Mr President, please ponder over these few questions before embarking on the most costly international action in Nigeria’s history.
One wonders who advises Mr President! Is Ribadu actually an NSA or a yes sir boy ? Does the president think that war with another state, especially a vital neighbor and an ally of old timer is settling intergovernmental scores within a federation as done during your tenure as governor of Lagos state with former President Obasanjo?
Has the president thought out the implications of Niger’s likely decision to dam the Niger at Tillaberi or Niamey?
Has the president forgotten the cultural, religious and commercial ties that bound Nigerians and Nigeriens since precolonial times?
Is somebody blackmailing the president to drag Nigeria into the new cold war that will comfortably allow the USA to establish a military base in Nigeria?.
Has the president considered the fact that numerical strength is not the only determinant of military?
Has the president considered the fact that the so-called 260000 troop size, Nigeria couldn’t contain the Boko Haram in 15 years and counting?
Has Mr President considered also that the bulk of ECOMOG forces will be Nigerian, who are mostly demoralized?
Who advised Mr President to take such a strategic decision that has potential adverse effects on Nigeria’s national security in committee whose other votes are fronting French interests?
Mr President, think about the current economic situation and its attendant socioeconomic impact and other domestic squabbles.
Mr President, reconcile these and the investment you are commiting Nigeria’s resources in restoring democracy in Niger Republic.
Moreover, Mr President, regional union is a marriage of convenience in which any partner can leave at any time. The ECOWAS is a voluntary organization and Niger Republic or any other member can leave when its national interest is threatened or as a result of the dictates of globalisation.
Muhammad Reza Ajani Suleiman is a lecturer with the Department of Political Science and International Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
