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  • How to make Mali, B/Faso, Niger return to ECOWAS – Sesay

    How to make Mali, B/Faso, Niger return to ECOWAS – Sesay

    A university teacher, Prof. Amadu Sesay, has called on Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to employ tact to convince Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to return to the sub-regional organisation.

    Sesay, former Head of the Department of International Relations, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, said those countries can be approached by seasoned diplomats and experts to retrace their steps.

    The university teacher, who is the author of the book: “The Politics of Regional Integration in West Africa,” said by lifting the sanctions, which it earlier imposed on the three countries over military takeovers, ECOWAS would have effectively put paid to the threat of the use of force that was being used to compel them to return to civilian rule.

    Sesay, who spoke with reporters in Jos, Plateau state, said the emphasis has now shifted to the search for acceptable diplomatic solutions that would hopefully lead to a mutually acceptable resolution of the impasse.

    He, therefore, urged ECOWAS leaders to look for capable, credible, and competent emissaries, who would drive the expected series of diplomatic engagements that would be acceptable to all parties, including the three countries.

    Sesay said: “I hope that ECOWAS will look within the membership of its Committee of the Wise and Elders to choose those who would drive the series of diplomatic engagements that will provide realistic and practical pathways for the return of the three countries to its fold.

    “This is a very delicate and time-consuming endeavour.

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    “The outcomes are also unpredictable, and no one should expect quick fixes because ECOWAS is made up of equal sovereign states. It has no supranational powers like the European Union.

    “Tact and patience are, therefore, of utmost importance, especially at this initial stage of engagements.

    “We should remember that the three countries made it clear that they had taken sovereign decisions, which implies that national egos, pride, and prestige are already at stake.”

    He said that the ECOWAS leaders’ decision to lift the sanctions, even when the three countries had yet to make any concessions, especially on their threat to quit ECOWAS, was “right and realistic in the prevailing circumstances.”

    Sesay, however, said that the decision also implied a sign of weakness on the part of ECOWAS and a tacit admission that it had not achieved the desired results, as well as their negative fallout on all sides.

    “ECOWAS is not a supranational body, it cannot compel compliance with its decisions as the actions of Niger Republic, Mali, and Burkina Faso have demonstrated.

    “What lifting the sanctions also implies, is that the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, once the backbone of ECOWAS’ strategy to promote democracy and good governance in the region, is no longer realistic.

    “Neither is it enforceable in the prevailing political and socio-economic conditions in the member states and the region in general.

    “It remains to be seen how ECOWAS will fill the gap in promoting democracy and good governance in the region after that.

    “I hope the action will not lead to dramatic democratic and governance reversals in the region,” he said.

    Sesay noted that the rationale of trying to bring the three countries back to ECOWAS’ fold was to curb the rampant terrorism and insurgencies, which have become major challenges to peace, security, and development in the region, especially in the Sahel.

    According to the don, the West African subregion needs national, as well as regionwide efforts, to tackle the devastating national and regional effects of the activities of jihadists, terrorists, and insurgents.

    While agreeing with the military leaders on one of their grievances, which is the undue influence of France in the subregion, Sesay said that France has for long been a “negative and obnoxious player in Africa, particularly in its former colonies.”

    “Doing away with France as the three countries are trying to do is commendable. I, however, hope that they are not just trading partners by moving uncritically close to Russia and China.

    “I hope the three countries will sustain their patriotic and commendable stand against France in the long run. I also hope that they will get the support of ECOWAS and its members to achieve this laudable goal.

    “The most challenging situation of African countries in the last six decades of independence is their inability to pursue homegrown and self-sustainable growth and development due to factors that we cannot go into here,” he said.

    Appraising ECOWAS’ scorecard ahead of its 50th anniversary in May 2025, he said: “One of the biggest achievements of ECOWAS in the last five decades, is the absence of inter-state conflicts in the region, either over territory or natural resources.

    “Fifty years after its creation, however, it is arguable that most, if not all of its members and the region, are much worse now politically and economically.

    “There have been serious governance and economic reversals, especially in the last two decades.

    “I think that ECOWAS will overcome the present challenges to its integrity if it devotes more attention to promoting prosperity in the region by developing and undertaking regionwide projects that will impact positively on the citizens of the region and enhance its stature and relevance to its members.”

    Sesay identified the driving force behind the seeming epidemic of military coups that are currently bedevilling West Africa, and indeed Africa, as the yawning governance deficits in many member states.

    He challenged ECOWAS and other African leaders to pay more attention to meeting the basic needs of the citizens, or what his colleague famously described as “democracy of the stomach.”

    “The forces responsible for these coups are the dictatorial tendencies of democratic governments in member states and the desire to hold on to power at all cost through undue tenure elongation.

    “Others are the manipulation of electoral and judicial processes; over-reliance on so-called development partners; weak national economies and excruciating poverty among the majority of the citizens.

    “This is why voiceless citizens sometimes openly call for or welcome the military as the only way out in the prevailing circumstances,” Sesay said.

    Sesay, anbECOWAS’ official historian, also authored the ECOMOG book: “The Search for Lasting Peace in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau,” and “Post-war Regimes and State Reconstruction in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

  • Niger border closed despite sanctions’ lift

    Niger border closed despite sanctions’ lift

    Niger has not reopened its border with Benin two days after a West African bloc lifted coup-linked sanctions on the landlocked nation, including border closures, local officials said Yesterday.

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Saturday said it was lifting sanctions imposed after last year’s military coup, including a no-fly zone, border closures and asset freezes.

    “There has still been no change on the Niger side: so far the border hasn’t been opened, so we’re still waiting,” local journalist Fhadel Alou told AFP, speaking in the Niger border town of Gaya.

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    “The border has reopened on the Benin side,” he added.

    Two Nigerien officials confirmed the border with Benin “remained closed”.

    Niger’s president Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a military coup last July, prompting ECOWAS to suspend trade and impose tough sanctions.

    But the bloc’s warning of military intervention has fizzled out with little sign that Bazoum — still held in the presidential palace — is close to being restored.

    The Nigerien military is still blocking a bridge on the frontier, residents on the Benin side of the border said.

    Before the border closure, the Niger-Benin corridor handled 80 percent of Niger’s freight via the Beninese port of Cotonou, some 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the Niger capital Niamey.

  • 20-year-old newly wed kills husband in Niger

    20-year-old newly wed kills husband in Niger

    A 20-year-old girl, Aisha Aliyu, who got married in December 2023, has allegedly killed her husband, Idris Ahmadu in the Nasarawa community in the Lapai local government area of Niger State.

    Aisha was said to have stabbed the husband in his chest and slit his throat.

    According to witnesses, the bride disagreed on Sunday evening with her husband and was seen to have resolved their disagreement.

    Neighbours said they heard screams of Idris in the middle of the night and ran into the house with his mother, meeting him trying to leave the room while holding his neck before he fell and died. 

    The wife was said to have fled from the scene before others came into the house.

    The Niger Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident saying that effort was on to arrest the fleeing suspect.

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    “Today 12/02/2024 (Monday), at about 1200hrs, information was received that in the early hours, one Idris Ahmadu of Nasarawa village, via Lapai was stabbed to death by his wife, Aisha Aliyu 19/20 years of the same address.

    “Before the arrival of the police at the scene, the suspect had fled to an unknown destination, while effort is being intensified to arrest the fleeing suspect. The case under investigation please,” he said.

  • Hunger triggered us to protest – Niger Women protesters

    Hunger triggered us to protest – Niger Women protesters

    The women who protested in Minna over the rise of foodstuff and high cost of living clarified that hunger prompted their leadership of the protest last week, emphasizing that they acted independently.

    Speaking to The Nation on Monday, February 12, Hauwa Aliyu, one of the women detained for leading the protest, revealed that witnessing her children go hungry and drop out of school motivated her to participate in the demonstration.

    She said: “It is just because of the situation in Nigeria, the price of food is high. Nobody sent us, it was hunger that pushed us to protest. Food was the main reason for the protest. As mothers, we cannot stay and continue seeing our children hungry, that is why we decided to protest.”

    Aliyu, who spoke on behalf of the other women who protested, apologized to the state governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, and his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba asking for their forgiveness for any damage the protest may have caused properties.

    Another woman who gave her name as Mama Abba said that they had no problem with the government but the hunger in the land was much and needed people who would speak out.

    She said: “Since we do not have the opportunity to see the Governor one-on-one, we decided on the peaceful protest to communicate our plight to him. We apologize that the protest turned violent but we intended it to be peaceful. We want them to know that nobody sent us, we did it because of the hunger we felt.”

    The women who lauded the Governor’s intervention and work across the state said that they are awaiting the response of the Governor in terms of reduction in foodstuff, providing resources so that their children can go back to school, and provision of jobs for their children who have completed their schooling.

    She said: “We appreciate the Governor. He is the man of the people and they are in support of what he is doing. We are proud of him and what he is doing. He should not be annoyed with our protest, we just went out for a peaceful protest, we didn’t send any of the boys to be violent we meant our own to be peaceful.

    “We want the reduction of fuel and prices of food. And we want jobs for our children and we want our children to go back to school as several of them have dropped out.”

    It would be recalled that women in Minna last week Monday staged a protest over the rise in food prices blocking the Minna-Bida road and the Kpakungun area.

    After the protest, the Niger State Police Command arrested three of the women and 22 youths for leading the protest.

    According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the protesters had deliberately refused to clear the road for public use despite the presence of Police patrol teams led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, DCP Shehu Umar Didango, and the presence of the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Comrade Yakubu Garba.

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    “The Police adopted minimum force to disperse the protesters who turned violent by attacking the Police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, cutlasses and damaged Police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof.

    “In the course of this, the Police arrested the initiator of the protest, one Aisha Jibrin aged 30 years, Fatima Aliyu aged 57 years, Fatima Isyaku aged 43 years all of Soje ‘A’ of Kpakungu area of Minna, and twenty-two other miscreants with the following dangerous weapons; a bench and a stick used as a barricade, three knives, one scissors, one cutlass, one saw blade, one iron pipe, four other sticks, two wraps of Indian hemp and charms”, he noted.

    The women were released a day after their arrest as the state government granted them administrative bail.

  • Aisha Jibrin, others get administrative bail as Niger apologies to detained protesters

    Aisha Jibrin, others get administrative bail as Niger apologies to detained protesters

    Following the backlash that followed the arrest of Monday’s protesters over the rise in food prices in Minna, the Niger State Government has granted administrative bail to the woman who initiated the protest, Aisha Jibrin and 24 others arrested by the police.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hajiya Binta Mamman, while announcing the administrative bail for the protesters, said that after conducting its findings, the State Government exonerated the 57-year-old Jibrin of any wrong.

    “All of those arrested by the police, along with the initiator, Aisha Jibrin, have been released on bail. We apologize to the family of Aisha and others for the arrest,” she said. 

    She said that the Niger State Government is committed to upholding citizens’ rights and freedoms, ensuring transparency, fairness, and justice in all legal matters. 

    The Commissioner called on the public to remain patient and show understanding, assuring the government was taking measures to mitigate the economic hardship.

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    The Niger Police arrested Jibrin for being the Initiator and leader of the protest with two other women and 22 youths claiming that the protesters refused to clear the road for public use even after the Deputy Governor had addressed them.

    The Police alleged the protesters destroyed some of its vehicles and vandalised the Kpakungun police station.

  • Handle withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger membership with tact, group counsels ECOWAS

    Handle withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger membership with tact, group counsels ECOWAS

    A peacebuilding think tank, Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has counseled the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to handle the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic from being members of the body with tact and caution.

    PeacePro specifically urged ECOWAS to delay its response to the withdrawal of the member-states.

    PeacePro asked the West African body to assess its conduct and approaches over time as well as its mid and long-term plan, as well as its strategic interest, vis-a-vis the implication of withdrawal of the affected countries and their foreign allies before articulating its position.

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    Executive Director of PeacePro, Abdulrazaq Hamzat explained that the withdrawal of the three member-states had political, economic, and security implications for the region, hinting that “the effect will be positive or negative, depending on how ECOWAS handles the new development.”

    Hamzat explained that “this development, as shocking as it may be, could assist the region to transform itself and become the necessary catalyst for West Africa’s rejuvenation.

    “This is why we would advise ECOWAS not to respond rashly to the development of momentary spotlight, ” adding that “the body should overview its conduct and approaches over time, its short and long term plan, as well as the strategic implication before taking any position.”

  • Exit from ECOWAS by Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali

    Exit from ECOWAS by Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali

    An extraordinary statement was issued in Niamey by the military spokesman for the so-called Sahelian Alliance countries of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The statement claimed that the three countries mentioned  above cease to be members of ECOWAS immediately due to the fact that the Economic Community Of West Of African  States (ECOWAS) has in their claim, departed from its original aim of economic development of the member-countries following what the statement claimed to be  pressure from foreign powers. The statement further claimed this followed the “patriotic” move of the armed forces of those member countries to effect changes in their countries for reasons of defending the interests and territorial integrity of their countries following challenges posed against the very existence of their countries from internal and external aggression while their incumbent governments were ineffective in protecting their countries’ interests.

    This move should not have surprised the authorities of the heads of state of ECOWAS. The three countries are in any case currently under suspension until they transit from military dictatorship to democracy. There is also nothing new in a country leaving the ECOWAS because in 2000, Mauritania left and in 2017 signed a protocol of association with the ECOWAS. We can expect that these three countries united in their poverty and landlocked by their geography will come back home in the nearest future because of the instability and uncertainty of military regimes in West Africa and the developing or underdeveloped world.

    In the first place, the three governments of the new alliance countries were faced with impossible and intolerable situation but in different degrees and circumstances. Niger was confronting the problem of Boko Haram and ISWAP – an offshoot of the (ISIS) and the TUAREG insurgents from the Sahara which had benefited from the surfeit of weapons left over from the collapse of the Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya. The country was also perpetually plagued with internal political instability arising from various sectarian Islamic movements and sharp ethnic divisions and rampant poverty. Apart from the regimes of Hamani Diori (president from 1960 to 1974) and Seyni Kountche (1974-1987), it had proved difficult for any other government to remain stable except by military force.

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    In the case of Mali, the situation is much more serious and complex. After more than 12 years of fighting the Tuaregs and others in the Operation BARKHANE against so-called self-styled WAZA republic, France felt compelled to withdraw its forces in Mali and their supporting staff in Niamey and N’Djamena Chad. This followed series of coups d’état and constant changes in government and direction of policy and frustrations and disaffection with French forces who seemed to rely mostly on its air force than ground troops. The Mali military junta then resorted to enlisting of mercenaries from Russia – (the WAGNER GROUP-) to beef up their fighting forces against the rebels from the North. The French withdrew its forces in 2020-2022 followed by its European supporters who apparently were not really committed to the perennial struggle against the Islamic militants in the Sahel and the Sahara.

    The problem was really the vastness of the space to be pacified by a relatively few French forces of less than 7000 troops scattered in several bases. The preponderance of weapons in the hands of the rebels apparently made pacification impossible. The poverty of the masses who expected French support would tilt the pendulum in favour of the Malian indigenous forces could not be assuaged and this led to general disaffection and anti-French revolt. This has now been exploited by the military to rally the ordinary people of Mali for support.

    In the case of Burkina Faso, the explanation is not too different from that of Mali with which it shares common border. Burkina Faso has been fighting the forces of the Islamic state in the Greater Sahara when it crossed in 2016 into the country from Mali and the forces of JNIM – (JAMA’AT NUSRAT AL ISLAM WAL MUSLIMIN) a militant group headed by a Tuareg named Iyad Ag Ghali which operates across West Africa but fighting mostly in Mali and Burkina Faso. All these groups are united by grievance, and opposition against France’s post-colonial policies after flag independence and  has now found expression in militant Islam and anger that France and America has not been able to save them from the destabilisation caused by militants both from within and from outside.

    This is the background of the anger of the military against France in Francophone Africa including Benin, Guinea, Senegal, the Cameroon and Tchad and distant Gabon. At independence these countries were tied by a protocol subordinating them to France economically forever. France and French companies had the right of first refusal of all contracts or rights to mineral exploration and exploitation in those countries before any other country or company could be considered. Their foreign exchange was kept in France’s central bank and France had ownership of 20% of the foreign exchange of these countries as payment for French “civilising missions” in their countries for the years they were under French control and exploitation and shall I say peonage! Countries in Anglophone West Africa, even though victims of neo-colonialism were not nakedly exploited as their counterparts in the Francophone zone. The apparent weakness of the international order in recent times, has given these countries room to ventilate their feelings and they cannot just understand their Anglophone neighbours shouting about restoring democracy in their countries if necessary by force.

    Unfortunately, the current ECOWAS is chaired by the president of Nigeria and this is where we as a country are directly involved. Nigeria provides a third of the budget of ECOWAS and is the seat of ECOWAS which it generously housed. Nigeria wants to be regarded as a thriving democracy and promotion of democracy is part of its foreign policy. So it was natural for it to be at the vanguard of the pressure to reinstate democracy in the neighbouring countries in West Africa. In the case of Nigeria, it shares about a thousand kilometre border with Niger to the North and the Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri people share common consanguinity with their brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers in Niger. In fact, the ordinary people at the border do not seem to recognise the international border. The exit of Niger will therefore have existential problems with people in the border in both Niger and Nigeria. At official level, things can be worked out in terms of common borders with Niger and what each country is owing and will be owing to one another as we go on. This will include payment for electricity by Niger and customs duties for trans-shipment and immigration charges as is normally charged the Chad republic which is not a member of ECOWAS. The fear that their exit from ECOWAS will create a cleavage and a chasm between neighbouring sister countries will not arise but will be a bit more expensive. Other protocols would have to be negotiated with Burkina Faso and Mali to guide our formal relations as is the case with other African countries. The exit of the three countries is not the end of our relations. We cannot change our relations and  these countries will continue to remain our neighbours and our relationship will be guided by the belief that this is a temporary rupture in relations and we should be indulgent towards Niger in particular because we cannot change our reality that they are bound to us by history and geography.

  • Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger withdraw from ECOWAS bloc

    Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger withdraw from ECOWAS bloc

    A major crisis hit the 49-year old Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) yesterday.

    Three member-countries-Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger-quit the sub-regional group, following protracted disagreement over its rejection of military rule in West Africa.

    However, ECOWAS claimed that it was yet to get notification about the withdrawal announced by governments of the three countries.

    The three Sahel nations said in a joint statement on state televisions that they had made a “sovereign decision” to leave ECOWAS “without delay”.

    The juntas said they have “decided in complete sovereignty on the immediate withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the ECOWAS,” alleging that the bloc has “moved away from the ideals of its founding fathers and pan-Africanism” after nearly 50 years of its establishment.

    The statement added: “Furthermore, ECOWAS, under the influence of foreign powers, betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to its member states and its populations whose happiness it is supposed to ensure.”

    Struggling with jihadist violence and poverty, relations between the regimes and ECOWAS have been ruptured, following the coups took place in Niger last July, Burkina Faso in 2022 and Mali in 2020.

    The three countries were suspended from ECOWAS, with Niger and Mali facing heavy sanctions.

    They have hardened their positions in recent months and joined forces in an “Alliance of Sahel States”.

    The French military withdrawal from the Sahel – the region along the Sahara desert across Africa – has heightened concerns over the conflicts spreading southward to Gulf of Guinea states – Ghana, Togo, Benin and Ivory Coast.

    The prime minister appointed by Niger’s military regime, Ali Zeine, Thursday blasted ECOWAS for “bad faith” after the bloc largely shunned a planned meeting in Niamey.

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    Niger had hoped for an opportunity to talk through differences with fellow states of ECOWAS which has cold-shouldered Niamey, imposing heavy economic and financial sanctions, following the military coup that overthrew elected president Mohamed Bazoum.

    The bloc, in a statement yesterday, said it was yet to get any official or direct notification from the three countries.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Commission) has been drawn to a statement broadcast on the National Televisions of Mali and Niger announcing the decision of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to withdraw from ECOWAS.

    “The ECOWAS Commission is yet to receive any direct formal notification from the three member states about their intention to withdraw from the community.

    “The ECOWAS Commission, as directed by the Authority of Heads of State and Government, has been working assiduously with these countries for the restoration of constitutional order. Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali remain important members of the community and the authority remains committed to finding a negotiated solution to the political impasse.

    “The ECOWAS Commission remains seized with the development and shall make further pronouncements as the situation evolves.”

    Analysts: use persuasive diplomacy to bring them back

    Reactions by international relations expects have trailed the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

    They urged the regional body to employ  persuasive diplomacy to bring them back into the fold.

    The experts said in ECOWAS, like other international organisations, individual countries can decide to join or leave, depending on the interests they are pursuing.

    They said other ECOWAS member-states should find a way of discussing with the countries and bringing them back on board through dialogue.

    According to those who spoke, the affected countries are sending a signal, adding that “they will be the one who will later want to seek readmission”.

    An Associate Professor and the Acting Director of Research and Studies Department at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Efem Ubi, yesterday recalled that he asserted in a recent paper published by Financial Nigeria that if ECOWAS intervened militarily in any of the three countries, it would be its end.

    I think the issue of military coups has not been handled rightly by the bloc,” Ubi said.

    “With the announcement of this new alliance, can we say ECOWAS is still in existence? This is just the beginning of what we are expecting to see. Now, they have moved away; they have formed an alliance. I don’t know what you are still going to call the other remaining 12 ECOWAS members.

    “I think the issue of military coups has not been handled rightly by the bloc,” Ibim said.

    He said the sanctions placed by ECOWAS on the three countries only affect the citizens and not the coup plotters.

    “ECOWAS has to look at the root causes of the problem of coups in West Africa. I have said it on many occasions that root causes of military take over have not been addressed.

    “What I think ECOWAS should do is to embrace more of diplomacy.”

    “It’s the military option that has degenerated to this point. They should find a way of discussing with the countries and bring them back on board. The best way is to manage the problem through dialogue,” he said.

    Former Vice Chancellor of Federal University Oye- Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prof. Kayode Soremekun, said the three countries have done what they think is in their interests.

    According to him, ECOWAS should use persuasive diplomacy.

    “The three countries should also not be carried away by the euphoria of the movement. I hope they are not being edged on by external forces. Russia is showing keen interests in the region.

    “I hope this is not funeral song of ECOWAS being sung. Therefore, Nigeria and others should bring them back into the fold.”

    But, a one-time Ambassador to Belgium, Prof. Alaba Ogunsanwo, said it was not the first time that a country would withdraw from ECOWAS.

    According to him, Mauritania, which was part of the countries that signed the ECOWAS Treaty in Lagos in 1975, gave one year notice in 1999 that it was leaving the organisation.

    “It left and it has not come back. These three countries – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – are landlocked, which means it will be difficult for them without the ECOWAS neighbours interacting with them. Before ECOWAS was established, the three countries were interacting with themselves.

    “Because they are under suspension, other ECOWAS countries can say they are rejecting their withdrawal. They can also say we will only accept your withdrawal when you return to civilian rule and the civilian governments can now say they are leaving ECOWAS.

    “The situation is different from Mauritania, which said it would prefer to join the Maghreb Union.

    “In ECOWAS, like other international organisations, individual country can decide to join or not to join, depending on the calculations of the interests to belonging to the organisation. The three as sovereign states can say they are withdrawing from ECOWAS.

    “And ECOWAS can say you are the one who will suffer. Let’s see how you will survive. And ECOWAS can punish them more. I also know that some people would say let ECOWAS go and use force.

    “But because ECOWAS is an international organisation, it should just allow erring members to go because they are sovereign countries. They may suffer from more sanctioning and when they learn their lessons; they can come back.”

    A former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, described the decision of the three West African countries as a new development, which is not unconnected with the current political situations in the three countries.

    Stressing he was not surprised by their actions, he, however, said it is a storm in tea cup that would soon fizzle out.

    The former Permanent Secretary said: “They are sending a signal, but the point is that they will be isolated as they are now.

    “Down the road, they will be the one who will later want to seek readmission.”

    He also asked rhetorically: “Where are they going to? After the present leaderships, what will be the future of the countries? “

    Lolo said no democratic government would want to follow their path of action.

    Oge Onubogu, director of the Africa Programme at the Washington-based Wilson Centre think tank, said in parts of West Africa, ECOWAS is fast losing its effectiveness and support among citizens, who see it as representing only the interests of the leaders and not that of the masses.

    Widely seen as Africa’s top political and regional authority, the 15-nation bloc of ECOWAS — formed in 1975 to “promote economic integration” in member states — has struggled in recent years to reverse rampant coups in the region where citizens have complained of not benefitting from rich natural resources.

    First to exit the bloc: Mauritania

    Arabic-speaking Mauritania was one of the founding members of ECOWAS in 1975 and decided to withdraw in December 2000. Mauritania signed a new associate-membership agreement in August 2017.

    ECOWAS Revised Treaty

    Withdrawal under Chapter XXII – General and final provisions Article 91

    1. Any Member State wishing to withdraw from the community shall give to the Executive Secretary one year’s notice in writing who shall inform Member States thereof. At the expiration of this period, if such notice is not withdrawn, such a state shall cease to be a member of the community.

    2. During the period of one year referred to in the preceding paragraph, such a member state shall continue to comply with the provisions of this treaty and shall remain bound to discharge its obligations under this treaty.

  • Armed Forces Day: Niger govt to enroll families of ex-servicemen in social investment programs

    Armed Forces Day: Niger govt to enroll families of ex-servicemen in social investment programs

    Niger state government has disclosed plans to enroll the family members of fallen heroes and Ex-Servicemen into different categories of social investment programmes in the state.

    This, according to the state governor, Farmer Mohammed Bago, will enable them to be adequately empowered and cater for themselves.

    Bago stated this during the 2024 Nigerian Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Wreath laying ceremony at the Permanent Cenotaph, Minna.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Comrade Yakubu Garba, said that the state owes it a duty to cater for the families of fallen heroes and also the ex-servicemen who have paid their dues in serving their fatherland.

    He noted that the ages of the family members of the fallen heroes and Ex-Servicemen will determine the category of social investment programs they would be enrolled in.

    Bago said the state government will not allow them to be subjected to poverty and that the services of the ex-servicemen will continuously be needed in dealing with the security challenges in the State.

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    The Chairman, Nigerian Legion, Niger State Council, Mamuda Baba Ahmed appreciated the efforts of Farmer Governor Umaru Bago who has shown commitment towards their plights.

    He expressed optimism that the State Government will redeem its pledge made to the Legion while calling on it to engage the cadets trained by the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires so that they can equally help address insecurity.

  • Newborn found dead in Niger

    Newborn found dead in Niger

    A newborn baby boy was found dead in the Fadikwe area opposite the Kure ultramodern market in Minna.

    The baby was found with its placenta still attached to it in a carton.

    Passersby noticed the carton lying there for a long time and decided to take a look at it which was when the baby was discovered.

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    The attention of the Niger State Child Rights Agency was drawn to the situation and the baby was taken to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.

    The Niger State Child Rights Agency said that they have alerted the GRA Police station for intensive investigation to ascertain the mother of the newborn baby.

    The baby was then buried by the staff of the Agency.