Nigerians support NASS and oppose the Ecowas w@r plan
The Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) plan to send soldiers to the Niger Republic in order to overthrow the Military junta was rejected by Nigeriens yesterday.
The elected President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was overthrown on July 26 by a group of military officers led by General Abdourhamane Tchiani, who has since been holding him and his family hostage at the Presidential Palace in Niamey.
At an emergency Heads of State meeting held on Thursday in Abuja, ECOWAS directed its standby force to reinstate constitutional order in the Niger Republic.
Direct the committee of the Chief of Defence Staff to promptly activate the ECOWAS standby force with all of its components, according to the resolution.
“Order the deployment of ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger; Underscore its continued commitment to the restoration of constitutional order through peaceful means.”
‘Avoid military action,’ said Ikpomwen, a former provost marshal in the Nigerian Army
Brigadier-Gen Don Idada Ikpomwen, a former Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, stated to Saturday Vanguard that Niger is a sovereign nation and that the recent military coup there had the support of the Nigerian people. There has been a revolution, which is good.
Nothing is greater than a system of laws or a government that upholds the interests and welfare of the populace. After carefully debating all pertinent topics, the Nigerian Senate decided against using military action to restore the former president to office.
According to our Constitution, we cannot send Nigerian Forces on a combat mission abroad without the Senate’s consent. The urgency that would demand otherwise is not discernible.
“The ECOWAS Treaty cannot support a violent intervention in Niger, especially since Nigerians will have to endure such an adventure.” The UN non-intervention principle may need to be eased in light of the recognition given to democracy, but it still forbids draconian actions that utilize force. In the current situation, aggressive military involvement in Niger would be dictatorial.
Only a diplomatic course of action will do. It might be important to emphasize that ‘democratically elected’ rulers who are complicit in the corruption that is destroying their people cannot use the worldwide standard of democracy as a cover for continuing to rule ineffectively and destroying and impoverishing their people.
In a similar line, corrupt governments in the so-called underdeveloped countries must not be encouraged or supported by Western powers acting out of self-interest.
HM Ayemi-Botu: It is a farce.
The supreme head of Seimbiri Kingdom in Delta State, HM Charles Ayemi-Botu, responded to the war plan by saying: “ECOWAS ordering deployment of soldiers to oust military junta in Niger is a charade and misnomer without fulfilling the conventionally accepted norms of going to war as Russia is doing in Ukraine. Before engaging in such antagonism against a fellow sovereign nation, the ECOWAS countries must first obtain authority or clearance from their National Assembly and the UN Organization. Before attempting such a suicide mission, ECOWAS needs to address a number of intriguing questions. Is Niger the only ECOWAS nation ruled by the military, and if not, what about Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea? So why does Niger have to be an exception?
Who is funding the war, and does ECOWAS have the resources to do so? Is there any chance that the other three militarized nations will help you, as well as Russia, Libya, and other Muslim nations? Five of Nigeria’s states directly border Niger, making them targets for Niger if ECOWAS embarks on its restoration campaign. ECOWAS should be ready to restore the other three countries as well. President Tinubu and the other ECOWAS leaders appear to be grieving more than the bereaved, which suggests that they would rather brush the dust from someone else’s eye than care about the log in their own eye. Due to his elimination of the subsidy, which is still provided in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other industrialized nations, Tinubu is facing a litany of problems and crises, including the daily increase in the price of petroleum goods.
To put it bluntly, the elimination of subsidies is a cankerworm for the entire Nigerian population. The President already has enough to worry about with the unchecked corruption, insurgency, failure to quickly implement economic changes that cause the naira to depreciate against the dollar, compounding foreign loans, and other issues. Nigerians should brace themselves for the worst since President Tinubu has pledged to follow the abject governance of his predecessor, Buhari, as he has eloquently demonstrated.
Ogwuche, SAN: ECOWAS lacks the authority to attack Niger
Festus Ogwuche, SAN, a respected member of the legal community, declared that ECOWAS lacked the moral and legal authority to conduct any military intervention into the territory of its member states. That would be considered aggression, which is against international law.
The ECOWAS Treaty, Protocols, or Declaratory Principles do not contain any provisions that would permit the regional organization to attack another nation in the name of preserving democracy. Let’s even set moral questions aside and examine whether or not such unilateral action is appropriate.
Tell me when the pledges to the preservation and promotion of democracy changed into a right to use force in order to restore democracy. We are aware of the circumstances surrounding the organization’s engagement in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Guinea, which border on significant humanitarian concerns.
Such action is entirely prohibited by the core political principles of the ECOWAS. Humanitarian law attaches substantial repercussions to the use of force in any form due to the established international criminal responsibility it engenders for perpetrators. It outright prohibits the use of force in all forms.
As a regional organization, ECOWAS should refrain from taking such action; instead, those directly involved should be prepared to bear the criminal liability it entails under international law.
Examine the problems properly – IHRC President Saidu
Alhaji Musa Saidu, the president of the International Human Rights Commission, Ecology and Marine, Africa, pleaded with President Bola Tinubu and other ECOWAS leaders to look into the circumstances that led to the military takeover. He claimed that this would help the regional integration body decide the best course of action. He cautioned ECOWAS leaders against taking quick military action in the Niger Republic and urged them to use all other available options first because the Niger Republic is mostly a developing nation. Let them interview people and look at the problems.
“The Niger Republic suffers from widespread poverty and hunger. It is a poor, landlocked nation. When making decisions, ECOWAS leaders should also take the region’s poor people’s predicament into account. The ECOWAS leaders should conduct a thorough investigation into the problems that led to the situation in the Niger Republic. African leaders should learn from this and work to eradicate poverty and insecurity within their own nations.
Order for military deployment, says Ikimi, a lawyer
“I think the order for the deployment of ECOWAS soldiers to oust the military junta in Niger and restore constitutional order is a welcome development where diplomacy fails,” human rights activist and attorney Oghenejabor Ikimi said in an interview with Saturday Vanguard.
It is evidence that ECOWAS, as a sub-regional organization, may now bite and bark simultaneously. I believe that ECOWAS is conscious of the critical need to stop the military coup epidemic plaguing the sub-Saharan and Sahel Region before it spreads to their own countries. Because it is a sub-regional issue supported by the AU, EU, US, France, and Great Britain, Nigeria won’t bear as much of the load as has been suggested in many places.
This ECOMOG is not the one that was hastily established in the past by Nigeria alone. ECOMOG was primarily a Nigerian endeavor rather than a regional endeavor. In cases where diplomacy fails, military action would be the last resort. The recent rejection of separate delegations from Nigeria, ECOWAS, and the US by the Niger military junta makes me believe that military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger would be imminent, and the Nigerian Senate may need to reevaluate its previous position.
But ECOWAS must also oppose the institutional coups that are occurring in many of its member states by standing apart from autocrats. There is little doubt that these inactions and omissions contributed to the coup in our sub-region. They must not support military coup, he advised.
Nigerians are in favor of their Senate – Mudiaga-Odje, attorney at law
Dr. Akpo Mudiaga Odje, a constitutional lawyer, stated: “In fact, our Constitution gives the Senate unrestricted authority to authorise the deployment of Nigerian military on an overseas mission, as in the case of the Republic of Niger. It suggested a conciliatory approach but declined to approve of it. Nigeria, as chair of ECOWAS, will knowingly or unknowingly assume enormous obligations in this area as a result of the organization’s support of military intervention in Niger.
According to the 1999 Constitution, the President is still permitted to send soldiers to Niger with those from other ECOWAS nations, but he must obtain Senate approval seven days after the deployment.
Not later than 14 days after the President has ordered our forces to go on that mission to Niger, the Senate must authorize the same. Mr. President is, in my opinion, in a terrible pickle. We owe them a duty to support their goal to reestablish constitutional democracy in West Africa, if not all of Africa, as ECOWAS Chair. Everyone should do it, especially Nigeria, the hub of power for the entire region and all of Africa. Nigeria must consequently work with ECOWAS to develop and implement a military strategy to bring back democracy in Niger. Mr. President may request the Senate’s approval to send Nigerian troops in accordance with this admirable ECOWAS tenet after seven days. Above all, Mr. President can offer significant financial support and logistical support for the harsh enforcement of the honorable ECOWAS judgment.
Conflict is bad for Nigeria – Former IYC President Omare
Eric Omare, a lawyer and the former president of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, stated: “From a legal standpoint, the President of Nigeria cannot deploy the military forces for combat activities in Nigeria without the assent of the National Assembly convening in a joint session. From a constitutional standpoint, the Senate has already restricted Nigeria’s ability to deploy its military forces by rejecting the initial request.
But from a diplomatic standpoint, I would advise that they look at various alternatives to using force to resolve disputes, with the main objective being to bring back Niger’s constitutional government. Because of the situational facts, I recommend this choice.
Restoring some economic stability is our urgent challenge as a nation. In light of the fact that the primary rule of international relations for any country is domestic interest, going to war in Niger and using our limited resources there will only worsen our current economic condition.
Leave the military option alone – Former PFN chair Ekwok
Dr. Lawrence Ekwok, lecturer in mass communication at the University of Calabar in Cross River State and the immediate past chair of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, said, “I am concerned about Nigeria. Is it normal for a man to leave his own burning home to go battle another man over the ownership of their family with his brother? How can someone leading the fight to reinstate a legitimate regime that was purportedly installed illegitimately lead from a position where some people even accuse him of holding a seat illegally?
Nigeria should just give up on military alternatives and settle for a diplomatic solution because the situation is deeper and trickier than it first appears. If Nigeria insists on a military solution, it might come to regret this in the end. How many other ECOWAS nations have the actual military capability to assist Nigeria in the conflict? It’s important to keep in mind that certain ECOWAS nations do not support the military action for obvious reasons, making it extremely harder to wage war with a split parliament.
Onuesoke, a PDP leader, said he opposed military action.
Former candidate for governor of Delta State and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, stated: “I think Nigeria’s President, who heads ECOWAS, is not competent enough to authorise military action against the junta from a moral, political, and continental standpoint. I anticipated that ECOWAS would engage in diplomatic negotiations. Second, how credible are the elections that put some of these West African nations who are declaring themselves to be civilized nations in power? These elections are under doubt. I personally oppose military action. Even if it takes 180 days to form a transitional government, I believe that we should start diplomatic efforts.
Has Tinubu been successful in suppressing the insurgency and Boko Haram in Nigeria? Has he succeeded in preventing kidnapping in Nigeria? The Niger Republic is still being terrorized by kidnappers, bandits, and gunmen after almost 100 days in power, according to someone who claims to want to fight it. The Niger Republic should not be attacked militarily, in my opinion. It won’t function.
Emiaso, former president of the customary court, advised against using force.
“I don’t think that ECOWAS or Tinubu’s Nigeria has what it takes to engage in any military action in Niger,” said Miakpo Emiaso, a retired president of the Delta State Area Customary Court. My recommendation is that Nigeria avoid engaging in any military operations in Niger.
Nigeria doesn’t have the resources to do it, and even if they had, they wouldn’t accomplish what they set out to do. They won’t succeed in their goal.In this sense, the Tinubu administration has already committed numerous errors.
First off, keep in mind that the coup in Niger is not a coup against the President’s government that was overthrown. The other francophone West African nations that surround Niger are helping the coup plotters since the French government has been cruel to their colonial regions, which is why the coup in Niger is a coup against France.
Therefore, the coup is not against the President but rather against France and her colonial policies. Therefore, if you pursue a military strategy, you will engage in combat not just with Niger but also with other former French possessions. On this topic, we lack a solid foundation on a philosophical level. Tinubu shouldn’t risk the lives of Nigerians in order to defend a person whose administrative apparatus was doing more harm than good to his nation. Nigeria will be significantly impacted by military action in Niger.
Once you begin military operations in Niger, Nigerans would flee into Nigeria, creating a complicated refugee crisis for which Nigeria is not prepared. If they manage to get into Nigeria, it would cause us more issues, put a strain on our food supply, and worsen the local security situation as more bandits will enter the nation. It is simply not an option to take military action. Don’t just walk over there.
Hon Umoh, a former Akwa Ibom speaker, stated: “I back the Niger coupists.”
Hon. Peter Umoh, a former representative from Akwa Ibom State, praised the 10th Senate of Nigeria for its decision to reject President Tinubu’s call for military intervention to restore democracy in the Niger Republic. However, Umoh, a former speaker of the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly, said he would back a military coup in Niger if it meant the country would be freed from France’s colonial rule. “In my opinion, the Senate has acted well and considerately of Nigerians, especially those whose states and communities border the Niger Republic,” he said.
It is crucial that, when a scenario like the one in the Niger Republic emerges, the ECOWAS community or authority does not immediately take the last course of action within its power. It is crucial that each of the ECOWAS member nations set aside time to confer with their legislatures, traditional leaders, and notable individuals.
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