The Ulama Forum in Nigeria has issued a plea to the legislative branch of the government, urging careful consideration of the country’s involvement in the ongoing power struggle in the Republic of Niger.
Expressing concerns about potential military intervention as proposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the forum cautioned against actions that might escalate tensions between Nigeria and Niger into a full-blown war.
In a joint statement signed by Aminu Inuwa Muhammad and Basheer Adamu Aliyu, the convener and secretary of the forum, it emphasized the importance of maintaining diplomatic decorum to prevent the outbreak of hostilities between the two nations, given their longstanding relationship.
The forum raised an alarm over the ultimatum issued by ECOWAS to the coup plotters, warning that this approach could have dire consequences for the entire region. ECOWAS had threatened military intervention if the coup plotters did not reinstate the democratically-elected government within a week.
“Notwithstanding the preference which many people have for democracy and its principles, the choice for the route to good governance is strictly that of citizens of each country. It is the right of the people of Niger to fight for the restoration of democracy in their country if they so wish and any attempt by anybody, anywhere, other than in Niger, will tantamount to employing undemocratic means to achieve a democratic end,” the statement partly read.
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The forum argued that ECOWAS’ ultimatum disregards democratic norms and infringes upon Niger’s sovereignty, adding that military action in Niger could exacerbate the existing security challenges in the region.
Amidst the prevailing insecurity in the Sahel, the forum contended that engaging in an international war, as some are considering, would worsen the security situation, deepen food insecurity, and hinder effective governance.
“Given the general and widespread insecurity now bedevilling the Sahel, any international war of the nature that some people are mulling will not only compound the security challenges of the region but will also make governance more difficult as more and more people will be militarized while food insecurity will bite harder.
“It is certain that the vast majority of people in Nigeria are not, and will not be, in support of war with an erstwhile good neighbour which always looks towards Nigeria as a senior partner. A war between these countries will harm friendship, cause economic hardship, worsen the humanitarian crisis, and leave hard-to-heal wounds on each party,” it read further.
Expressing fear that the war, if broken, would not augur well for the Sahel region, the forum said: “Worse of all, the putative war will render the region a theatre of war vulnerable to the exploitation of foreign interests. No, we cannot afford to fight a proxy war on behalf of resources-hungry world powers whose interests lie in our continuous subjugation.”
The forum observed that instead of ECOWAS continuing with its role of maintaining peace and security in the region by preventing all forms of foreign intrusions, it allowed itself to be cornered by those bent on stealing the resources of the region, in illegitimate ways especially dividing and ruling between the traditional lines of Anglophone and Francophone countries.
“Once the region is destabilised and divided upon itself, the healing process will be a long run one and fraught with vulnerabilities,” it warned.
The forum recommended that the Nigerian government, and by extension the ECOWAS, should retract from treading the undemocratic path of issuing threats or violence and, instead, take to the more enlightened and more informed diplomatic protocols in assisting the Niger Republic to restore its democracy.
It particularly maintained that the Nigerian National Assembly should wake up to its constitutional responsibility of critically looking into this issue and exercising the necessary check on the executive and prevent Nigeria from going into a needless war.
“Faith based organizations in the country, from across the faiths, should embark on preaching for peace in the region and maintaining the good neighbourliness that has long existed between Nigeria and Niger,” it advised.
The Ulama Forum calls upon the Muslim Ummah to embark on earnest prayers for Allah’s mercy in touching the hearts of our leaders so that they listen to the voice of reason and not succumb to the influence of subterranean hands.
“It is vitally important for the Nigerian government to consider its current formative stage and the security threats that are spread all over the nation which are stretching its resources and capabilities than to rush into an avoidable conflict with a neighbour at the behest of global politicking,” it stated.
It, however, commended the latest diplomatic initiative of sending envoys by ECOWAS to engage the military leaders of Niger in a robust and constructive dialogue, saying: “This is indeed, the right way to go and it should be explored to the maximum extent.”
