By Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu has described as baseless and unfounded allegations by the Nigerien President, Abdourahamane Tchiani that Nigeria is planning to destabilize his country.
In a BBC interview on Friday, Ribadu said General Tchiani’s statement was both surprising and disturbing.
He said Nigeria has no intention of sabotaging or destabilizing Niger.
“We have always maintained peaceful relations with our neighbors, including Cameroon, Benin Republic, and Chad. Why would we suddenly have a reason to be in conflict with Niger? It simply doesn’t make sense.
He denied that Nigeria is playing host to a foreign military base.
“This allegation is completely untrue. Nigeria has no history of hosting foreign military bases. Even the United Kingdom, our former colonizer, has never attempted to establish a base here. Nigeria firmly resisted an attempt by the U.S. to set up a base (AFRICOM) within our borders. On the contrary, Niger has hosted such bases, including one established by the U.S., which they recently expelled.
“France has military agreements with its former colonies, but Nigeria has never been part of such arrangements. The claim that France is using Nigerian territory to launch an attack on Niger is both implausible and baseless. It will not happen. How could it even happen?
“Moreover, Nigeria’s relationship with France is based on economic cooperation, not military collaboration. While Niger’s leadership may have issues with France, it is unreasonable to expect Nigeria to sever ties with France over Niger’s internal disputes.
“The Junta leader also mentioned specific locations in Nigeria, which reflects his familiarity with the terrain. However, I urge journalists and the public to verify if there are any new foreign settlers, let alone French nationals, in these areas. Nigeria has no intention or reason to destabilize Niger.
He said the situation in Niger does pose any threat to Nigeria as the present administration have taken decisive action against bandits, kidnappers, IPOB, and Niger Delta militants.
“Niger must recognize that we share a common enemy. The same terrorism and banditry that plague Niger also threaten Nigeria. This shared challenge calls for closer cooperation between our nations. Nigerians and Nigeriens are essentially one people—what affects one side affects the other. Nigeria would never support terrorists, especially when we are fighting the same menace.
Ribadu urged Niger’s leadership to reconsider its stance on severing ties with France and aligning with other powers will likely bring more difficulties.
“We had previously warned them about hosting a U.S. base, but they didn’t listen and later regretted it. As a brotherly nation, we continue to advise Niger to focus on cooperation and mutual stability.
“The joint military operations in the Lake Chad region are still active. However, Niger has expressed a desire to withdraw from the partnership. We are urging them to reconsider this decision because the collaboration is critical for combating Boko Haram and other non-state actors in the region. A withdrawal would only create more security challenges for all of us.
“Once again, I emphasize that Nigeria’s relationship with France is strictly economic and has no military implications. We will not allow our country to be used as a tool for destabilizing Niger. We hope that Niger’s leadership will understand this and work with us as allies and brothers to ensure peace and stability in the region.”
