The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, has urged the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to swiftly activate the standby force of the community to restore constitutional order in coup-hit Niger.
Mr Nitiwul said if the junta in Niger was allowed to fester, it would have gained legitimacy and nobody would be safe in the region.
Speaking at the opening session of the ongoing two-day meeting of the committee in Accra yesterday, Mr Nitiwul said the people of the ECOWAS region were behind the soldiers to undertake the task of constitutional tranquility in Niger.
“The spirit of our people in West Africa is with you as you meet here to put the plan in place to meet the ECOWAS directive to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.
“You and your dedicated and loyal troops, today, stand on the threshold of history as professionals who are being tasked to help the people of West Africa to enable them to elect their leaders through free, fair and transparent elections.
“I am of the firm belief that, you, who form part of the most experienced soldiers within our sub region will put in place a strategic plan that will boost the confidence of our people and restore hope to our various countries,” he said.
The meeting which is being attended by nine of the 15 member states is in response to an extraordinary summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Friday, August 11, where the West African regional bloc directed the military chiefs to “promptly activate the ECOWAS Standby Force with all its elements” to intervene in Niger.
The attending states are Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin, Senegal, Togo, and Sierra Leone. Two of the absentee countries, Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde, have “genuine excuses” why they are not attending, the minister explained.
The others – Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea and Niger – who are under military rules, did not have representatives though they had their seats reserved and flags placed on the roundtable.
According to Mr Nitiwul, MP, Bimbilla, the ECOWAS which became the toast of the world when all 15 member states had democratic governments, was facing crisis of coups and same must be tamed with immediate effect before it degenerated.
The attendance to the meeting, the minister said, should send a powerful message to the world that the armed forces in West Africa is united in carrying out the directives of the heads of state and governments.
He was hopeful that at the end of the meeting “all of you will be able to put your rich experiences together to be able to activate the ECOWAS standby force to enable it respond adequately and swiftly to the demands placed on you by our heads of states”.
Chairman of the Committee and the Chief of Defence Staff of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Chistopher Gwabin Musa, said the collective action of the various armed forces to restore constitutional calm in Niger would be a worthy legacy for future generations to emulate.
Admitting that the task would be daunting and same could only be carried out with courage and determination, the people of Niger must not be allowed to suffer needlessly.
He rallied his colleagues not to be driven by fear and that the “ultimate goal is not to only resolve the crisis but to build a stronger and a more resilient ECOWAS capable of overcoming the challenges of our time”.
The Chief of Defence Staff of Ghana, Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, in his welcome address said the democracy in the region must be safeguarded and encouraged.
Niger descended into constitutional chaos after President Mohamed Bazoum’s two-year old government was toppled by Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of the Niger presidential guard, on July 26, 2023.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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