Thread by @DefenseNigeria

Lookes like France is committed to use every trick in the book to remain in the region. The French President Emmanuel Macron just inaugurated a FRANCE - NIGERIA COUNCIL.

This is supposedly an initiative to enhance business relations between the two countries. Macron then cleverly appoints Abdul Salad Rabiu as the inaugural President of the council. What thing to remember here is that this is an unsolicited initiative.

In April Macron invited Rabiu to the "Choose France Summit". Another unsolicited project arbitrarily created by Macron. Where he also appointed Rabiu as chairman of the France Nigeria Investment Club.

The problem with Nigeria is its non gallant, almost naive attitude towards

understanding the rudiments of international geo-politics and the Neo Scramble for Africa. The remarks made by Rabiu shortly after underscores this:

QUOTE

Nigeria is blessed with numerous potentials for French companies to do business across different areas. We have everything our French counterpart needs, notably solid minerals, mining, agriculture. Where French businesses have formerly been unable to do business

with Africa’s largest economy, they can now be assured of a platform through which they can penetrate and mutually grow the market. This is all thanks to President Macron’s foresight and vision.

END OF QUOTE

The major factor holding back Nigeria's (Africa's) development is not necessarily corruption. It's incompetent leadership. A naive and incompetent ruling class can wreck havoc on a nation in a way corruption cant This is a country that recently sabotaged the ECO project.

Doing business with a country that has frustrated every economic integration effort made by ECOWAS and clandestinely use terror groups as a means to achieve geopolitical goals is not very smart.

Let's not forget. In 2000 Africa was described as the "Hopeless Continent".

Today everybody wants a solid foothold in Africa. Let's delve into the mental diplomatic gymnastics Macron has been playing in recent times in light of growing anti-French sentiments

When ex U.S President Donald Trump, a very pragmatic man lifted Obama's ban on the sale of Super Tucanos to Nigeria, he took a lot of flak. Especially from the intelligence community. Trump couldn't understand the logic in refusing to hit Boko Haram and at the same time

..denying Nigeria the weapon it needs to do the job. News of U.S Special Forces soldiers killed a Niger sparked a political firestorm in Washington. Most Americans have no idea U.S Troops were in Niger, a country the vast majority of Americans have never heard off.

When the CIA could not give Trump a satisfactory answer on the financial merits of spending $1.6 billion building drone bases in Cameroon, Niger and Chad, to do nothing but provide logistics support for French forces, Trump felt the U.S was being used as a tool to further French

ambitions in the region. It an election year it could be political damaging. Trump's announcement of plans to withdraw U.S forces from West Africa sent Macron into a state of panic. Emmanual Macron flew to Washington and basically pleaded with Trump not to withdraw forces.

At a NATO Summit in London Emmanual Macron "threatened" to withdraw French forces from the region in light of growing anti-French sentiments and summoned francophone heads of states to Paris for explanation.

A fatal mistake. Opposition voices skyrocketed. The President of Mali, questioned the benefit of French forces in Mali in light of growing insecurity. He was ousted in a coup a week later. Macrons response to an ECOWAS ultimatum and threat of expulsion? He called for calm.

Enter Niger. On he eve if his inauguration, Nigers new President Mohamed Bazoum echoed similar sentiment. He pledged to reassess Nigers security relations with Paris. Eighteen hours (not 24 hours.) Into his tenure he "narrowly" escaped a palace coup.

The death of Idris Derby, Macrons staunchest ally put France in a desperate situation . 24 hours after Derby's death the military appoints his son as Chads new President. Sparking massive protest from Chadian, asking if Chad was a monarchy or a constitutional democracy.

Emmanual Macron famously said to quote him verbatim :

"Democracy can wait" Our primary focus should be stability. Which sparked even more protests.

After a week of protest 22 protesters are shot dead. With mounting pressure Idris Derby son creates a transitional committee

..with a promise to relinquish power when modalities are put in place. This was followed by a state visit to Nigeria, where he was received by President Buhari.

Macron then announces plans to withdraw French troops from West Africa in a phased arrangement. In the past this

..would have been a source of great consternation l. This time it didn't . People took to the streets in jubilant euphoria. Not quite the reaction Paris was hoping for.

Macrons reaction was to organize a COVID-19 Economic Summit for Africa in Paris and invite the leaders

..of 12 African countries. A very bizzare pivot from security to Covid-19. During the Summit he met President Buhari on the side and proposed French military cooperation with Nigeria help tackle ISWAP in the Lake Chad basin.

President Buhari's response was to organize an extraordinary summit of Lake Chad Basin Commission states in Abuja for talks on managing the security crises in the region.

In May, Macron once again threatend to withdraw French troops from Mali if democratic political instability there leads to radicalization. Very clever. Three months ago "Democracy can wait" in Chad.

Macron's response to a second coup in nine months in Mali was to berate GEJ over a "hastily convened ECOWAS mediation effort" and called for calm. France has 5,100 troops in Mali. If militants from Libya enroute to depose Derby was pumelled in the Libyan

..desert, how is it possible for Mali to experience a violence overthrow of power TWICE in the space of 9 months in the Headquaters of the G-5 Military Alliance created by France .

Its June 2021 and Macrons geopolitical gymnastics continues.