Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has strongly condemned the unconstitutional and indefensible action recently taken by the federal Government in granting the French Government permission to establish an expeditionary Military Base in Nigeria.
This decision is reportedly linked to a bilateral agreement signed between Nigeria and France, granting the latter unrestricted access to Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, National Coordinator of the CNG, highlighted 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.
These moves, Charanchi claimed, aim to surrender Nigeria’s sovereignty to France under misleading pretenses.
“We recall with trepidation,” he 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.”
He added, “It took the collective wisdom and uncommon display of Pan-Africanism by renowned Statesman 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.”
Charanchi further noted 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 was 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,” the CNG stated. “Equipped with the 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.
“We hardly need to restate that, currently, no fewer than five former French-speaking West African countries—Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Chad—have courageously expelled France and revoked agreements allowing it to establish military bases on their soil. Years of colonial exploitation and resource pillage left them no choice but to break free from France’s shackles,” Charanchi emphasized.
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.
Finally, 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 foreign power be permitted to establish a military base in Nigeria.
