Niger coup: I am managing a very critical issue- Tinubu

August 25, 2023 Wale Ponnle

On Thursday, President Bola Tinubu claimed that the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, heads of State and government are being held back by him because he is in charge of a very severe problem.

A delegation of Islamic scholars (Ulamas), who was previously involved in discussions to help facilitate the restoration of constitutional democratic governance in the Niger Republic, was urged by President Tinubu, who also serves as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, to advance in their ongoing dialogue with the military junta.

The Ulamas, who were welcomed into the meeting by Sheikh Bala Lau, gave the President a thorough report on Thursday at the State House in Abuja. Following the Ulamas’ most recent two trips to the Niger Republic, a briefing was held.

The President had been informed by the Islamic leaders that the military junta was open to a deeper level of communication with ECOWAS as more steps were being taken to avert violent conflict and military council officials in Niger were more fully accepting of the ECOWAS position.

President Tinubu stressed that he is at the forefront of a peaceful resolution to the crisis, even in the face of more hawkish people calling for swifter intervention, in response to the delegation of Ulamas, against the backdrop of ethnic rumours spread by domestic political figures inside and outside of the country.

The President was cited as stating, “I am managing a very serious situation,” in a statement released by his Special Advisor on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale. If you ignore ECOWAS, other people—those whose actions are beyond our control—will respond. I’m the one who’s suppressing those sides. I am preventing ECOWAS from moving forward.

The president continued, addressing the urgency of the situation:

“Even as of this morning, I have received a deluge of phone calls on the military power and contributions of other nations. I instructed them to wait, though. I will get back to you after I meet with the Ulamas.

President Tinubu informed the Islamic delegation that the military junta needed to answer for endangering the safety of the Niger Republic’s whole populace.

He remarked, “They cannot use the gun handed to them to defend the country’s sovereignty and use it against the country’s citizens.

ECOWAS would continue to be resolute in its commitment to diplomatic engagement with all parties and seek a peaceful settlement to the deadlock in the Niger Republic, President Tinubu promised.

He said, “I’m going to draw a line in the sand and tell you to make plans to go back to the Niger Republic.”

The President announced that additional palliatives are on the way for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country in response to the Islamic scholars’ plea that the Federal Government oversee the distribution of palliatives to States.

He also urged State governments to make sure that the management and distribution of these painkillers is transparent and accountable.

“The populace lives in the United States. I will still need to go via the governors and the municipal governments, even if I put up a panel. We’ll keep having conversations with the governors. They must answer to Nigerians, he continued.

“It is unheard of for a president to sit here and issue directives to States in a constitutional democracy. I can only implore them to do it. The people live in the states, and if the governor is not performing well, the people must remove them by-election,” he said.

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Wale Ponnle

A passionate writer of everything politics in Nigeria with the goal and purpose of bringing authentic information and unbiased news to everyone everywhere.

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