Since the unfortunate coup d’etat carried out by General Abdulrahman T’chini, the head of the Niger Republic military junta against the country’s democratically elected president, Muhammed Bazoun, in July 2023, Nigeria/Niger relationship has been strained or can be described as that of cat and mouse.
The Niger Republic bloodless coup which ousted the Mohammed Bazoun’s civilian government had come after the 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 fashion. 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 its limitations or imperfections as being witnessed in many countries that have adopted it. In recent times, democracy has bred corruption, injustice and insecurity.
The military junta which staged coup and overthrew civilian government in the Sahel region cited corruption, insecurity and poor governance as their main reason. The Niger Republic junta blamed ousted President Bauzon for conniving with France to exploit and cart away uranium deposit in the country.
It also accused the Bauzon government for poor handling of insecurity in the country. What triggered and fueled the sour diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Niger Republic is that after the 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 Bazoun.
President Tinubu’s commitment to restore democracy in Niger Republic had led to the imposition of sanctions such as the cut off of electricity supply and border closure on Niger. This came after all avenues had been explored, including sending powerful delegations to mediate and convince the military to backtrack or change their mind to no avail.
Despite the economic sanctions slammed on the Sahelian countries which experienced coup d’etat, the junta have refused to cede to ECOWAS’s demand to conduct elections and return those countries to democratic rule. Instead, the military junta accused ECOWAS of abandoning them during their trying times.
Since the military takeover, in the spirit of brotherliness, the Nigerian government has been mounting pressure for the return of democracy in Niger. Historically, Nigeria and Niger Republic share cultural, religious and economic ties.
This is the reason President Tinubu, as the head of ECOWAS, was restrained from using military force against the Niger junta when it struck. However, recently, the Niger military leader, General T’chiani, accused the Nigerian government of plans to distabilise his country.
In a Christmas Day interview, General 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 stated “Nigerian authorities are not unaware of this underhanded move.
In response to the allegations, the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, told the 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, the Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said the allegations were unfounded and a diversionary tactic aimed at covering up the T’chiani administration’s failure.
While the Niger Republic junta could use propaganda to justify its stay or failure, the Nigerian government should not serve as a launch pad for distabilising the country as alleged by General T’chiani.
Recently, President Tinubu and Emmanuel Macron of France agreed to develop joint projects to promote and diversify the critical value chain in their solid mineral sector. The two countries also agreed to collaborate on research, training and Franco-Nigerian students exchange to transfer knowledge.
These are some of the low-hanging fruits arising from the MoU signed between France and Nigeria. This development, coming from Niger’s former colonial masters, may have sent jitters to the junta and consequently elicited their suspicions.
