By
Òtuńba Oláídé Ęmíola Òşhífęsò.
The ongoing revolution in Niger Republic is like a tidal current at its tall height. It may be suicidal for any interventionist to rise against it at its current lurch.
The Nigerien citizenry is politically charged directionally to attain the common goal of ending the French imperialism and retire those that stooge for the imperialist France in Niger.
No one should be in doubt that the European influences in Africa till date yield little or no benefit in complexities of partnerships to Africa. The situation is not even win-some; lose-some.
It is straight loss to Africa, in particular when the African partners the imperialists with the hope that the yields would be bountiful in their favour. They are only fed with little to replenish their energies to do more and hope for more in the endless cheat rendezvous.
The French’s unkind gesture to the Nigeriens are evident in all spheres of their cooperation. The French, so small in population and physical geography keep the densely populated and larger Niger in physical geography in perpetual darkness in this era of high-tech and Artificial Intelligence.
The resultant outbursts of the generational frustrations are the ongoing fragmentation in the relationship between the imperialist and the governed caused by the mineral resource called “uranium.”
Uranium is a mineral resource very crucial to nuclear power generation and to the production of nuclear weapons.The politics of uranium sourcing in Niger is now a heated game contested by France and the newcomers, the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation loyalists seemingly are higher in population amongst the Nigeriens.They evidently want the Russian Federation to replace France as their new partner in trade and development. They are saying au-revoir (goodbye) in their celebrations of the change in government around their country.
Thence the democratically elected President Bazoum is rested and kept in good health in their country. The military coup leader emerges as the preferred and supposedly the Russian Federation favourite to form a new government.
Niger is a Sahel landlocked member-state of the Economic Community of West African States-ECOWAS. It is a member-state of the Africa Union- AU too. It is also a member-state of the United Nations Organization-U.N.O
The military takeover of governance in Niger surely contravenes multilateral principles of democracy. The military incursion in Niger is provocative to the democratically instituted inter-governmental organizations that Niger is a member-state of.
Amongst the provoked three major intergovernmental organizations is the sub-regional, ECOWAS.
ECOWAS appears so peeved and misguidedly issued doubtful ultimatums to the new military government of Niger, to dissuade its roles as the new popular government. ECOWAS is confronted with internal empowerment challenges to its issued ultimatums in the member-states’ democratic process that it must recognize if it would successfully dare the new military government of Niger.
ECOWAS needs be guided and reminded to comprehend that the current Nigerien political situation is best described as a peaceful or a silent revolution.
Unimaginably the Nigerien citizenry joyfully welcomes the military ousting of the country’s democratic process, suffice to say that; “We the people have expressed our wish through our preference and acceptance of the new military government of our country, Niger.”
In itself, this popular process too ironically is a weird democracy. The people’s wish, though not by ballot process, must be recognized. Power resides with the people.They only lend it to their leader to govern them. The political change process has been peaceful nationwide in Niger, so far. The only threat to the peaceful revolution is the ECOWAS’ unwarranted military dare, which would plunge the entire sub-region into chaotic emergencies.
There is enough enduring situation in the sub-region caused by general inadequacies of livehood means.
Sporadic gunshots and mortar shelling would create people’s exodus to nowhere if armed-conflict situation arises by internal or external miscalculations to rid Niger of the military government.
Nowhere around the over five million square kilometers in the sub-region’s space would be safe if hell broke loose in Niger. Mortars to pound yam are needed not military mortars to extinguish lives and destroy infrastructures.
ECOWAS should recognize the Africa Union principles that allow return to democracy within six months in a precarious political situation currently pervading Niger. If tolerated and guided, the Nigerien military government accepted by the country’s citizenry may transform itself into democratically acceptable within the six-months timeframe that Africa Union recommends.
ECOWAS would be seen to maturely institute effective preventive measures and diplomacy in the Nigerien revolutionary transformation process backed by the citizenry.
ECOWAS should avoid unilateral issuance of threats to the Nigerien military government. Armed-conflict is unneeded in the West Africa’s sub-region.
ECOWAS should act in concert with the Africa Union and the United Nations to deliberate on how best to restore democratic process in Niger with peace building initiatives. ECOWAS should desist from imposing disaffection sanctions on Niger that would in the near future cause brotherhood distrusts in the sub-region.
The imperialists are evidently untrue friends to Africans in diaspora till date. “We the people” have rejected their disliked imperialist and their stooge in a harsh reality that democracy cannot ignore but tolerate in Niger.
That Russian Federation, Nigerien new trade and development partner would be better than France, only posterity would tell!
Otunba Olaide Oshifeso,
Ex-Executive Chairman of, Ijębu North Local Government Council,
Ogun State
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