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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/ has reacted to the military regimes in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, withdrawal with immediate effect, their membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Nigeria is the biggest loser.
Speaking to Daily Sun, Executive Director of CISLAC
Head of Transparency International in Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani), noted that Nigeria needs the support of her neigbours to consolidate its leadership especially with its interest to be on the security council of the United Nations.
He described the walk out as the best response to ECOWAS that failed to understand that what they needed to do was engage the military junta in these three West African countries, who seem to have the backing of the people, with a view to returning to civil rule as soon as possible.
Rafsanjani said the three countries having realised that they did not miss being out of regional body following sanctions imposed on them, decided to call the bluff of ECOWAS.
He said: “I think what Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have done is the best response to ECOWAS, who doesn’t seem to understand that it was time for them to begin to engage productively and positively with the military junta in those countries.
“Because you are dealing with a situation where by the populace are in support of the leadership they are having now. So, ECOWAS doesn’t really have the morale ground to go and start bombing or killing them. In fact, there’s no where in ECOWAS protocol where they say you should go and start attacking any country, independent country for that matter.
“So, Nigeria is the greatest loser in this walk out of ECOWAS by these countries. Because Nigeria needs the support of these west African countries for its regional leadership. Nigeria has failed woefully in creating a better way forward without being dogmatic in its own position.
“You did not need to be that strict in the issue that completely you do not have any constitutional binding to push people out. All you need to do is to engage them to ensure that the return of the civilian rule is worked out as soon as possible, otherwise you are just engaging in a lost battle.
“Now that they have worked out, it is Nigeria who largely will lose because we need them at regional, continental and international level to support Nigeria in its leadership position.
“Nigeria is looking to be a member in the security council, you need countries to support you and your very neigbours that are supposed to give you that necessary support, you are in this kind of relationship with them, then definitely you are losing.
“So, they have found out that they don’t need ECOWAS to survive and they have been out of ECOWAS for several months and lives goes on, their conditions have not worsen without ECOWAS. So, they can as well get out of that union, that marriage of inconvenience because ECOWAS has not helped them in terms of dealing with the poverty, in terms of dealing with insecurity, in terms of dealing with infrastructure. So, they did not see value and they did not see any reason to remain in ECOWAS.
“I think ECOWAS and the Nigerian government have over played this and they are now the losers sadly.”
