Joining the ongoing conversation around a possible military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Niger Republic, top African poet, Professor Niyi Osundare has urged President Bola Tinubu-led ECOWAS to return to the drawing board and rethink its consideration of military action in dealing with the Nigerien matter.
Expressing bewilderment at the inclusion of military action in the cocktail of options of the ECOWAS, Osundare wondered if the sub-regional body contemplated the hazards, possible catastrophes, and consequences of going the military way.
Alluding to the historical, geographical, cultural and economic proximity between Nigeria and Niger, Osundare, in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, titled: ‘Abort the Suicide Mission to Nigeria’, said going into a war with Niger could have devastating collateral damage on Nigerians, especially those who habit the northern flanks of the country.
Pointing to countries like Burkina Faso and Mali declaring support for the Niger Republic, Osundare also expressed curiosity at how the ECOWAS forces intended to battle on several fronts at about the same time.
Referencing that Libya still battled the consequences of brutish anarchy and wars, Osundare said the repercussions of destabilisation of societies were monumental, and warned that subscribing to military action might end up complicating the Nigerien fiasco.
Rather than the military option to restore the ousted leader, Osundare urged leaders of ECOWAS country, especially its chairman, Bola Tinubu to “think hard, think well, think up whatever measures could be devised to restore genuine, lasting democracy by getting the military dictators back to their barracks.”
Actually, he said the ECOWAS leaders should give more time to finding out the cause, course and symptoms of the present resurgence of military coups in West Africa.
Notwithstanding the research to know the reasons behind the resurgence of military coups, Osundare said the leaders of West African countries must attend to fundamental issues of political and socioeconomic injustices that bedevil their countries.
Parts of the letter read: “I am both astonished and alarmed that a group of people, least of all, leaders of the West African region would contemplate the viability of military intervention as the solution to the present problem in Niger.
“Dear President Tinubu, did you and your colleagues think long and deep before including this option? Did you contemplate the hazards of the action and the possible catastrophe of the consequence?
“Given the historical, geographical, cultural, and economic proximity between Nigeria and Niger (a Siamese closeness inherent even in the very nomenclature), how can you do this without devastating collateral damage to Nigeria, especially her northern flanks?
“In a region where national borders only exist on a misbegotten colonial map, how will your ECOWAS bullet select its casualties without including Nigerians, the people you have sworn to serve and protect? Will the present human traffic and trade routes between the two countries still continue after the ‘war’?
“What about the possibility of a multiple-front war, considering the solidarity already announced by a ‘league’ of other countries in the region, such as Mali and Chad and Burkina Faso? To how many fronts will the ECOWAS forces train their guns?
“So, Mr. President, go back to the drawing board – you and your ECOWAS colleagues. Think hard. Think well. Think up whatever measures could be devised to restore genuine, lasting democracy by getting the military dictators back to their barracks. Probe the cause, course, and symptoms of the present resurgence of military coups in West Africa. Find a cure for this pandemic.
“More important, find a cure for the plague of political and socio-economic injustices responsible for the inevitability of its recurrence. Remember the present brutish anarchy in Libya and the countless repercussions of the destabilization of that once-blooming country for the West African region.
“Military action in Niger may only end up complicating the Nigerien fiasco. Remember: a little fire often spirals into an uncontrollable blaze. You may know the beginning of a war, but you can never foretell how it will end. A powerful man may start a war, but it takes a hero to devise a dignifying way of avoiding it.
“Right now, the Nigerian people have more than enough to worry about, with so much hunger in the land and so many Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) from all manner of bandit attacks. We cannot afford to add war refugees to these crowds. You have promised to reduce the people’s burden. Avoid taking any action that will only add to it.”
As a lasting solution to military juntas and coups, Osundare canvassed for democracy “engendered and sustained by respect for human dignity, human and environmental rights, rule of law, liberty, unvarnished integrity of the electoral process, holistic equity, and the right to life that is full, free, and abundant.”
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