A pressure group, the Katsina/Daura Unity and Progress Forum has urged the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to review its decision to militarily invade Niger Republic to restore democratic order in that country.
Addressing a press conference in Katsina, the forum’s Acting President, Alhaji Tukur Malami appealed to the regional body to tread with caution in order to avoid a repeat of the situation in Ukraine which has been turned to a theater of war, as Russia and North Atlentic Treaty Organization (NATO) engage in a battle of supremacy.
According to the forum, Niger and Burkina Faso’s alliance with Russia, and ECOWAS’ alliance with NATO countries already paints a picture of a proxy war between the superpowers on African soil.
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Malami described the proximity of the war to Nigeria as a source of concern, considering the volatile security and political situation in the country.
He urged President Bola Tinubu who spearheads the ECOWAS/AU mission in Niger to consider the implications of a prolonged war on peace and stability in Nigeria, West Africa, and the African continent as a whole.
While expressing worry over the number of military take-overs in Africa, the forum pointed out that the best antidote to coup is good governance.
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It urged the Nigerian government to direct the country’s military might to the fight against armed banditry, Boko Haram insurgency and other internal security threats facing the country.
“The forum wishes to impress on the President to turn attention inward and address the lingering troubles of insecurity, kidnapping, poverty and corruption which have made life in Nigeria quite unbearable”, Malami said.