The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has cautioned that dispatching Nigerian troops to Niger Republic without the Nigerian Senate’s authorization would amount to committing a treasonable offence.
Moreover, the MBF pointed out that any deployment of Nigerian troops at this juncture may worsen the hardship currently being experienced by Nigeria and exert additional pressure on the national economy.
Responding to the purported ECOWAS instruction for troop deployment to oust the military junta in Niger Republic, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, the National President of MBF, firmly opposed allowing Nigeria to be drawn into a proxy war in the adjacent country.
His words: ‘To me, the entire thing playing out as regards Niger Republic is like a double standard.’
‘Many things have happened in ECOWAS including those that have happened that were unconstitutional based on extant national laws. For instance today the constitution of our country is being challenged by the reason of the last election we had. Nobody came in to say that the provisions of the constitution has to be adhered to. You cannot just swear in somebody when certain conditions are not met. That was not done.’
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‘Again there are countries in West Africa that the military took over governance and they the military at still in government and ECOWAS did not say anything. Why is the issue of Niger being giving so much attention, why the double standards?’
‘So there is something fishy in this whole thing. And as a country, more than 50 percent of the people of Niger are Hausas. And they have their kith and kin in Nigeria.
‘That is why we must weigh this thing very carefully. But in the long run our already bad economy will worsen if such a war takes place, because Nigeria will be at the receiving end both ways. So it is not advisable; maybe they are being instigated by the West, we are not supposed to be fighting proxy or western wars for them.’
‘Let France fight their war; we have been suffering from Boko Haram for years now and nobody came in to assist. We shouldn’t delve into problems and issues that do not concern us.’
‘Moreover the Nigerian troops cannot be deployed outside the shores of this country without the approval of the Senate. Based on our current laws, the President cannot just deploy our troops. Recall that the President had earlier approached the Senate for deployment and the Senate refused. So for him to by-pass the Senate to do that will be a reasonable offence. So it is unfortunate if the President deploys Nigerian troops to participate under whatever guise, whether ECOWAS guise or whatever without the approval of our Senate.’
Recall that ECOWAS had earlier initiated the deployment of standby military troops for the purpose of reinstating the ousted Niger president and restoring democracy to the region.
However, following Tinubu’s letter to the Senate seeking permission to carry out military intervention in the coup-hit region, the Senate dismissed his request, restricting him from dispatching Nigerian soldiers to quell the situation; it now turns out that the Senate’s decision has been violated.