Some scholars from Northern Nigeria and the Islamic group, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has kicked against any defence pact between Nigeria and United States (U.S.) and France on siting of a military base by either of them anywhere on Nigerian soil.
MURIC Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said in a statement on Sunday morning that locating such a base in Nigeria would amount to another phase of recolonisation, insisting that “that Nigeria must not allow itself to be recolonised. On no account should American or French soldiers set their feet on Nigerian soil.”
The scholars from the Northern region, in an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly, warned of the dangers of the relocation of American and French military bases from the Sahel region to Nigeria.
American and French governments have allegedly been lobbying Nigeria and other regional countries to sign new defence agreements, enabling them to redeploy expelled troops.
In the letter, Abubakar Mohammed from the Centre for Democratic Development, Zaria; Attahiru Muhammadu from Bayero University, Kano and four others alleged that the American and French governments have been desperately lobbying the governments of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana to agree to sign new defense pacts that would enable them to redeploy their soldiers expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
According to the scholars, some of the troops have already been redeployed to Chad but France and the United States prefer countries of the Gulf of Guinea that are more strategically located to serve their interests in the central zone of the Sahel.
“Of the countries in the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria turns out to be the most strategically located. There are indications that the Nigerian Government may be favourably disposed to the proposed defense pact. However, there is a widespread apprehension that signing of the pact by Nigeria would have wide ranging implications for defense and internal security of the country,” they stated.
They went down memory lane to highlight attempts by foreign governments to establish such alliances with Nigeria in the past that were turned down and urged the current administration not to accept such a tie.
According to them, similar military bases in West Africa had served ulterior motives of first world countries.
“These French and American bases were used by the French and the Americans to carry out manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations in the Sahel.
The bases had become the focal points for Western intelligence and surveillance operations in West Africa.
“The American and French troops were expelled because their presence did not serve any useful purpose. Instead, they were using the defense pact to carry out surveillance operations in the region to serve their geopolitical strategic interests. As a result of this expulsion, the Gulf of Guinea countries, especially Nigeria, are being pressured to compromise their sovereignty by harboring these foreign troops who would come to serve the interests of NATO to the detriment of the national interests and security of the countries of the Gulf of Guinea.
“The relocation of foreign military bases to Nigerian soil represents not just a potential compromise of our sovereignty but also sets a precedent that may lead to unforeseen geopolitical, economic, and social consequences,” they alleged.
MURIC’s Professor Akintola said in a statement: “There are reports that a defence pact between Nigeria and the United States (US) on one hand and between Nigeria and France on the other is in the offing. This follows the expulsion of the Western powers from the Sahel region a few months ago.
“Past and recent events around the world have proved that both countries (the US and France) are birds of the same feather in terms of self-interest, imperialist agenda and hegemonic goals which can never favour any African country. We therefore say clearly, emphatically and categorically that Nigeria should not sign any military pact with either of these two countries. Neither should they be allowed to set up any military base in our country.
“The economic exploitation, impoverisation and inhuman treatment of franco-phone countries by France, American gun-boat diplomacy around the globe as well as its latest role in funding, arming and protecting Israel in its genocidal killing of Palestinians and massive destruction of its infrastructure are more than enough raison d’etre for our position. On no account should American or French soldiers set their feet on Nigerian soil.”
