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•Suspend sanctions, restrictions, ACF tells Tinubu
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Economic Community Of West Africa States (ECOWAS) has announced additional sanctions in response to the recent coup in Niger Republic.
Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of ahead of State and Government and Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, yesterday, instructed the acting Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Folashodun Shonubi, to impose additional financial sanctions on entities and individuals connected to the military junta that truncated the democratic government in Niger Republic.
Tinubu had earlier announced cut of electricity supplies, closure of land borders, a halt of all financial transactions, among other sanctions on Niger Republic.
Speaking to State House Correspondent, yesterday, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, clarified that the action was not taken by an individual president or on behalf of a single nation, but was the collective decision of ECOWAS members and Heads of State.
“The news is that Mr. President has directed the acting CBN governor to levy another slew of sanctions against entities and individuals associated with the military junta in Niger Republic. I said that intentionally. I didn’t make a mistake, because I was given permission to make that statement and I emphasize that this is not an individual action taken by an individual President on behalf of individual nation.
“This is an action taken by ECOWAS chairman who is the president of Nigeria but standing on the authority provided by the consensus resolution of all ECOWAS members and heads of state with regard to financial sanctions being levied by ECOWAS Member States against the military junta in Niger Republic. There is an authority that we are standing on. It is not Nigerian government authority, it is the authority of the resolution passed in public before now.”
Previously, the regional bloc had given the Niger Republic junta seven days to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum, warning of potential sanctions, including the possibility of military intervention. However, the coup leaders dismissed the threats and declared their intention to resist any foreign interference.
Furthermore, the coupists have cut off diplomatic ties with Nigeria, Togo, France, and the United States. They have also closed Nigerien airspace indefinitely.
After the expiration of the ultimatum, ECOWAS scheduled a meeting for Thursday to assess the situation in the West African nation.
Meanwhile, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on President Tinubu to lift all sanctions and restrictions.
Publicity Secretary of ACF, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, in a statement, yesterday, called for more dialogue with the military junta in Niger Republic to prevent further breakdown of talks following the expiration of the one-week deadline earlier given to the regime by Tinubu to restore democratic rule.
“We call on President Tinubu and ECOWAS to revisit their approach to the Niger Republic imbroglio based on concrete realities including the fact that most countries surrounding Niger Republic are not all in the ECOWAS sub-region as Algeria, Libya and Chad, and may view a potential military aggression as a declaration of war against their borders. With Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinean military juntas also declaring support for the Niger coup leaders, the situation calls for caution so as not to further conflagrate the West African region…
“Nigeria and Niger have had brotherly relations over the years and the ACF upon reviewing the latest political impasse, economic sanctions and expiration of the one-week deadline given to the military junta in Niger have come to the conclusion that dialogue remains the best option to avoid a catastrophic occurrence of events between the two nations and the West African sub-region.
“We should utilise all available goodwill, diplomatic, political, economic and human assets to win back the confidence of the people of Niger, who have, historically, come to regard Nigeria as a Big Brother!. We also commend President Bola Tinubu for holding a meeting with the governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, Katsina, and Jigawa among others that share contiguous borders with Niger Republic even as the ACF is asking him to continue to consult with relevant leaders within and outside Nigeria ahead of Thursday’s fresh meeting of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Governments.
“The ACF further reiterates that ECOWAS and the rest of the international community must demand a very short timeline from the coup leaders within which to hand power back to elected leaders of Niger Republic. Also, Nigeria and indeed the entire Authority of the Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS-member countries must avoid being seen, increasingly as gaining currency or fighting a proxy war for western countries in the region,” the statement said.
