Few countries in the world can legitimately lay claim to be a Bastion of Democracy than Nigeria.
Even when Nigeria was under a military junta, Nigeria still used its military power in reinstating the ousted civilian government of Sierra leone and restore democracy.
As the premier and principal military power in West Africa, Nigeria is the only country eligible and capable of doing so without a hidden agenda compared to others.
When compared with French military intervention in the region the difference is like night and day.
Every country Nigeria have intervened in militarily ( Liberia, Sierra-Leone, Gambia) are all free, functioning and thriving democracies today.
Compare that with French intervention in francophone West Africa. Mali for example was a democracy when the French intervened.
Mali today is under a military junta. There have been two coup d'etat in the last nine months. Mali has become a French military outpost and HQ of the French created G-5 Sahel Military Alliance.
Mali today is on the verge of becoming a failed state.
Efforts to fast track the transitional process, with former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed as ECOWAS chief mediator was time and again frustrated by Paris, who described the ECOWAS mediation effort as too hasty.
In Chad it gets even worse. Paris’s uncritical embrace of late dictator Idriss Deby prioritized French interest over human rights. For 30 years of Deby’s rule, Paris ignored opponents’ demands for democratic change, labeling those who took up arms as terrorists and mercenaries.
His death was an opportunity for Chad to change tack and return to the community of democratic nation. But 48 hours after Debys demise, the Chadian army in a shocking move swiftly appointed Debys 37 year old son General Mahamat Deby as head of the Transitional Military Council.
He will occupy the functions of the president of Chad and also serve as head of the armed forces. A blatant breaching of the constitution of Chad. A move that drew condemnation from the African Union.
France hastily recognized the TMC. Emmanual Macron justified the constitution’s breach due to exceptional security reasons. He said "Democracy can WAIT" and deployed French troops to the streets of Njamena as thousands of Chadians took to the streets in protest.
The African Union demanded the military restore constitutional order by relinquish power and threatened Chad with punitive action, including sanctions over the unconsistentional power grab. Elicited a direct warning from Emmanual Macron to the African Union.
The French President said France will not tolerate any threat to Chad and will use every means at his disposal to defend the status quo. A middle finger and direct challenge to the AU.
This sparked a chain reaction across the continent between Anglophone and Francophones.
South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi and Kenya were in favour of AU sanctions and initially had the tacit support of Algeria, which represented North Africa along with Egypt.
However, the French-speaking West African states Senegal, Benin, Central African Republic, Burundi, Togo and Ivory Coast argued for leniency.
There was one criticial voice yet to make a stand. Nigeria.
As thousands of protesters took to the streets of Ndjamena, Chads interim leader General Mahamat Deby flew to Abuja where he reassured President Buhari that he will hold free elections within 18 months. This was how Chad AU escaped sanctions.
This was how Nigeria wasted a wonderful opportunity to secure its rear with a democratic Chad governed by the rule of law and devoid of French interest.
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Came across a piece by weekly magazine - The Economist. A British based Magazine that claims to be insightful and fair minded. We all know that western media focuses on negative coverage of Africa. The presentation of African news by Western media convinces the audiences in
the West that the entire continent of Africa is hopeless, poverty and disease stricken.
They focus on human interest and emotional stories rather than presenting the larger social or economic issues involved. The Economist is an embodiment of this bias.
QUOTE
When violence erupts, the Nigerian government does nothing or cracks heads almost indiscriminately. The Nigerian military is demoralized. Its soldiers afraid to fight. Insecurity is at it's worse since the insurgency began in 2009 "
For those wondering what the movement is all about,
We are making a big leap into the digital battlefield. We are at war. An information war, with persistent negative media narrative aimed at discrediting the Nigerian government and create antagonism among Nigerians by preying
So someone is asking why we are against Emmanual Macrons proposal for a Franco-Nigeria security framework in the Lake Chad basin and greater Sahel region. The question is, WHERE these threats are emanating from?
Terrorist groups do not operate in a vacuum. Neither do they materialize out of thin air. How in the world are terrorist groups proliferating in the most militarized region of the continent with 17 military installations spread among the two most powerful nations in the west?
December 23, 2019.
France carried out a drone strike killing 40 terrorists in central Mali. The drones were launched from Niamey Niger, where France has three drones and a Squadron of Mirage fighters.
The super star of 2021, especially in the latter stages was without a doubt the A-29 Super Tucano...i mean, they ushered insurgents into 2022 by wiping out two notorious commanders on New Years Day.
But there will be a hostile takeover in 2022.
The CH-4 and Wing Loong II UAVs will be the stars of 2022 due to their numerous battlefield advantages over manned systems.
They will be the most valuable asset of the NAF in achieving a variety of strategic and tactical objectives, including ISR and kinetic strike operations.
The capabity to hover above an area for 30+ hours is helpful in gathering more data or attacking enemy targets more efficiently on a scale no other platform in the NAF can hope to replicate.
The Lagos Agreement of August 1979. An accord demanding the withdrawal of French troops in Chad, be replaced by a multinational African peacekeeping force. This accord was dead on arrival.
The Golden Age of Nigerian diplomacy. Chad was of primodial importance in Nigeria's foreign policy consideration all through the 70s and 80s. Nigeria considered the worsening civil war in Chad may sooner or later affect Nigeria's political and security interest.
Nigeria was put in a position where she had to monitor and react to day situation of the Chadian crises. The Nigerian government did not favour the presence of foreign troops on African soil in general and around Nigeria in particular, as a way of ending all forms of colonialism
The lead agency in internal security, which is the Nigeria Police Force must UP their game, especially in intelligence gathering. They are the primary agency of government. The military is more or less to offer supplementary services when it comes to internal security.
Funding should be made available for military equipment for use by local, state, and federal law enforcement for policing purposes. This includes everything from light tanks, MRAPS, drones, night-vision goggles... they should be equipped with tactics to take on the appearance,
armament, and behavior of soldiers at war. As police officers drape themselves in the trappings of a military force, like members of an army prepared to go to war, insurgents will find themselves trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea...