A former Kaduna Central Senator and human rights activist, Shehu Sani, has asked fellow Nigerians not to support the planned armed invasion of the neighbouring Niger Republic over the coup d’etat in the country.
LEADERSHIP reports that ECOWAS, chaired by President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, had at an extraordinary summit in Abuja on Sunday, gave a seven-day ultimatum to the Nigerien Junta to revert to status quo or face severe consequences, which might include a military action.
But, the former federal lawmaker said armed invasion of Niger, Nigeria’s neighbour to the North, will amount to a direct war between the two countries because of their proximity.
He gave 13 reasons for Nigerians not to support Tinubu government’s leadership of ECOWAS military action in the troubled West African country.
Sani, therefore, urged President Tinubu to continue to explore the dialogue option as the only way out of the logjam, saying the planned military action won’t be in the interest of Nigeria.
See Shehu Sani’s 13 reasons below:
“1. Ecowas armed invasion of Niger Republic is simply a war between Nigeria and Niger because of our proximity.
“2. Russia and Wagner May come in support of Niger Republic and Nigeria will have to use its own money to prosecute the operation; Nigeria offsets 70percent of the budget of Ecowas. I don’t see the US Congress approving unlimited arm supplies for Ecowas to wage war against another country.
“3. Our Bordering states of Sokoto,Zamfara,Katsina,Jigawa and Yobe will incur direct hit in the event of war.
“4. If there was no military action to dislodge the military coupists in Guinea,Mali,Burkina Faso and Chad,why that of Niger Republic?.
“5. Why did the American and French military bases inside Niger Republic refused to stop the coup and now they are encouraging us to go to war?
“6. Niger has been helpful to Nigeria in the fight against terrorists groups and the country is currently hosting over 303 thousand Nigerian refugees;in the event of war this can be in danger.
“7. President Tinubu should not allow himself to be pushed to initiate and trigger a war with a neighbouring country and later be left http://stranded.No west African country has any military capability to start or sustain a war with Niger Republic;everyone will be relying on Nigeria.
“8. We should not cry more than the bereaved; If the people of Niger Republic don’t want Military rule,let them fight to remove it themselves.We fought our own military rulers and some of us even went to jail in that struggle.Let them fight their fight.
“9. Saudi Arabia is still bugged down in Yemen after spending hundreds of billions of dollars which we don’t have.
“10. The Military Regime in Myanmar is still there and not one stronger nation is contemplating military action.
“11. We have a war at home against terrorism let’s concentrate here.
“12. Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinean forces will likely enter the war to support Niger Republic and they will attack Nigerian territories.
“13. President Tinubu must continue to toe the line of dialogue with the military authorities in Niger and not War.”
