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By Chukwudi Nweje
Chief Bode George is a former Director of the National War College and ex-Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview, he speaks on the military coup in Niger Republic, why the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) should not deploy troops to the country and effects a military intervention will have on Nigeria.
You said that Nigeria should not go to war because of the coup in Niger Republic; why do you nurse fears about military intervention by the ECOWAS?
You know that they say, once beaten, twice shy and that you learn from your experience. We were involved in the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG); we were the main country that was responsible militarily, financially and personnel of that force? It was Nigeria and we did extremely so much but what was the benefit to Nigeria? Before you consider going to war as a nation, you teach your boys the national interest of your country. Anything that falls out of that is not a major concern to you but if anybody infringes on your national interest, then you can go to war because you are going there to defend something so vital to your country.
But learning from the ECOMOG experience, I will say to the Federal Government: How can we now go again to Niger? What is the benefit and what do we have as a benefit going to Niger? So, my appeal is that ECOWAS Heads of State should be more careful. In the war between Ukraine and Russia, President Vladimir Putin thought it would be about a week issue but we are over a year now and they are still fighting. Innocent people are dying because war is not a tea party, so it is better to jaw-jaw rather than war-war.
I’m talking from experience and I’m talking from the fact that Niger is not the only country in the whole geopolitical belt of the Francophone countries that has a military administration. From Guinea to Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and even to Sudan, there are military regimes. That takes you from the West Atlantic Sea all the way to the Red Sea right across the whole belt of Africa and the Sahara. So, I’m saying that we have enough room for dialogue and that the underlying crisis that is engaging in these Francophone countries today dates back to the French approach to colonialism.
While the British had direct and indirect rules, the French had the policy of assimilation, so they didn’t let go. There is no Francophone country in the whole of Africa where the French Government does not have a minimum of French battalion stationed there. Since we got our independence, have you seen British troops being stationed here? They are fighting something that is not akin to their own system. They are so disenchanted because as a Francophone country, you don’t even have your own currency. You are linked up with the French currency.
So, where is economic power and development? All of them used to head to France but the French people are getting tired of all these and even the French Arabs are tired of all of them because they are no longer playing that game of assimilation. In those days, I’m not sure about now, the French government allowed heads of state of all Francophone countries to be members of the French Parliament. We in the Anglophone countries; were we ever members of the British Parliament?
When you divorce, you move on. Look at all the minerals that are there in Niger; how much are the French Government paying to Nigeriens. What is the development of the mass land in Niger because the country is bigger than Nigeria but they are still the poorest nation in the world and their people are in abject poverty? So, whatever we can do in terms of talking is better than to send troops there. Look at our nation, yes, we haven’t got to the zenith because we are still battling with ourselves on the type of constitution we are running. But these are normal developmental crises, which we must resolve and Nigeria as a nation, have we settled down? With the economic situation in this country today, people are still hungry and angry.
The insecurity in the land is unmatchable, so why would we now commit ourselves to war in Niger. And when they said they would expect the big brother, Nigeria, to pump so much money, look at the financial indices of our nation today. The last time we went to ECOMOG was much better and we were more stable economically in this country. Why do we want to commit a lot of funds that we should use to develop the people in a war? Let us put a smile on our faces before we can help our friends.
You talked about dialogue but the Nigeriens are not yet open for dialogue. In the event that the coup leaders are unwilling to dialogue with ECOWAS, do you still think ECOWAS shouldn’t attempt military intervention?
There is nowhere in the world that you have a dictatorship that lasts long without inflicting unimaginable pain on the people. Today, the people are dancing and supporting them, but it won’t take time before they will find a way to reach whoever is the head of state. The junta will soon find out that all that glitters is not gold. If they think it is like a revolving door that can change in a minute, they are joking because it takes time to settle down.
Look at us in Nigeria, we are still waiting for the end of the electoral process and you are now committing yourself to war. Just imagine that the court comes out and says no to Bola Tinubu as president, what then happens? It takes a lot of time for things to fall into place because Rome wasn’t built in a day. Discussion and diplomacy are not like a switch. Yes, the gun can be like a little switch but the discussion will go on.
Niger is an entity and ECOWAS itself by its definition is an economic community of states. So, the economy is the number one issue, not the military. Take the European Union, which is the economic union for Central Europe but you have the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Not all members of NATO are members of the European Union. But when we want to talk about the tenets by which they established ECOWAS, it is about cooperation in economic activities, trade links, free movement and sharing of various advantages.
If you have certain products in your country that are required for industrial use in another country, let’s work together. The essence is to develop a standard of living for the people in West Africa. But this has been so inhibited because the Francophone countries are still controlled by France. But now, it seems they want their liberty. Like I said, from Guinea to Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Sudan and Niger are military governments all the way to the Red Sea. All of them except Sudan are Francophone countries and they are all under military regimes.
It shows that something is wrong. So, let’s take the discussion from that and find a solution rather than subject all our people to unnecessary war. We were trained to know the consequences of war. What is Niger to Nigeria? Please, remember that from Kebbi to Sokoto, Zamfara, Kastina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno states, these people have families from the other side of Niger and Chad. There is a porous border there and they have relatives and family members, so what do you want to do?
Let’s allow the man in Niger because no matter what, he will discuss with ECOWAS. Yes, it was unfortunate that they didn’t listen to the ECOWAS delegation because it was too early in the day. ECOWAS gave seven days ultimatum; that was your approach, but what do you want them to do, to behave like school children and succumb? They will not do that and you can see that their people, whether they understand the situation or not, are supporting them.
But one thing I know is that a military regime cannot resolve the problem in Niger or any nation. We have experienced it here and you saw what it did to the military itself and the nation. Look at the constitution we are running today, it is the reason we are not moving forward because it is not working. It is so military in its standing and everything and we need to revisit those areas. The disadvantage of a military administration, people don’t realise it.
