A former lawmaker Shehu Sani has identified 13 reasons Nigerians must not support any armed invasion of Niger Republic.
Sani is of the view that President Bola Tinubu should not allow himself to be pushed to initiate and trigger a war with a neighbouring country.
He claimed that no West African country has the military capability to start or sustain a war with Niger Republic.
Sani’s viewpoint is coming on the heels of the seven-day ultimatum given General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the mastermind of the supposed coup in Niger Republic, to return power to Mohammed Bazoom.
The decision formed part of resolutions reached at the emergency meeting of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, which was held in Abuja on Sunday.
However, in a post via his verified Twitter handle on Monday, the social critic urged Tinubu to continue to toe the line of dialogue with the military authorities in Niger and not war.
He wrote, “Thirteen reasons why Nigerians must not support any armed invasion of Niger Republic.
- 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 per cent of the budget of ECOWAS. I don’t see the US Congress approving unlimited arm 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 refused to stop the coup and now they are encouraging us to go to war?
- 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.
- 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.
- Saudi Arabia is still bugged down in Yemen after spending hundreds of billions of dollars which we don’t have.
- The Military Regime in Myanmar is still there and not one stronger nation is contemplating military action.
- We have a war at home against terrorism let’s concentrate here.
- Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinean forces will likely enter the war to support Niger Republic, and they will attack Nigerian territories.
- President Tinubu must continue to toe the line of dialogue with the military authorities in Niger and not War.”