Two well-known northern organisations, the Northern Elders Progressives Group and the Arewa Youths Coalition for Peace and Political Development, have called on General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the Niger Republic‘s military, to issue an apology for claims that Nigeria and France are conspiring to destabilise the nation.
With a long history of friendship and collaboration, the groups called the accusations “baseless” and “capable of overheating the polity” in the Niger Republic and Nigeria.
They also said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has been trying to advance regional peace and stability, has their full support and endorsement.
“We categorically deny the recent accusations against Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of conspiring with France to destabilise his nation made by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the Military Head of the Niger Republic.”
In a statement issued Thursday in Kaduna by Yusuf Abubakar, the convener of the group’s eighth joint meeting, the groups said, “These are baseless allegations capable of overheating the polity in our country.”
Additionally, Hon. Yusuf Abubakar (Convener), Alhaji Yasir Ramadan Kano (Youths Group), and Engr. Mustafa Aliyu Dutsin-Ma (Northern Elders Progressives Group) all jointly signed the eight-point communiqué.
Additionally, the groups urged the Niger Republic’s military government to immediately apologise to Nigeria and cease inflaming tensions between the two nations.
“We urge the president of the Niger Republic to apologise to Nigeria right away and to cease causing tension and division between the two brotherly countries that shared a common understanding, unity, and respect for one another decades ago,” the statement read.
The military chief of the Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, claimed in an interview on Christmas Day that Nigeria was giving French forces a base close to Lake Chad and had set up terrorist training camps in the states of Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara.
Nevertheless, the Nigerian government quickly refuted these claims, with National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu calling them “false” and “baseless.”
The organisations claim to “totally reject” General Tchiani’s accusations because they have sided with the Federal Government’s stance.
The recent accusations against Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of conspiring with France to destabilise his nation, made by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Military Head of the Niger Republic, are also categorically rejected by us. These are unfounded accusations that have the potential to worsen the political climate in our nation.
“Our position on this matter is complete support and endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly with his enormous positive development strides, guaranteeing political unity, security, and peace restoration in our troubled region, namely the North.”We demand that the president of the Niger Republic apologise to Nigeria right away and cease fostering tensions that would cause the two fraternal countries, who shared a shared understanding, unity, and respect for one another decades ago, to grow apart.
“We would like to warn certain organisations with hidden agendas not to stoke animosity since doing so could jeopardise our survival as a people and as a country.
The communique said, “We must be responsible and patriotic on matters that impact our unity, respect, and national growth.”
Additionally, the organisations praised the Nigerian government’s efforts to solve the region’s security issues, especially the “Fansan Yamma” operation, which has made great strides in resolving the North West zone’s security issues.
“We applaud the Nigerian government’s efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to continue the fight against the insecurity issues plaguing some areas of the northern region, especially the North West zone,” the statement added.
To solve the region’s problems, the organisations also underlined how important it is for northern leaders to set aside their disagreements and cooperate.
