Niger republic coup, Nigeria must tread with caution by Yahaya Abdulrahman
Going by the position Nigeria holds in the league of African nations, one would naturally expect her to at least, identify and possibly support any country in the continent, following any development therefrom. Not only is Nigeria the most populated black country in the world, she takes pride as the largest African economy, has many other advantages, plus, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is currently ECOWAS Chairman.
In view of the foregoing, recent happenings in and around Niger Republic cannot go without drawing her attention. While it is alright to pay attention to coup staged by military forces in Niger, wade into the matter with a view to see to the return of democracy now or in the nearest future, and of course, sustained peace and development, it is very wrong to not thread with caution.
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Resorting to military action, as is likely the next step, will mean investing huge amount of resources for the country, lost of fine soldiers whose number may be outrageous and only God knows how long the war will last, whether or not it would be justified in the end or it will become counterproductive, putting President Mohammed Bazoum’s life at risk. More disturbing is, this is happening at a time the country is facing serious economic hardship, with cost of living rising to unbearable level, resulting from subsidy removal on PMS.
Owing to this painful reality, protests have already commenced in some parts of the country, so has looting of government owned stores, both of which signals a clear message; that citizens are both hungry, angry and dissatisfied. With this unhealthy scenario comes increasing insecurity where insurgency, militancy, banditry, farmers/herders crises, among other security situations keep consuming innocent lives and valuable resources.
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Proactive measures must be taken by Tinubu led Administration to cushion effects of economic crunch, winning the trust, confidence, support and solidarity of the population in the process, while bringing insecurity under check. Only then would Nigeria’s involvement in Niger or any other African country’s condition be appreciated by Nigerians. We ought to learn from history.
At the moment, the last Presidential broadcast has not achieved desired result – since it has neither put food or any table nor brought about increased income for individuals, the rich and the poor alike. Until the good plans as contained in President Tinubu’s speech come to effect, only an insignificant proportion of the population is ready to listen, more so that cost of governance has not reflected in the call for collective sacrifice. The common man is saying no to being the only one to make sacrifice for the good of the country while the privileged few in government live fat on tax paid by them.
Granted, for diplomatic reasons, we should not watch idly, military juntas usurping democracy, especially right by our boarders, more so that it poses great deal of danger, for infiltration of weapons into the country may heighten, we should be careful enough not to further expose ourselves to criminals lurking around the corner to strike in the name of taking over any part of the country, which bandits hope to achieve or cessation, which IPOB aims at.
Yahaya Abdulrahman writes from Oversea junction, Nasarawa State, and can be reached via: ibnyahya02@gmail.com
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