Economic Community of West Africa States has slammed fresh sanctions on Niger Republic following the Ouster of a democratically elected government of President Mohammed Bazoum by a band of soldiers recently.
This is coming amid calls by Arewa Consultative Forum, the apex Northern sociocultural group, on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the regional bloc to lift the a slew of sanctions already imposed on the francophone country.
ECOWAS had earlier given the military junta in Niger a seven-day ultimatum to restore President Bazoum to office or risk a flurry of sanctions, including putting booths on the ground to evict the Junta.
But the leaders of the military junta called the bluff of ECOWAS even as they received support from Nigerians, and neighbouring countries of Mali snd Burkina Faso.
The junta has vowed to resist any foreign intervention in Niger’s matter and proceeded to severe the country’s diplomatic ties with Nigeria, Togo, France and the United States of America.
They also shut down Nigerien airspace indefinitely.
Expectedly, ECOWAS had scheduled a meeting for Thursday to review the situation in the West African nation as its initial 7 – Day ultimatum elapsed last Sunday.
However, addressing State House correspondents on Tuesday, Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, revealed that more sanctions had been imposed on the individuals and entities connected to the military junta in the Niger Republic.
Ngelale was silent on nature of the fresh sanctions, but said they had been implemented through the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The Presidential spokesman said, “I can also report that following the expiration of the deadline of the ultimatum and standing on the preexisting consensus position of financial sanctions meted out on the military junta in Niger Republic by the bloc of ECOWAS Heads of State, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an additional slew of financial sanctions through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on entities and individuals related to or involved with the military junta in Niger Republic.
“The ECOWAS mandate, and ultimatum is not a Nigerian ultimatum. It is not a Nigerian mandate and the office of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also serving as the chairman of ECOWAS seeks to emphasize this point. That due to certain domestic and international media coverage, tending toward a personalization of the ECOWAS sub regional position to his Person and to our nation individually.
“It is because of this that Mr. president has deemed it necessary to state unequivocally that the mandate and ultimatum issued by ECOWAS is that of ECOWAS’s position. While His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assumed the ECOWAS chairmanship, the position of ECOWAS conveys the consensus position of member heads of state. And a coup will not occur in one’s backyard, without one being particularly aware of it.
“The president in recent days, particularly following the expiration of the ultimatum given by ECOWAS has widened consultations internationally but most especially domestically, including interfaces with state governors in Nigeria, who govern states bordering Niger Republic on the various fallouts and outcomes of the unfortunate situation that has unfolded in Niger Republic.
“But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, wishes to emphasize to this distinguished audience that the response of ECOWAS to the military coup in Niger has been and will remain devoid of ethnic and religious sentiments and considerations.
“The regional bloc is made up of all sub regional ethnic groups, religious groups, and all other forms of human diversity. And the response of ECOWAS, therefore, represents all of these groups, and not any of these groups individually.”
Meanwhile, the Northern socio-political organisation, Arewa Consultative Forum, on Tuesday, called for the lifting of sanctions against Niger Republic by President Bola Tinubu and the Economic Community of West African States.
ACF Publicity Secretary, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, in a statement urged Tinubu and ECOWAS to dialogue more with the Niger military junta to prevent a further breakdown of talks due to the expiration of the deadline earlier given to the regime to return the country to democratic rule immediately.
“We at the ACF would like to reiterate our condemnation of the coup and demand that the personal safety of President Mohamed Bazoum and members of his government be guaranteed by the coup leaders.
“Nigeria and Niger have had brotherly relations over the years and the ACF upon reviewing the latest political impasse, economic sanctions and expiration of the one-week deadline given to the military junta in Niger, has come to the conclusion that dialogue remains the best option to avoid a catastrophic occurrence of events between the two nations and the West African sub-region. We should utilise all available goodwill, diplomatic, political, economic and human assets to win back the confidence of the people of Niger, who have, historically, come to regard Nigeria as a Big Brother!
“Towards this end, and to boost confidence measures, the ACF urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ECOWAS to review the situation and restore full dialogue with the Nigerien military junta through the immediate lifting of the economic blockade and other sanctions imposed on the country as a sign of goodwill to facilitate swift dialogue.
“We call on President Tinubu and ECOWAS to revisit their approach to the Niger imbroglio based on concrete realities, including the fact that most countries surrounding Niger Republic are not all in the ECOWAS region as Algeria, Libya and Chad may view a potential military aggression as a declaration of war against their borders. With Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinean military juntas also declaring support for the Niger coup leaders, the situation calls for caution so as not to further conflagrate the West African region,” the ACF stated.
ACF lauded the Northern Senators Forum for convincing their colleagues in the red chamber of the National Assembly to totally reject the proposed military option against Niger Republic junta in an effort to restore democratic governance in the country.
“We are particularly appreciative of the upper chamber of our National Assembly for toeing the line of a peaceful approach to the resolution of the potentially catastrophic conflict.
“We strongly call on our government to intensify efforts towards further exploitation of peaceful, political and diplomatic measures to find a solution to the problem. As such, we want the Nigerian government to: Immediately restore the supply of electricity to Niger Republic; open all our borders with that country and allow free flow of people and goods into and from that country to Nigeria; and suspend all sanctions/restrictions imposed on that country in response to the calls by ECOWAS, AU, or any other authority/country(ies), for that matter.
“We also commend President Bola Tinubu for holding a meeting with the governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, Katsina, and Jigawa among others that share contiguous borders with Niger Republic even as the ACF is asking him to continue to consult with relevant leaders within and outside Nigeria ahead of Thursday’s fresh meeting of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Governments,” ACF stated.
