Some eminent Northern leaders on Friday cautioned the Federal Government to resist the pressure from the United States and the French governments to relocate their military bases from the Sahel to Nigeria.
In an open letter to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly leadership, the Northern leaders said the US and French governments have allegedly been aggressive in lobbying Nigeria, along with other Gulf of Guinea countries, to sign new defence pacts that would enable them to redeploy their troops, expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, but warned against succumbing to such pressure as it may lead to further escalation of terrorism in Nigeria.
The letter was signed by Professor Abubakar Siddique Mohammed of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training (CEDDERT), Zaria, and Professor Kabiru Sulaiman Chafe, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, representing the Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), Kaduna.
Others who also endorsed the letter are former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega; Professor Jibrin Ibrahim from the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Abuja; Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani) of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CCISLAC) Abuja; and Y. Z. Ya’u from the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Kano.
The leaders expressed concern that being the most strategically located among the Gulf of Guinea countries, Nigeria may succumb to this pressure, thereby jeopardising its defence and internal security.
“The recent expulsion of French and American troops from Niger due to their perceived ineffective presence raises questions about the efficacy of hosting foreign military bases,” the letter said.
Importantly, the Northern leaders also argued that the primary goal of these bases, meant to tackle terrorism in the Sahel, has not been realised given that incidents of terrorism have continued to escalate since the said camps were set up by the two foreign powers.
“It is important to clearly state that there are only dangers and no gains from such military operations,” the Northern leaders said.
“The American operations in Niger Republic, for example, were ostensibly to pre-empt and uproot terrorists from the Sahel region. The result has so far been quite unimpressive, if not a complete failure.
“It is apparent that the presence of American troops and other intelligence personnel in Niger Republic is not serving any useful purpose. This is for the simple reason that terrorism, far from abating, has risen dramatically since the US began its operations in the region,” they said in the letter.
Furthermore, the leaders warned against any action that could compromise Nigeria’s sovereignty and independence for short-term strategic alliances that may have dire long-term consequences.
Stoutly defending their position, the leaders noted that hosting foreign troops often leads to hike in prices and living costs in most local areas, thereby affecting the lower-income population.
“Environmentally, the construction and operation of military bases can lead to significant degradation of the local environment. This includes deforestation, soil erosion, water contamination, and loss of biodiversity, which are detrimental to agricultural communities and indigenous populations.
“The long-term environmental damage could further hinder economic opportunities and sustainable development,” they said.
