Nigeria And Niger Diplomatic Brawl -By Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua

Since the unfortunate coup d’etat carried out by General Abdulrahman T’chini, the head of military junta against the democratic elected president of Niger republic, Muhammed Bazoun on July,2023, Nigeria/Niger relationship has been strained or can be described as that of cat and mouse. The Niger republic bloodless coup which swept the Mohammed Bazoun’s civilian government had come aftermath of military takeover of two sahelian countries: Mali and Burkina Faso which are former colonies of France. Military coup d’etat in Africa is seen or considered as an old passion. For more than two decades, many African countries have embraced democracy. Though ,some African countries have continued to witness leadership sit-tight syndrome by some despots, democracy is well-grounded and accepted across the globe.

While democracy promotes good governance, the system has limitations or imperfections as being witnessed in many countries that adopted it. In recent times, democracy has breed corruption, injustice and insecurity. Military junta which staged coup and overthrew civilian government in sahelian countries cited corruption, insecurity and poor governance as the main reason. Niger republic military junta blamed the former president, Muhammad Bauzon, for colliding with France government to exploit and Cart away uranium deposit of the country. It has also accused Bauzon ousted government for poor handling of the insecurity in Niger. What has triggered and fueled sour diplomatic relation between the duo countries is, after coup that rocked the country, president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who happens to be the chairman of ECOWAS, condemned the military action and called for immediate reinstatement of Muhammed Bazoun.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commitment to restore democracy in Niger republic had lead to imposition of sanctions notably among is: the cut off of electricity supply and border closure. This came after all avenues have been explored, including sending of powerful delegates to mediate and convince the military to backtrack or change their mind. Despite the economy sanctions slammed on sahelian countries which experience coup d’etat, the military junta have refused to cede to ECOWAS’s unconditional demand to conduct elections and return those countries to democratic rules. Instead, the military junta have accused ECOWAS for abandoning them during their worst time. Since the military takeover, in the sprint of brotherhood, Nigerian government, under president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been mounting pressure for the return of democracy in Niger. Historically, Nigeria and Niger republic share cultural, religion and economic ties.

That is the reason why president Tinubu, as a head of ECOWAS, was restrained from using military force against Niger junta after it struck. However, recently ,Niger military leader, General T’chiani, has accused Nigerian government on plan to distabilise its country. In a Christmas Day interview, Gen T’chiani accused France of allying with militants group in the Lake Chad region to undermine Niger’s security allegedly with Nigeria’s knowledge. He further stated “Nigeria authorities are not unaware of this underhanded move. In respond to the allegations, National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, told BBC Hausa service that the allegations were baseless and false. Ribadu said Nigeria would never sabotage Niger or allow any disaster to befall it. Similarly, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris said the allegations were unfounded and a diversionary tactic aimed at covering T’chiani administration failure.

While Niger republic military junta will use propaganda to justify it’s stay or failure, Nigerian government should not serve as a launching pad for distabilising the country as alleged by General T’chiani. Recently ,President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Emmanuel Macron of France have agreed to develop joint projects to promote and diversify the critical minerals value chain in their solid mineral sector. The two countries also agreed to collaborate on research, training and Franco -Nigeria student exchange to transfer knowledge. These are some of low-hanging fruits arising from MOU signed between France and Nigeria. This development coming from Niger’s republic former colony may have jittered the military junta and ultimately elicited suspicious.

Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua, Kaduna State.08169056963.