By Bashir Aliyu
Over the past few weeks, there has been a propaganda spin bedlam on the social media in Niger Republic accusing the Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar of acting on the whims of Western powers especially France, as a result of his consistent stance on the country’s junta to release President Bazoum and have a definitive time line of leaving power.
The military coup in Niger can simply not be tolerated anymore, and Nigeria has an obligation to diplomatically defend democracy under its foreign policy doctrine, and the crippling economic sanctions which has made life harder for the citizens of Niger Republic are never meant to directly hurt the citizens but to pressure the junta into negotiating table under which the deposed president Bazoum will be released and the country will begin to take a genuine path towards the restoration of democracy.
The severe economic sanctions Nigeria led bloc imposed on Niger are coordinated with the active members of the ECOWAS, and Nigeria has an independent foreign policy which is impervious to being dictated by any global power. So it does not make any sense to accuse Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs of being a stooge.
In his response to a conspiracy theory that Nigeria is acting aggressively on Niger on behalf of France or any foreign power, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar dispelled the rumors as a mere work of misinformation, stating that Nigeria has a long history of defending democracies in Africa. “Everybody knows Nigeria’s track record when it comes to standing for what is right – the fight for freedom in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola, and Mozambique. We are always there. We remain consistent. We see what we’re doing also about Palestine and what is happening in Gaza. This is exactly what we’re also saying about the situation in Niger.” He was quoted as saying during the COP28 Conference in Dubai.
It is noteworthy that there have been six successful coups in West Africa in just two years as Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinnea Bissau and Niger that are all members of the ECOWAS fell to coup d’etat which are a huge setback not only for democracy and the rule of law that underpin the existence of the ECOWAS but also to the security and humanitarian crisis in the region. As the risk of military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger subsided, Nigeria, since the shuttle diplomat Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar took charge of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it has become more assertive in its foreign policy as democracy falls under the 4D_ democracy, development, demographic and diaspora which is known as the Tinubu Doctrine. So, necessary steps are needed to stop the trend and deter potential power usurpers.
There are calls for ECOWAS to lift the biting economic sanctions on Niger, but the goal of the sanctions against the landlocked country is to ensure the return of stability to Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso which have witnessed a steep rise in terrorist attacks. According to Omar Alieu, the President of ECOWAS Commission, the security continues to deteriorate in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger as terrorist attacks put over 4.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and more than 2 million people are internally displaced.
Nobody disputes the fact that the sanctions hurt ordinary Nigeriens. However, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar and ECOWAS President have been clear that the door of diplomacy is still open to the junta. Release Bazoum so that he can leave for a neutral country, and once the country’s junta makes progress on reforms that would pave the way for its return to civilian rules, sanctions can be relaxed and Niger can normalize its relations with its neighbors.
The junta and the citizens of Niger should realize that Tuggar is not the problem but they are the architects of their own misfortune, the earlier they wake up and do the right thing the better for their country and the region.