Five years ago, President Muhammadu Buhari promised Nigerians a country they could be proud of. It is a matter of pride that, so early into his second term of office, he is, in theory and practice, living up to that promise. It is, therefore, apt to start this piece by congratulating Nigerians for the air of freedom and sense of nationalism creeping back into our psyche. The image of the patriotic owner of Air Peace getting emotional when he heard Nigerians in unison singing the National Anthem on their way back from South Africa to Nigeria is one that should not be forgotten in a hurry. For the first time in the life of most Nigerians, they now know they have a country that can protect them.
President Buhari has made this possible with his intervention in South Africa, a country whose nationals (or many of them) are taking Nigerians for granted, and who have been shortchanging and killing Nigerians obviously because they felt the authorities in Nigeria would hardly bat an eyelid. Successive administrations have, sadly, left Nigerians in South Africa to suffer all sorts of degradations, to the extent that they have been reduced to slaves or something worse in that country.
However, it is not only South Africa that is guilty. Some of Nigeria’s next-door neighbours, especially Niger Republic, are guilty of even worse forms of xenophobia against Nigerians, more so our businessmen and women. What makes the case of Niger Republic very bad is the fact that the xenophobic tendencies are exhibited by the authorities, led by no less a person than the President of that country, Mahamadou Issoufou, a man who, ironically, makes a public show of love for Nigeria.
The relationship between Niger Republic and Nigeria dates back ages. In Nigeria, especially the northern plank, inter-marriage between nationals of the two nations are commonplace. Except for a few instances, administrations before the current one of Issoufou had played their part very responsibly, so much so that the nationals of the two countries saw themselves as one and the same. The level of integration was deep. But the story has changed since the advent of the Issoufou administration, which has been taking advantage of the fact that, firstly, not many people would believe the story that Niger Republic is antagonistic to Nigeria (given the depth of the relationship between the two nations), and, secondly, knowing that most of the people being cheated would hardly take their case to Nigerian authorities or the media.
But there comes a time in the life of pretenders when their cup runs full. Gradually, the Nigerian media is getting to know what is happening, and the authorities here are coming to grips with the heavy damage being perpetrated against Nigerians in Niger Republic. It is important to reiterate here that the relationship between most citizens of Niger Republic and Nigerians is still very cordial. The problem is mostly restricted to the government of the day in that country, in sharp contrast to South Africa, where the citizens are the ones exhibiting unprecedented hatred of Nigerians, with their government watching idly by.
Last January 11, a newspaper in Nigeria, published a story: “How Niger Republic can influence Nigeria’s presidential election.” On the same day, another newspaper published its own, entitled “How Niger Republic undermines Nigeria’s interest.” A day earlier, another newspaper did the same. And a day later, yet another newspaper, came up with a strong editorial in which it drew the attention of Nigerian authorities to the reality of how our people are being cheated by the authorities of Niger Republic. “It is obviously to ward off the suspicion that the Issoufou administration was set to play a role against the re-election of President Buhari (who ensures accountability in monies granted to Niger Republic) that the governors of Maradi and Zander were, against diplomatic protocol, dispatched to Kano to partake in the presidential campaign of President Buhari, just a few days to the election.”
The case of a Nigerian company, Architeam Group Niaport SA, which was assigned the contract of airport expansion in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic, shows how the Nigerien government is against Nigerians’ interests. On the project, the company spent millions of dollars in feasibility studies, environmental impact analysis, soil tests, payment of technical partners from Germany, etc; after doing this, the administration of Issoufou revoked the contract and awarded it to another company. The clauses in the agreement were not respected. There was a requirement that there would be three letters of warning to be served the Nigerian company in the event of any breach of the contract. There was nothing like that.
Presently, Architeam Group Niaport SA is enmeshed in crisis of a sort, with debt piling up, owing to the unethical act of wickedness by the authorities of Niger Republic. The German company, Faraport, has already taken the Nigerian company to court, claiming damages. So also is a local company in Niger. Worse of all, they do this in a manner that tends to destroy the reputation of Nigeria as the emphasis has always been on the word NIGERIA when reference is made to the matter.
Nigeria’s ministries of justice and foreign affairs have written countless letters asking Niger Republic to play its part by paying compensation to Architeam, but hardly does Niger Republic under Issoufou respond to letters from Nigeria. Where they do so, it is to deceive Nigeria into believing they are taking action on the matter raised. For example, in a recent letter written and sent to Niger by Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Nigeria expressed her disappointment on a number of things. First, it mentioned the Niamey meeting of May 5 and 6, this year, during which the Niger delegation complained that the documents and claims submitted by the company in question for consideration were not made available to it in good time. Consequently, the meeting was postponed for two months, with a view to enabling the complainants to forward without delay all relevant documents, as requested by the delegation from Niger Republic, on the one hand, and to afford the government of Niger to study them deeply, on the other.
All the necessary documents were submitted through diplomatic channels to the Republic of Niger. The promise was to reconvene the meeting after two months. Such is the disdain with which the current administration in Niger Republic holds Nigeria that, almost five months later, it has not called for resumption of the meeting, nor stated any reason for its blatant refusal. Several such meetings have either been held or postponed by Niger on very flimsy grounds. The administration deploys delay tactics to buy time, and to make the authorities in Nigeria get tired and hands off the matter, clearly because it is an unethical player who has nothing with which to defend itself. And it does not have the decency to admit where it is wrong and simply pay off the agreed compensation and as well treat other business people fairly.
Such has been the attitude of Niger Republic in the way and manner it relates with Nigeria, not just in this particular case but virtually every other matter, provided it is not to do with the vested interest of the current administration in that country.
It is heartwarming that a major newspaper in Niger Republic, L’Evenement, has joined others in that country to place this matter on the front burner and to warn that the ill treatment of Nigerian businessmen by the Niger authorities was capable of causing a diplomatic row between the two countries. This is even more so now that Nigeria no longer folds its arms and allows its citizens to be cheated.
Every Nigerian should be proud seeing the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali, on a visit to the Nigeria-Niger border in Maigatari, last week, reiterating the fact that Nigeria would not reopen its borders with Niger Republic unless that country and other neighbours give irrevocable assurances that they would not resume the destruction of Nigeria’s economy by allowing all manner of illegal and dangerous items to be smuggled through it.
The Buhari administration will equally do well to investigate widespread allegations that the Niger border is being used by bandits to smuggle arms and ammunition from Libya and other places, with which kidnaping and other crimes are perpetrated in Nigeria, thereby giving the Buhari administration a bad name. Even local newspapers in Niger have been writing about arms trafficking and money laundering, with some officials of that country being fingered. The country has also opened up its borders to all kinds of foreign military bases, in a manner that suggests direct threat to Nigeria.
Nigeria is also urged to renegotiate with, especially our West African neighbours, the proposed eco-currency that is likely to take up in 2020. No one is suggesting that our country should operate solo. But it needs to be highly watchful to ensure it does not end up being used or taken advantaged of. With the successful intervention of Nigeria on xenophobia in South Africa, the Buhari administration is strongly urged to take a strong stance against any country, no matter how weak or strong, that undermines the interest of Nigerians. As for Niger Republic, there are several of such cases that cry for government’s quick intervention.
The National Assembly also has a key role to play in protecting the interests of Nigerians wherever they may be. If some of our people are guilty of crime of any sort, let them be dealt with in accordance with the laws of that country. But our compatriots doing legitimate businesses and other pursuits must be accorded protection. We cannot, and shall not, as a nation, condone foreign governments shortchanging our nationals and at the same time making a pretentious public show of friendship towards us. That aggregates to adding insult to injury.
Note: The maiden edition of this column published last week, on the need to support the Nigerian military, attracted a deluge of reactions, both positive and negative. I will endeavor to publish them all soon. Brass Tacks promises to be as interactive as possible, with right of reply accorded prominence.
To those calling for war…
I saw this sometime in July. It has since been out there in the social space, and many of us might have read it. A conscientious Nigerian sat down to construct it. Whoever the author might be, he is my writer of the year. I enjoin us all to read it and fully digest the contents. It goes as follows:
In war, everyone is a prisoner of captivity, both the belligerent and the cheerleaders. Keep drumming for war because you feel displaced and dislocated.
In war, the market closes to everyone, including you and the one you hate. When the bullet flies around, it hits everyone in destructive staccato.
When bodies fill the ground in debris, we all take in the stench in exhilarating doses.
In war, no one buries the other, we perish in bloated bodies And burst in smelly particles, to be fed on by the vultures.
Keep mobilising for showdown, when the doom comes, we shall face it in boom of woes.
The call for war can be very sweet, it gives the feeling of conquest, but like the rain it usually ends with drench.
When the war comes, we all cease to be Igala, Yoruba, Igede, Jukun, Igbo, Angas, Beriberi, Chibok or Fulani.
We all become entrapped bodies of human waste, we will be buried not in tribal identities but as wasted human bodies.
In our carcasses, mutilated by the vultures and left for archaeological fossils,
Shall be us in historical reference. Skeletal heaps are the remains of a people who preferred to perish as fools than to live in dignity…
Belligerently musing. ©️Haruspice