Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, caught the attention of many
Nigerians last week. On Wednesday, at the end of the plenary session,
the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, oblivious he was still on live
television, announced to his colleagues that the Clerk of the National
Assembly would send tokens to their various bank accounts to enable
them enjoy their holiday. Aghast, few of his colleagues immediately
approached him to call his attention to the gaffe and Akpabio had to
withdraw his statement in an embarrassing attempt to switch ‘tokens’ to
‘prayers’. I and many others had a good laugh after watching the clip
that quickly went viral.
Akpabio is a good man with a large heart. I met him while he was the
Governor of Akwa Ibom state, and he came across as someone who is
ready to go out of his way to make others comfortable. He called himself
an uncommon governor, and his achievements while in that state
endeared him to his people. Again, his loyalty to President Bola Tinubu
and the huge votes he delivered to the All Progressive Congress, APC,
during the presidential election, made his choice for Senate Presidency
very easy for Tinubu to endorse. Now is the time for him to learn the
ropes and adjust quickly to the nuances in the legislative arm of
government.
Sending tokens to lawmakers is not new in Nigeria. It has been part of
our political evolution and it is not likely to die soon. Akpabio’s sin was
that he innocently broadcast the token issue to the whole world. Now,
the said token which he later changed to prayers, according to most
witches and wizards in Nigeria, is a hefty sum of N2m that has been sent
to each of our Senators. The principal officers may get more. They have
just worked for less than two months following the inauguration of
members of the National Assembly on June 13. Their colleagues in the
House of Representatives, we have been told, are now screaming blue
murder as no such ‘token’ has been extended to them. Theirs may be on
the way too. Our Senators have a ‘token’ that would enable them to
enjoy their holiday but many Nigerians, who have no holiday in the first
instance, and must work daily to survive due to hunger and deprivation,
have nothing to fall back on. The largesse must have come from the
screening and confirmation of Ministerial nominees sent to the
lawmakers by President Bola Tinubu. It is good to be a politician in
Nigeria.
Our Senators have millions to cushion the hardship of fuel price hikes
and the unification of the dual exchange rate which has seen the Naira
on a free fall in the last few weeks, yet, millions of Nigerians have been
told to bear with the government. They could not afford to go on holiday
as hunger is permanently keeping them company. I hope they will not
turn hungry Nigerians into angry citizens. If the poor can’t sleep, it
would be advisable for the rich to sleep with one eye open.
While the poor continue to wallow in their poverty, their sufferings are
about to be taken a notch higher as Heads of State of the Economic
Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has directed their standby
force to be on red alert for a possible military invasion of Niger. If there
is an armed conflict between ECOWAS and Niger, many poor Nigerians
will bear the brunt owing to the fact that there are seven northern states
that share borders with Niger Republic.
Niger has been in the news since July 26, when military adventurists
arrested the democratically elected government of the country and
proclaimed themselves rulers. But the ECOWAS, headed by Bola
Ahmed Tinubu feels that coup detat is gradually becoming rampant in
the West African sub-region and there was the need to put a check to it.
The regional body few days after the coup gave the coupists seven days
to restore the democratically elected government headed by President
Mohamed Bazoum. However, the ultimatum has since expired but rather
than returning to their barracks, the coupists are digging in. Already,
they have appointed a civilian Prime Minister and have also announced a
21-member cabinet to take charge of the Nation.
For ECOWAS to direct its ‘standby force’ to be on the alert shows in
clear terms that the regional block is serious about possible military
intervention in Niger if diplomacy fails. In fairness, the block, in a series
of shuttle diplomacy, has done a lot in a bid to prevent a bloody
confrontation. But the khaki boys are not interested in returning to their
barracks. However, many have also pointed out that ECOWAS started
their intervention in Niger on the wrong premise by issuing threats to the
junta. Again, the sanctions already imposed by ECOWAS are biting very
hard in the country which has turned the majority of Nigeriens against
the regional block. It is on record that the Nigerian embassy in Niger has
been burnt while there is undisguised hatred for the Nigerian
government in Niger. Our borders with Niger have been closed and
electricity supply to that country has been cut. This has thrown over 70
per cent of Niger into blackout and the masses are angry. With the
sanctions biting harder and a threat to intervene militarily, the Niger
coup plotters have now threatened to kill Bazoum if ECOWAS troops set
foot on Nigerien soil.
It is still hazy how the so-called ECOWAS standby force will be
Formed. Who will contribute the troops? Who is going to be in charge of
the overall command of the troops? And how will funds be
provided for operational efficiency? Though the United States of
America, France, and other European countries may come to the aid of
ECOWAS when it comes to the nitty gritty of the confrontation, there is
no way that Nigeria will also not provide both men and materials toward
the prosecution of the war when diplomacy fails.
This is where President Tinubu may have issues back home as he seems
not to be reading the body language of many Northerners correctly with
respect to the ongoing debacle. Most average Northerners consider
Niger Republic as their second home and it may be practically difficult
to order our troops, many of whom are of Northern origin, to open fire
on their kith and kin in Niger.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari provided context to this few
weeks after exiting Aso Rock when he said that if Nigerians don’t allow
him to enjoy his well-deserved rest, he would willingly relocate to the
Niger Republic. There is a long history of cultural and social interactions
between many of our people in the North and Niger Republic. Again, if
Northerners are saying that they are not interested in war with Niger as it
would negatively impact their overall well-being, I see no reason why
Tinubu must drag the country into a proxy war.
In actual fact, his hold on power could be tested as Nigeria’s constitution
clearly states that he must seek the approval of the legislature before he
can commit a single Nigerian soldier into any armed conflict with a
foreign country. Though he wrote the lawmakers about ECOWAS
resolutions and was advised to seek diplomatic solutions to the Niger
crisis, it would amount to an impeachable offence if he went ahead to
deploy Nigerian troops to the ECOWAS standby force without approval
from the National Assembly.
Going by the mood in the nation, I do not see the present lawmakers
going against the wish of their people by granting Tinubu such power.
Though he has said that diplomacy is still on the table, I do not see that
achieving any results either. The Abdulsalami Abubakar-led peace
mission to Niger Republic achieved little or no success and so was a
similar peace mission sent by the African Union and the United Nations.
It was only the private initiative embarked on by the former Emir of
Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that has so far succeeded, with his closed-
door meeting with the coup leaders.
Now, the coupists are calling on ECOWAS leaders to lift the sanctions
imposed on the country and for Nigeria to restore electricity to the
country as a minimum condition for peace negotiation, it is doubtful if
much would be achieved, as both parties are not ready to shift ground.
Burkina Faso and Mali are two ECOWAS countries that have identified
with fellow coup plotters in Niger and have vowed to line up behind
Niger in case of a military confrontation. The Wanger group, a group of
mercenaries who are ready for war once they are paid, as well as Russia,
are waiting in the wings. The coup plotters are also making overtures to
China and North Korea to come to their aid. A military confrontation
with Niger may turn out to be a long-drawn battle among the developed
world on the soil of Africa and in our backyard. I hoped that we are
thinking of the social and economic implications of a long-drawn battle
in West Africa.
This is where I do not envy Tinubu for the tough decision he will have to
make in the next couple of days. ECOWAS’ desire to have Bazoum
restored to power may be what it is – a wish – as I do not believe that he
will eventually get back to power. What ECOWAS should ask for should
be a quick return to democratic rule in the country.
Apart from that, some of the ECOWAS leaders who are calling for the
restoration of democracy in Niger Republic are glorified dictators in
their own country. They are simply afraid of their shadows. They believe
military boys back home may be tempted to also kick their behinds out
of power, hence their strident opposition to the coup in Niger. In the last
three years, there has been seven coups in West Africa and what is
fueling the increasing trend is bad governance.
The ongoing war drum being beaten by ECOWAS in Niger may end up
as a misadventure. The only antidote to coups in Africa is for African
leaders to prioritize the welfare of their people and respect their
constitution. You cannot be a glorified dictator at home, turn your people
into paupers and expect the military boys to sit pretty and take orders
from you. I sincerely pray that both parties see reason in Niger so that
there won’t be any bloodshed in West Africa.
See you next week.