Niger Coup: Don’t drag Nigeria into unnecessary war – Bode George tells Tinubu

A retired General and Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, warning him against drafting military to Niger.

George said Nigeria should think twice before entering another country militarily, warning that the country should not start what it cannot finish.

“I am a retired General. So, I know that war is not easy. Please, don’t force Nigerians to engage in an endless war.

“Despite its mineral wealth, the Niger Republic has been held down by its leadership for decades. More than 75 per cent of Nigeriens are poor and uneducated. At the right time, if they don’t want Tchiani, they will get rid of him. Let Nigeriens deal with their rot and let us focus on how to save our own situation back home.

“I am sure you know that seven Northern states – Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno – share a 1,608 kilometres long border with five regions in Niger Republic. In case of any war, residents of these states will be direct targets of bullets and missiles. This can also lead to a resurgence of criminal activities in the border areas,” George said.

George, who maintained that democracy is always a better option to war and that to jaw-jaw is better than war-war, said President Tinubu has done the right thing by sending a delegation consisting of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), and Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Saad Abubakar, a retired Brigadier-General, to meet the Military High Command in Niger.

He said, “It is okay to send a delegation. Diplomacy is always a better option than war. To jaw-jaw is better than war-war. But, I believe it would have been better if the full Nigerian colouration was reflected in that delegation.

“Some diplomats (serving or retired) should have been included in the delegation. Diplomats are trained for a situation like this. What is happening in Niger right now is not only for the military.”

George also said that Tinubu should have, first of all, concentrated and solved the crisis at home first before going international to play a big brother posture.

His words: “Number two, when you have a crisis within, you solve that first before going international with a ‘Big Brother’ posture.

“In your last national broadcast, you even admitted that Nigerians are going through a lot and everything is being done to alleviate their suffering.

“In Nigeria today, there is no food, no financial power to buy fuel, no light, no money. Nigerians are psychologically stranded and people are really going through a lot. So, I don’t know what our going to Niger Republic with full military power will achieve.

“If you remember, Nigeria, almost singularly, financed ECOMOG military operations and that was when our economy was better. Which economy are we going to use now to finance a full military operation in Niger Republic, when Mali and Burkina Faso have threatened to take sides with the Niger Republic?

“Will this not lead to the collapse of ECOWAS? Do we really know the type of partisan game Western Powers, on one hand, Russia and China, on another hand, and some other African countries, are playing behind the scene? Can we really trust any one of them?”