*Nigerian military warns its men, reiterates loyalty to president
*Gabon’s coup 8th in West/Central Africa since 2020, four of which were staged by close guards
*Niger junta revokes French ambassador’s immunity after expiration of 48 hours ultimatum to leave country
Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Kingsley Nwezeh and Michael Olugbode in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, warned that if African leaders did not wield the big stick to curtail the wave of coup d’états spreading across the continent, everyone would ultimately suffer the consequences.
Gabon’s coup was the eight in West and Central since 2020.
Instructively, four of the recent coups were staged by close guards meant to protect the presidents in their various countries.
The alleged coup leader in Gabon, Brice Oligui Nguema, was the head of the Gabonese Presidency’s Republican Guard, the country’s most powerful security unit. He was said to be the president’s cousin.
In Niger, the Presidential Guard led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani launched the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, and had since detained him and his family on July 26.
Guinean Colonel Doumbouya, then a 41-year-old and former French legionnaire and commander of the country’s elite Special Forces Group shot his way to power in September 2021.
On August 18, 2020, a young group of officers in Mali’s armed forces led by Colonel Assimi Goïta, staged a coup d’état, arresting the beleaguered President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. He was head, the Malian special forces before staging the coup that brought him to power.
In January 2022, Burkina Faso’s army ousted President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants.
Coup leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba pledged to restore security, but attacks worsened, eroding morale in the armed forces that led to a second coup in September 2022, when current junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power.
Chad’s army took power in April 2021, after President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield while visiting troops fighting rebels in the north.
Under Chadian law, the speaker of parliament should have become president. But a military council stepped in and dissolved parliament in the name of ensuring stability.
Deby’s son, General Mahamat Idriss Deby, was named interim president and tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition to elections.
Tinubu’s advice, however, came on the hills of Wednesday’s putsch in the Central African nation of Gabon, which ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, also known as Ali Bongo, barely one month after the overthrow of Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup.
But Tinubu has reassured those intervening in the political crisis in Niger Republic that military action would be the last option by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), after all diplomatic options had been exhausted.
Speaking when he received the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), led by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at State House, Abuja, the president, in a statement by his media adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, noted that the alternative to kinetic intervention in Niger Republic had not been jettisoned.
The president, who said ECOWAS was still working on all opportunities for dialogue, therefore charged NSCIA to sustain talks with the Niger junta in collective interest.
The president’s comments came as the military authorities in Niger Republic revoked the diplomatic immunity of the French ambassador to the country, Sylvain Itte, and ordered the police to evict him.
But, in a seeming pushback, the French authorities declared that the junta lacked the authority to evict the ambassador, alleging that it was an illegitimate government.
However, in obvious reaction to the spreading coup in Africa, two sit-tight rulers on the continent – President Paul Biya of Cameroon and Paul Kagame of Rwanda – determined to sustain their political hegemony, yesterday, commenced the reshuffling of the military hierarchy in their countries in a bid to prevent any putsch.
Similarly, in a strong warning to Nigeria’s military personnel, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Mohammed Usman, yesterday, maintained that the officers and men must remain loyal to Tinubu, or leave the service.
But former Vice President and presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, and a former senator, Shehu Sani, yesterday, differed on the coup in Gabon. While Atiku called for a quick return to democratic and constitutional rule in Gabon, Sani, who described the development as a patriotic intervention, said the people should be allowed to determine their fate.
A civil rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, also said when results of elections were manipulated and the people were denied their right to vote, military rule became an alternative.
Reiterating his position on the Niger impasse, Tinubu said, “Nobody is interested in a war. We have seen the devastation in Ukraine and Sudan. But if we don’t wield the big stick, we will all suffer the consequences together.”
Tinubu insisted that any forceful removal of a democratic government remained “wholly unacceptable.”
He told the NSCIA delegation that, “I must thank you for your several visits to Niger Republic, Your Eminence, but you will still have to go back. My fear has been confirmed in Gabon that copy cats will start doing the same thing until it is stopped. We are neighbours with Niger Republic, and what has joined Nigerians together with their great people cannot be broken.
The president noted that Nigeria, under General Abdulsalami Abubakar, instituted a nine-month transition programme in 1998, and it proved very successful, leading the country into a new era of democratic governance. He added that he saw no reason why such could not be replicated in Niger, if Niger’s military authorities were sincere.
The president told the group led by the sultan, “Your Eminence, please, don’t get tired, you will still go back there. The soldiers’ action is unacceptable. The earlier they make positive adjustments, the quicker we will dial back the sanctions to alleviate the sufferings we are seeing in Niger.”
Commenting on the post-fuel subsidy removal hardship faced by many Nigerians, Tinubu assured that ongoing reforms would liberate and reposition the economy. He said these would benefit the majority of the population in terms of opportunities, infrastructure, healthcare, and education.
According to him, “Nigeria is headed for a promise. Our diversity will turn into prosperity, not adversity. We will build a country that our children will be proud of.”
The president added that the federal government had opened talks with state governments to provide land for the proper sustenance of animals with a view to developing pan-national animal husbandry and agro-allied production and processing facilities for mass export, job creation, and revenue generation.
He said, “If Nigeria is still looking for vaccines for basic health issues; if infant and maternal mortality is rampant, then we should examine ourselves. I will commit to consulting with other leaders, like the NSCIA, and we will meet the needs of our people.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima told the meeting that the president had budgeted N50 billion to support the ongoing rebuilding of lives and property in the North-west and North-east, and with a new focus on dialogue to address security challenges.
On his part, Sultan of Sokoto pledged “one hundred per cent loyalty” to the president, affirming that a leader can only reach any position by the will of God, and not man.
He assured the president that NSCIA would be available to advise and support him to realise his dream for the country, adding, “God will hold all leaders to account, in justice and fairness.”
The sultan suggested that the distribution of palliatives across the country should be monitored and augmented, where it failed to reach some of the people in dire need.
“I honestly believe we will come out of the challenges stronger,” he said.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, told newsmen after the meeting that the president had been insistent on a speedy resolution of the crisis in Niger Republic so as to prevent the sort of situation in Gabon.
Idris said, “The president always says that there should be engagement and it is precisely for the reason of Gabon that he has asked that the issue of Niger be resolved. If we don’t nip it in the bud, as they say, Gabon and things like that could continue to happen.
“He is a democrat, he believes that changes can only come through constitutional means. Therefore, he has asked the Ulamas to continue to engage and to tell everybody in the world to respect constitutional order.”
Secretary-General of NSCIA, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, also told journalists that the body voiced its own idea before the president on how it thought the various challenges being experienced across the country could be managed.
Oloyede stated, “The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, under the leadership of His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, and the President-General, is here to pay a courtesy call on Mr President, to appreciate him for the nation and to also advise him as to what the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs feels should be done to make sure that he continues to rule with transparency, honesty, equity, to the benefit of all members of this great country of ours.”
Biya, Kagame Reshuffle Military over Coup Scare
Obviously reacting to the wave of coups in Africa, two sit-tight rulers in the continent – President Paul Biya of Cameroon and Paul Kagame of Rwanda – yesterday, commenced the reorganisation of the military hierarchy in their countries in a bid to prevent a putsch and sustain their political hegemony.
Presidential guards in Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and, most recently, Gabon, had sacked their democratically elected leaders within the last two years. The changes came as the new military junta in Gabon announced the overthrow of President Ali Bongo, whose family had ruled Gabon for 56 years.
Bongo had just been re-elected to a third term in office in the Central African nation. But the opposition denounced the election as marred by fraud.
The junta led by Oligui Nguema, a cousin to the deposed president and former head of the presidential guard, will be sworn in on Monday as the leader of the transitional government.
Bongo’s father, the late President Omar Bongo, was at the helm of affairs in Gabon for 42 years.
Following the developments in Gabon, Biya, yesterday, made major changes to the country’s ministry of defence. He reshuffled the “delegate to the presidency in charge of defence, air force staff, navy and the police.”
Biya has spent 41 years in power, having ascended the presidency in 1982. He is 90 years old. He has faced accusations of human rights violations and is presently battling separatist groups in the English speaking part of the country.
In a similar vein, Rwanda’s Kagame, who came to power in 2000, yesterday, approved the retirement of 83 senior military officers. In 2015, the country’s constitution was changed to allow Kagame to remain in power until 2034.
A statement issued on X (formerly twitter), Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) said Kagame also approved the promotion and appointment of some officers to replace the retired personnel.
There were also reported meetings between Rwanda’s chief of defence staff, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to Rwanda, and the defence attaché of Cameroon.
The trio discussed ways “to enhance defence cooperation between their respective countries.”
Nigerian Military Warns Its Men, Reiterates Loyalty to President
Meanwhile, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj Gen Mohammed Usman, warned disloyal soldiers to leave the army. Usman affirmed that military personnel must remain loyal to the president, Chief of Defence Staff, down to their brigade commanders.
He charged soldiers to be professional and exhibit total loyalty to constituted authority.
Addressing soldiers at the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, Ogun State, the GOC noted that there were some challenges, but said they were not peculiar to the brigade.
He stated, “You have to be loyal. There is no room for soldiers that are not loyal to constituted authority. If you are not going to be loyal, then, leave, go and do other work. But the armed forces cannot stand it if you are not loyal.”
Usman maintained that soldiers must maintain “discipline, loyalty and top professionalism. We are bearing arms so that other people can sleep and go about their normal activities.
“You also have to be hardworking. If you go on any course, make sure you do your best and be among the best. Once you have all these, you will grow in this job.”
On the challenges confronting personnel, he said, “While we are looking at the challenges and how to solve them, you have to be disciplined soldiers; you have to be loyal.”
Atiku, Sani, Yesufu Differ on Coup in Gabon
Presidential candidate of PDP in the last general election, Atiku Abubakar, and a former senator, Shehu Sani, yesterday, disagreed on the coup d’état in Gabon.
Atiku called for a quick return to constitutional rule in Gabon, but Sani described the latest developments in that country as a patriotic intervention to liberate the people.
In his X account (Tweeter Account), Atiku said, “The coup in Gabon stands condemned. Democracy and democratic governance have come to stay as a preferred form of government, and everything should be done to enthrone, nurture, and sustain it.
“As I suggested in the case of the Niger Republic, the ECOWAS and African Union authorities should open a window of diplomatic engagement that will pave the way for the soldiers to return to the barracks.
“The latest coup brings the number of military takeovers in Central and West Africa to eight since 2020. This is worrisome and calls for introspection. We may have to focus on dealing with the disease and not the symptoms that birth coups.”
But the former senator for Kaduna Central, Sani, said what happened in Gabon was not a coup. He urged the African Union and the United Nations to allow the new government in Gabon to restore dignity and true democracy in that country.
Sani described the events in the Central African country as a conscious and patriotic intervention for the liberation of the Gabonese people, and urged that the people should be allowed to determine their future.
Sani wrote on his X (formerly Twitter handle), “What happened in Gabon is not a coup d’état as usual, but a conscious and patriotic intervention to liberate the Gabonese people after half a century of dictatorship and slavery by one family.
“I call on all Africans, and in particular, the African Union and the United Nations, to give the new government the opportunity to restore dignity and true democracy in Gabon. Let the Gabonese people determine their future.”
In her contribution, Yesufu said the situation in Gabon was a testimony that democracy would continue to be at risk until people learn not to differentiate between political and military coups.
Yesufu, in a post shared on her X account, said when results of elections were tampered and the people were denied their right to democratic choice, then military rule became an alternative.
She stated that African leaders made military coups attractive to the people when they were denied free, fair and credible elections.
She said, “When you deny the people free, fair and credible election, where their votes count, you make military coup attractive to them.
“What has happened in Gabon is a testimony that until we learn not to differentiate between political and military coup, democracy will continue to be at risk.”
