Northern Elders Forum requests Tinubu lift the embargo on the Niger Republic

Negotiations, according to the organisation, would be facilitated by the lifting of sanctions on the Niger Republic.

President Bola Tinubu has been urged to relax the economic sanctions placed on the neighbouring Niger Republic by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF).

Following the removal of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is headed by Tinubu, imposed penalties, including the cutting off of electricity and the closing of borders.

The decision to send military personnel on standby to Niger Republic was made during an emergency meeting of the ECOWAS on Thursday.

Ango Abdullahi, the convener of NEF, expressed worry on the use of force to restore constitutional order in the Niger Republic and suggested that it was unlikely to produce fruitful outcomes.

He highlighted that the sanctions would be lifted to help with negotiations and appealed for diplomacy to win out.

According to Abdullahi, Nigeria should halt all sanctions and other actions taken to pressure the Niger government and populace into submission. Due to this, Nigeria’s discussions would be easier to carry out while utilising all of the resources that both nations value. It should be forbidden to employ force against Niger.

The NEF convener also pleaded with Tinubu and the people of Nigeria and the Niger Republic to maintain their long-standing ties.

“We urge President Tinubu to recognise this singular moment in history and conduct himself in a manner that records his role as defining statesmanship,” Abdullahi said in his statement. We implore the citizens of Nigeria and Niger, as well as our authorities, to thwart any efforts to taint our long-standing partnership.