COUP: We Struck To Save Nigeria, Niger From Imminent Threat, Says Gen Tchiani
Leader of the military junta in the Republic of Niger, General Abdourahmane Tchiani has said that their reason in overthrowing the government was to save the country and Nigeria from danger.
Tchiani who who spoke over the weekend said that the coup in which they overthrew President Mohammad Bazoum was well intended and was carried out to avert an imminent threat that would have affected not only the Niger Republic but also Nigeria.
This came as the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, for the second time in a week, appealed to the Federal Government to take head-on, the corruption, insecurity and skewed appointments in the country, rather than declaring war on Niger Republic.
Recall that prior to ECOWAS leaders’ decision to adopt a military option against the coup leaders in Niger Republic last weekend, the Catholic Bishops had advised the chairman, President Bola Tinubu, and other West African leaders not to give in to military intervention in the country.
This is even as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25, 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, advised the Federal Government and ECOWAS to prioritize diplomacy, instead of military force to resolve the standoff with the coupists in Niger Republic.
‘ECOWAS didn’t hear our side — Gen. Tchiani’
General Tchiani said it was painful to the coup leaders that the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Heads of State and Government leaders did not hear their side of the matter before issuing an ultimatum to them to quit office.
Speaking when he received Nigeria’s intervention team, comprising prominent Islamic scholars in the country in Niamey, the coup leader and the Nigerian team agreed to intensify the option of dialogue in resolving the political crisis in his country.
A statement by the leader of the Islamic Ulamma, Sheik Bala Lau, stated that General Tchiani, who accorded the team warm reception, welcomed their intervention.
According to the statement, the military leader said their doors are open to explore diplomacy and peace in resolving the matter.
He apologised for not according to the team sent by President Bola Tinubu, led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, retd, the required attention because they were angry about the ECOWAS ultimatum.
While tracing historical ties between the two nations, he said Niger Republic and Nigeria are not only neighbours but also brothers and sisters who should resolve issues amicably.
The statement explained that the Islamic Ulammas met with General Tchiani for several hours in Niamey during which they deliberated on all the issues, including the demand by ECOWAS leaders that former President Bazoum be reinstated.
Bala Lau, National Chairman of Jamatul Izalatu Bida Waikamatu Sunnah, said the clerics were in Niger on behalf of President Bola Tinubu who accepted their request to intervene.
Sheik Lau said the team had earlier told President Tinubu who is also the Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government that their position was that the political impasse in Niger is resolved through dialogue.
He, therefore, told General Tchiani that the visit to Niger was to engage in constructive dialogue to encourage him and other military leaders behind the coup to toe the path of peace, instead of war, to resolve the crisis.
Speaking with journalists in Niamey after the meeting, another member of the intervention team and Chief Missioner of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Sheik Ahmad Abdulrahman, said contrary to reports in some sections of the media, the team was well received by General Tchiani and both parties had fruitful discussions.
He said: “We will now go back home and report to President Tinubu what we have discussed and press it on him that war is not an option in resolving the political crisis in his country.
A statement by the leader of the Islamic Ulamma, Sheik Bala Lau, stated that General Tchiani, who accorded the team warm reception, welcomed their intervention.
According to the statement, the military leader said their doors are open to explore diplomacy and peace in resolving the matter.
He apologised for not according to the team sent by President Bola Tinubu, led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, retd, the required attention because they were angry about the ECOWAS ultimatum.
While tracing historical ties between the two nations, he said the Niger Republic and Nigeria are not only neighbours but also brothers and sisters who should resolve issues amicably.
The statement explained that the Islamic Ulammas met with General Tchiani for several hours in Niamey during which they deliberated on all the issues, including the demand by ECOWAS leaders that former President Bazoum be reinstated.
Bala Lau, National Chairman of Jamatul Izalatu Bida Waikamatu Sunnah, said the clerics were in Niger on behalf of President Bola Tinubu who accepted their request to intervene.
Sheik Lau said the team had earlier told President Tinubu who is also the Chairman of Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government that their position was that the political impasse in Niger be resolved through dialogue.
He, therefore, told General Tchiani that the visit to Niger was to engage in constructive dialogue to encourage him and other military leaders behind the coup to toe the path of peace, instead of war, to resolve the crisis.
Speaking with journalists in Niamey after the meeting, another member of the intervention team and Chief Missioner of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Sheik Ahmad Abdulrahman, said contrary to reports in some sections of the media, the team was well received by General Tchiani and both parties had fruitful discussions.
He said: “we will now go back home and report to President Tinubu what we have discussed and press it on him that war is not an option in resolving the matter.
“We believe that war is an ill wind that will not blow any good and that peaceful resolution should prevail.”
Confirming Sheik Lau’s statement, Niger Republic’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, said General Tchiani gave the green light for talks with ECOWAS and was optimistic that the talks would take place in the next few days.
‘’We have agreed and the leader of our country has given the green light for dialogue. They will now go back and inform the Nigerian President what they have heard from us.
‘’We hope in the coming days, they (ECOWAS) will come here to meet us to discuss how the sanctions imposed against us will be lifted,” he said.
The team comprised scholars from Islamic sects in the country.
Among those on the delegation were Sheik Kabiru Gombe — Secretary, Jamatul Izalatul Bida Waikamatul Sunnah; Sheik Yakubu Musa Hassan Katsina, Director Daawah, JIBWIS; Sheik Ibrahim Dahiru Bauchi, who represented Sheik Ibrahim Bauchi; and Dr Khalid Aliya- Secretary General, Jammatul Nasril Islam, JNI.
Others are Sheik Karibullah Nasiru Kabara, leader of Khadriya Group Nigeria; Sheik Ahmad Abdurahman; Professor Salisu Sheri, Deputy Secretary-General Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA; Sheik Nasiru Abdul Muhayuid, Director Admin, JIBWIS Jos; Professor Mansur Sokoto; and Alhaji Mele Kyari.
Fight corruption, insecurity, skewed appointments, not Niger Republic, CBCN tells FG
In a similar development, Catholic Bishops yesterday asked the Federal Government to relentlessly fight corruption, insecurity, lopsided appointments and other ills bedevilling Nigeria, instead of going to battle with the Niger Republic.
President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji, who made the appeal in a homily he delivered during a Eucharistic celebration at Maria Assumpta Cathedral, Owerri, said: “The drums of war have continued to sound, despite stout opposition against such a costly exercise.
“The recent decision of the ECOWAS Heads of State remains a strong pointer that they are determined to prosecute the war.
“Our leaders must find a way of remaining in constant communication with the rest of us. The idea of behaving as if the citizens and their wishes do not matter, cannot be the best option for our leaders. They should respect our wishes.
“We are in very turbulent times in Nigeria. We are surrounded by people who are barely managing to have one meal a day. We are, like people in a rickety boat that is being tossed about by a violent wave, in the middle of an ocean.
“There are several challenges facing Nigerians today. They include large-scale corruption, which has been crippling our nation.
‘’We are also grappling with kidnapping, armed robbery, Boko Haram, unknown gunmen, and skewed appointments that are detrimental to some sections of the country. The recent ministerial appointments are a typical example.
“They are ferocious battles, in their own rights and we will not like to create an additional war with our brothers in Niger Republic. We can’t afford to use taxpayers’ money to fight a war that does not concern us.
“If we should fight a battle, it should be against the galloping vices. We should be ambassadors of peace and reconciliation.
“There is just no sense in abandoning our problems to take up the problems of other nations.”
Prioritise dialogue, diplomacy, Obi urges FG, ECOWAS
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has advised the Federal Government and ECOWAS to prioritize diplomacy instead of military force to resolve the standoff with coupists in Niger Republic.
Obi made his views public in a series of tweets from his official handle on Sunday. The LP candidate urged the feuding parties to place greater importance on diplomacy above every other crisis resolution option available.
He said: “The recent developments in neighbouring Niger Republic have become the subject of international attention.
“Inevitably, Niger is a hot-button issue for ECOWAS, as well as various international interlocutors.”
According to him, regardless of the positions taken by various parties that have direct or tangential interests in Niger, Obi advised that “primacy must be given to dialogue and diplomacy towards a resolution with minimal disruptive impact on Nigeria and the West African sub-region, and must take into consideration the realpolitik of the West African sub-region”
He applauded the respective mediatory efforts by former Head of state, Gen. Abudusalami Abubakar, retd, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the 14th Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Muhammad Sanusi.
“Whereas ECOWAS authorities have indicated that they remain open to various conflict resolution options, it is imperative that diplomacy should remain the overarching imperative in resolving the present crisis.
“I like to join the many well-meaning Nigerians who have advocated that any intervention in the crisis should be pre-eminently through diplomatic dialogue among all strategic interests in the crisis.
“It is imperative that the people of Niger are allowed via their national institutions, the opportunity to revert quickly to a representative democratic government. And that all national, regional, and international assistance should be extended to the people of Niger to return their country to normalcy.
“While ECOWAS must seek to discourage the spread of military dictatorships in West Africa, the recourse to armed deterrence must be restrained by multilateral diplomatic mechanisms.
“What the situation in Niger urgently calls for is a concerted multilateral coalition of Nigeria, ECOWAS, the AU, and the UN towards a programmed return to a democratic constitutional order. In this process, Nigeria’s leadership role must not be in any doubt,’’ Obi said.
Credit: Vanguard News (except inputs in headline and introduction)
