President Bola Tinubu on Thursday warned that African countries will s¥ffer the consequences of forceful removal of democratically elected government by soldiers if the big sticks were not wielded on the putschists.
President Tinubu also said all diplomatic options will be exhausted with the military junta in Niger Republic before any last resort of military intervention comes into the picture, insisting that any forceful removal of a democratic government remains “wholly unacceptable.”
Receiving the Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the State House, President Tinubu noted that the alternative of kinetic intervention in Niger Republic had not been jettisoned.
The President in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale was quoted as saying, “I must thank you for your several visits to Niger Republic, Your Eminence, but you will still have to go back. My fear has been confirmed in Gabon that copy cats will start doing the same thing until it is stopped. We are neighbours with Niger Republic, and what has joined Nigerians together with their great people cannot be broken. Nobody is interested in a war. We have seen the devastation in Ukraine and Sudan. But, if we don’t wield the big stick, we will all s¥ffer the consequences together. “
President Tinubu noted that Nigeria, under General Abdulsalami Abubakar, instituted a nine-month transition programme in 1998, and it proved very successful, leading the country into a new era of democratic governance. The President sees no reason why such can not be replicated in Niger, if Niger’s military authorities are sincere.
“Your Eminence, please don’t get tired, you will still go back there. The soldiers’ action is unacceptable. The earlier they make positive adjustments, the quicker we will dial back the sanctions to alleviate the sufferings we are seeing in Niger,” the President affirmed.
