Ex-Kaduna Governor El-Rufai Warns ECOWAS Against Military Intervention In Niger Republic

Again, the elephant in Nigeria’s room of ethnic mosaics is beginning to stir. And it is the Nigerien coup that has roused it once more. Several arguments have been made for, and against, the ECOWAS approach to the coup in Niger Republic, which can be broadly classified as, those arguments that are “correct “ (opposition to a resort to force), albeit backed by the “wrong” reasons (ethnic, regional and religious sentiments); the “correct” arguments , supported by conspiracy theories (derived from hypocritical anti-imperialist sentiments) and the “correct” arguments justified by the right reasons( national interest & security ; rule of law and democracy).
Relatedly, the interventions and comments of some of our northern Nigerian compatriots on this issue is disturbing, and makes one seriously doubt where their loyalty really lie and what their nationality truly is. We have seen some of our northern Nigeria compatriots being unable to distinguish the role, and stance, of President Tinubu on this issue, as chairman of ECOWAS, from his role as Nigeria’s President; such that they have started to read ethnic and regional meanings into his stance, and issue threats indicating they will work against Nigeria, in the event that ECOWAS ultimately resorts to its last option of force. They seem to believe that ECOWAS should drop its principled stance against the unconstitutional change of government in Niger Republic, because it was carried out by someone of their own ethnic and religious stock. And this raises serious questions about their motives and the genuineness of their purported belief in democracy and national unity, at home. Furthermore, and if indeed they were so sincere about averting war, how come that they have not been remonstrating with their “Nigerien brothers” over the chronic insecurity that presently bedevils northern Nigeria; more so, when it is amply evident that the road to the insecurity in northern Nigeria passes through, among several other lands of their “brothers”, Niger Republic. What manner of (Nigerien) brother is this, who (in)advertently stokes up fire in the backyard of their (Nigerian) brother’s?!