Niger Should Be Allowed To Form Their Government How They Wish, Says Gen. Haruna (Rtd.)

Former Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture, Major General Ibrahim Bata Malgwi Haruna (Rtd.), has said that the sovereignty of Niger should be respected and the people be left to arrive at their government in the best way they see fit.

On Saturday, Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the Republic of Niger, stated that the country will return to civilian administration within three years, however, ECOWAS has rejected the military junta’s three-year transition plan.

The coup commander provided no details of the plan, merely stating that the transition principles would be defined within 30 days during a dialogue convened by the junta.

In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, Haruna emphasised that ECOWAS lacks the right to impose a constitution or government on the people of Niger. 

He said, “My view really is that ECOWAS has no real business in mobilising a war against the neighbours of Nigeria except to tarnish Nigeria in its good relationship and prospects in the world economy and order of things that are going on.

“I don’t think that the mandate of ECOWAS as an economic community includes imposing themselves on a sovereign country and trying to play the power game of politics.

“It’s the sovereign right of the Nigerien government with their people, so the invasion cannot be legitimised merely because we are opposed to the process which they have taken as a sovereign people to involve their own constitution.” 

Haruna added that things will only grow worse if diplomatic options are not exhausted and force and aggression is employed.

He stated, “Not only that they will get worse, but you cannot, as of now, foresee how it will be concluded and what successes or failures that are going to be achieved will move ECOWAS, Africa or the third world forward.

“We know that, putting all things together, Nigeria in ECOWAS is being used as a bait, but the real intentions are very clear. As I said earlier, it’s a manipulation for a third world chaos and a search for a viable new world political power order.”  

According to Haruna, the people of Niger should be left to “arrive at their own government in the form that expresses their wish,” and also that while coups are not approved occurrences, they have been taking place regardless, and some countries, including Nigeria, have evolved from coups.

He said that interference should be on the basis of ensuring humanity is accorded fundamental rights and “to make the evolution less painful.

“None of these other countries that have gotten governed through coups have been challenged the way the ECOWAS is now undertaking to challenge Niger, and the question is why.”

Frances Ibiefo

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