There is no better word to the description of ‘hardship’ if feeling and experience of comfort as status quo changes and narrative appears unlikely, it is what it is.
On the 26th of July 2023, Nigerien military toppled a democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum in a coup. According to the head of state, Abdourahamane Tchiani, the decision to overthrow the president and subsequently placing him on house arrest was necessitated by laxities in both internal and external security, unbearable hardship, economic woes, and so on. Following successful establishment of military junta, Niger Republic made fourth in the list of African countries currently been ruled by the military after Burkina Faso, Guinea Bisau, Mali and Gabon. The unsuspecting, well calculated and peaceful takeover, though sparked protest in Niamey (the country’s capital) had the dethroned president Bazoum and his households placed on house arrest practically surviving on rice and pasta and without electricity.
However, soon after the announcement of the head of state, nations began to entrench the importance of democracy condemning the action of Nigerien military. US and other United Nations were the first to raise eyebrows. Nigerien’s known extortionist; France followed suit and it was capped by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); a bloc of 15 West African countries formally united and indispensable for socioeconomic and political synergy headed by Nigeria’s president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Not only were calls from United Nations and France futile, ECOWAS became the harbinger of every fruitless attempts at either freeing Bazoum from house arrest or reinstating him as Nigerien president.
On the hotbed of the coup, Tinubu’s ECOWAS bragged undermining the capability of the oppressed and the fact that democracy is utterly useless when safety and continuity of life is not guaranteed. ECOWAS brigadiers raged and we became expectants of war.
In the uncaught manners in which BAT’s regime declared PMS subsidy removal and threw Nigerians in endless nightmare of hardship, ECOWAS threatened fire and brimstone. The meeting of the bloc had 11 out of the 15 member countries in agreement to commit soldiers to Bazoum’s rescue. One week deadline was sent, financial aides and transactions between Niger and the world was cut off. France withheld the sum of $125 million to Niger because it chose to rescue its people from resentful ex colonial masters. ECOWAS was fueled to the brim and Nigeria disconnected electricity she has been selling to Niger for decades undermining every contractual terms and cumulative debt of $5.48 million Niger Republic owe Nigeria. And for almost Eight months, Niger is surviving in total darkness as Nigeria cut 60% of its energy consumption.
Amidst global tantrums, Niger Republic was undeterred and despite ECOWAS epileptic warnings, Nigerien stood for what they believed. And guess what? It is consistently struggling for self dependence and sufficiency. Not only has the French military asked to leave, it withdrew its foreign envoys, closed all borders except to counterpart military administrative Nations. To sustain self dependence in energy, Niger Republic’s Kandadji dam; an electricity generating plant will be completed in the first quarter of 2025. The 180KM upstream plant stationed in Niamey, if completed will generate up to 629 gigawatts of electricity annually. That says, while ECOWAS and its French co plotters helplessly think of the next measures, Nigeriens are living up to dreams of making the Sahel country habitable for all.
Let’s ignore Abdulsalami Abubakar’s delegation and the success it recorded towards returning the country to democracy after three years. What is the essence of the democracy in the contemporary Africa? Take Nigeria for instance, shouldn’t the military live up to Nigerian expectations? Is the armed forces in Nigeria dead or alive? We once had soldiers who stood up to the mess in this country in 1966. What can we say of the extant military men? Let’s not discuss what we know and how impotent the Nigerian military is in taking over power from the handful corrupt men in leadership, Tinubu’s ECOWAS latest u-turn on Niger Republic as well as other military ruled nation simply indicates the power of the people is more than the people in power. Perhaps, ECOWAS and its co plotters are stripped, while they rained threats withholding pan Africanistic endearment, Nigeriens stood up to the confrontation it made to aliens and the native mercineries it used to sabotage them. And just when saboteurs thought Niger Republic will come to the dialogue table when all aides are deny them, the people stood head on. Now, Tinubu’s ECOWAS is romancing the military leaders to brotherhood, what a defeat! What happened to the reserved bans of external forces meant to be initially unleashed on the Niger Republic military leaders? What was ECOWAS contemplating? The entire Niger is less than Lagos in terms of population, and in GDP, Lagos is twice bigger. Take away sovereignty as a nation, Niger ought to be bug in the bed for Tinubu and his ECOWAS. I just hope Nigerien accept the latest hand of fellowship. If not, ECOWAS remoted actions will cost Nigeria billions of Naira. How? By disconnecting electricity from Niger Republic on August 2nd 2023, contractual agreement may have been breached.
Well, Russia’s Putin was prominent among nations vehement on dialogue. Maybe, ECOWAS has heeded or this is another tactics. One thing is sure, if it is not about the people, it is not worth it. Democracy is nice, but not what is practiced in Africa. Nigeria is just smart enough to have technically disarmed the military. If not, Africa’s giant should be the military helms in forefront of rescuing Africans from democratic merchants.
– John Paul writes from Lagos.
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