A former Kaduna central senator, Shehu Sani, has listed 13 reasons why Nigeria must tread cautiously in its intervention in the Niger Republic unrest.
For Sani, the situation in Niger will affect Nigeria in more ways than one if things escalate, which is he is calling on the federal government to look at the bigger picture that features the international community.
He advises President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to embrace dialogue in calming frayed nerves.
Below are his thoughts as expressed via Twitter on Monday, July 31:
- ECOWAS armed invasion of Niger Republic is simply a war between Nigeria and Niger because of our proximity
- 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 70 percent of the budget of ECOWAS. I don’t see the US Congress approving unlimited arms supplies for Ecowas to wage war against another country.
- .Our bordering states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, and Yobe will incur direct hit in the event of war.
- If there was no military action to dislodge the military coupists in Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Chad, why that of Niger Republic?
- Why did the American and French military bases inside Niger Republic refuse to stop the coup and now they are encouraging us to go to war?
- Niger has been helpful to Nigeria in the fight against terrorist groups and the country is currently hosting over 303 thousand Nigerian refugees; in the event of war, this can be in danger.
- President Tinubu should not allow himself to be pushed to initiate and trigger a war with a neighbouring country and later be left stranded. No West African country has any military capability to start or sustain a war with Niger Republic; everyone will be relying on Nigeria.
- 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.
