The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has condemned the alleged permission granted France to establish an expeditionary military base in Nigeria.
According to CNG, the decision is reportedly linked to a bilateral agreement signed between Nigeria and France, granting the latter unrestricted access to Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.
Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, National Coordinator of CNG, made this allegation at a press conference earlier today (Friday, December 6) in Abuja, the FCT.
Charanchi further alleged that since the inception of President Bola Ahmad Tinubu’s administration, Nigerians have witnessed both overt and covert diplomatic maneuvers at the highest levels of government, aimed at “surrendering Nigeria’s sovereignty to France under misleading pretenses.”
“We recall with trepidation,” Charanchi said, “that barely a year into his presidency, the same belligerent European nation, France, was identified as the inveterate promoter and sponsor of the disintegration of ECOWAS. This created a perceptible war atmosphere in the previously peaceful West African sub-region.”
“It took the collective wisdom and uncommon display of Pan-Africanism by renowned statesmen and millions of concerned citizens to quell the incendiary fire ignited by France in its desperate bid to subjugate its rebellious former colonies to neocolonial servitude, using Nigeria as a willing tool,” the CNG National Coordinator stressed, adding that “it should also not escape our memory that this same France spearheaded the resistance by powerful Western nations to the launch of the West African common currency.”
The CNG argued that, given France’s history of imperial interference in Africa, it is shocking that Nigeria, with its proud history of championing African sovereignty, could submit to such foreign influence.
“We refuse to accept this and hereby reaffirm our resolve. Equipped with indisputable historical facts of French exploitation in Africa—particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, where rich mineral resources are plundered—we are determined to resist, by all constitutional and democratic means, any attempt by this government to allow France or any foreign power to establish a military base in Nigeria.”
The group also accused the government of ignoring constitutional procedures for handling sensitive national matters and called for the National Assembly to intervene.
The CNG urged President Tinubu to remain mindful of the insecurity plaguing Nigeria, particularly the North, and avoid policies that could undermine ongoing efforts to restore peace and stability.
Surmising, the CNG called on the National Assembly to stand firm in defending Nigeria’s sovereignty and reiterated its demand that, under no circumstances, should France or any other foreign power be permitted to establish a military base in Nigeria.
