A group of prominent northern leaders has issued a cautionary message, advising against allowing the United States and France to relocate their military bases from the Sahel region to Nigeria.
In an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly leadership, the leaders, including distinguished figures such as Professor Abubakar Siddique Mohammed and Professor Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, expressed their concerns over reported lobbying efforts by the American and French governments to establish new defence pacts with Nigeria. These pacts would enable them to redeploy their troops, expelled from neighbouring countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
The signatories highlighted the strategic importance of Nigeria among the Gulf of Guinea countries and cautioned that succumbing to such pressure could compromise the nation’s defence and internal security. They cited the recent expulsion of foreign troops from Niger due to their perceived ineffective presence as evidence of the questionable efficacy of hosting foreign military bases.
Furthermore, the leaders argued that the primary goal of these bases, purportedly to combat terrorism in the Sahel, has not been achieved, as terrorism has only escalated since their establishment. They emphasized that hosting foreign troops could lead to increased living costs, environmental degradation, and long-term negative consequences for Nigeria’s sovereignty and independence.
As of now, there has been no public response from the presidency or the National Assembly regarding the concerns raised in the open letter.
