Former governor of Abia State, Uzor Kalu, has urged Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu to stop waging war on the Niger Republic through the regional West African bloc of ECOWAS over the country’s ongoing military takeover.
ECOWAS leaders on Thursday directed the deployment of standby military soldiers to Niger Republic in order to restore constitutional order of the deposed President Mohammad Bazoum who has been on a house arrest by a group of military officers, on July 26.
The Western regional bloc of ECOWAS has also reeled out several sanctions on the Niger Republic following the military junta’s refusal to restore democratic order in the rich Uranium nation.
While the Nigerian Senate has rejected the move of ECOWAS to send troops to Niger, Mr Kalu also a senator for Abia North, has expressed caution that taking a war to Niger which he describes as Nigeria’s backyard comes with severe consequences.
He said if the US, France and UK governments badly want a war in Niger, they can send their own people as they have a military base stationed there.
His words:
“I believe President Tinubu is not president of ECOWAS, I saw a press conference here in Washington USA, that says that the President of ECOWAS has declared that ECOWAS service chiefs should move to war and that is not Nigeria.
“Niger Republic is in our backyard and Nigeria should not join ECOWAS’ plan of military invasion. If the US, France and UK want war in Niger, they can send their own people. Nigeria can support with finance but not with our soldiers. No Nigerian soldier deserves to die in another country because of war.
“Fighting a war in Niger Republic is not necessary as no one is sure of the sponsors and how it would end. Nigeria, US and France can intervene in Niger by giving them between one year and six months to hand over to a new government.”
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana on Friday also asked leaders of the ECOWAS to reject the western invitation by France and her allies to fight a proxy war in the Niger Republic.
Mr Falana, who is also a senior lawyer, charged the western African regional bloc of ECOWAS to promote dialogue with the military junta.
External intervention
The News.ng had reported how US Vice President Kamala Harris and United State Secretary of State Antony Blinken communicated with President Tinubu separately praising him for leading efforts to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger, which is currently dealing with an army-led revolution.
Both leaders voiced their support for President Tinubu’s ongoing efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger. President Tinubu was recently elected as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State.
