Niger allowed us to dam (even though they could have built a dam themselves) with the agreement of selling electricity to them.

Now let me tell you one possible sequence of events: Nigeria goes to war with Niger, the Junta is defeated, the country falls under command of different warlord. The west that instigated us into war strikes a deal with the different war Lords supplying them arms while their uranium export continues, this time probably cheaper since no legitimate government is watching. The Chinese or the Russians come in to help rebuild Niger (at this point the west cares less so long it doesn't stop uranium export). Niger ask the Chinese to biuld them a dam like they did for Ethiopia to avoid reliance on Nigerian electricity. They build a dam for Niger upstream and boom that is the end of hydro power in nigeria.

So what is the long term gain of this military misadventures to Nigeria? A failed Niger at our Northern border flooding us with small arms and an end of hydro power generation in nigeria.

This is just one of the numerous adverse implication of this war. Men we should stop voting for old men.

Ai there are a thousand scenarios on what can happen and not many of them look promising.

Say we invade, oust the military and put in a civilian regime, who will the civilian regime depend on? Not the same military?

Libya has a surplus supply of weapons on the black market, the sahel has a surplus of poor people that will give their lives to fight for whoever for $5 a day while we have 1,000Km border with Niger that we can't man and our armed forces stretched thin, isnt this a recipe for disaster?

Buhari with his many flows was treating heads of lesser african states like heads of states, imagine him showing enough courtesy to Mahamat Deby; son of Idris Deby with whom he has a very long history, thats what earned him their respect, from Senegal to Kenya, heads of states were coming to him for private personal visits, he had soft power and used it appropriately, he knew what happened in Chad with the Deby's(literally a coup) yet, looked the other way because of the consequences but uncle just want to arm strong everyone to show that he is the new sheriff.

My fear for him is he risks importing others' instability to Nigeria and his govt, there is enough trouble in Nigeria, don't go looking for more.

Saifullah01:


We were giving the impression he was pragmatic during the elections, but it seems international politics is way out of his league.

The railway is one, now Imagine using electricity as a sanction!

Two main rivers flow through Nigeria Cameroon has built a dam on one, generating electricity and flooding us downstream every year they release excess water.

The second river, Niger allowed us to dam (even though they could have built a dam themselves) with the agreement of selling electricity to them.

Now let me tell you one possible sequence of events: Nigeria goes to war with Niger, the Junta is defeated, the country falls under command of different warlord. The west that instigated us into war strikes a deal with the different war Lords supplying them arms while their uranium export continues, this time probably cheaper since no legitimate government is watching. The Chinese or the Russians come in to help rebuild Niger (at this point the west cares less so long it doesn't stop uranium export). Niger ask the Chinese to biuld them a dam like they did for Ethiopia to avoid reliance on Nigerian electricity. They build a dam for Niger upstream and boom that is the end of hydro power in nigeria.

So what is the long term gain of this military misadventures to Nigeria? A failed Niger at our Northern border flooding us with small arms and an end of hydro power generation in nigeria.

This is just one of the numerous adverse implication of this war. Men we should stop voting for old men.

Sacking the Nigerien military might be no big deal for Nigerian Armed Forces but are we ready for the aftermath?

Foreign nations might just be baiting us into going into Niger to sack the junta, there after, say Libya and Mali look the other way while terrorists invade Niger with enough weapons and men to trap our troops in a foreign country starting off a war of attrition that eats up Nigeria's budget and economy, impoverishes the populace the more not forgetting that majority of Nigeriens will become refugees in Nigeria, the instability this will cause will take us 30 years to clear - BH crisis is getting to 15 years.

Theres no winning here, just brash foolishness.

Saifullah01:

I don't know how you guys reason.

Do you know what national interest is?

The north has close to 1500km border stretch with Niger does Nigeria has the resources to police it if Niger becomes a failed state after the military intervention? The North will bear the full brunt of any adverse aftermath of this war. What the senators are doing is protecting the interest of the north - and that's why we elected them.

The French pushing Tinubu behind the scenes to go to this war are doing so to secure their cheap uranium which powers more than 30% of France's nuclear reactors and 25% of the entire EU. The French military were recently sent parking from Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is where they made base. So this war is about maintaining their military and economic grip on Africa not about any democracy in Niger.

Apart from flawed Democracy (through flawed electoral processes) that litter the African political sphere what is Nigeria's national interest in Niger?

They will soon label you IPOB for stating the truth here.

IGBOBIDIOT BIAFRAUDSTERS IPOB TERRORIST PITOBIDIOTS saying rubbish abt MR. BAT

orohbirodeysmel:


@the bolded na big no. Niger are even a liability to Nigeria. They no dey pay nepa bills, they railway up to Maradi na Nigeria money Buhari use do am. They follow they chop the fuel subsidy. I think Nigeria should allow Niger fend for themselves, they are even a liability to us

We give them light which they pay for. The main reason is to prevent a situation whereby they dam River Niger upstream. That may affect the supply of electricity in Nigeria where dams have been built downstream in Kainji and Jebba.