ECOWAS not combat-ready to invade Niger, says Fani Kayode

Former presidential spokesman, Femi Fani-Kayode, has again warned that the forces of the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) is not combat-ready to go to war against the Niger-led military junta.

Issuing this warning in a tweet on Monday, Mr Fani-Kayode who had been very vocal with warnings against a planned attack on Niger, argued that the ECOWAS joint forces heavily relied on Nigeria for its operations, adding that the Nigerian military is currently heavily invested in internal military operations.

“ECOWAS doesn’t even have a combat-ready force. They will depend on Nigeria. Presently Nigeria gives more than 80% of the MNJTF funds. Again Nigeria’s military is currently engaged in internal operations in all the six geo-political zones. We only have about 200,000 personnel all ranks and for the three Services. With the current economic crunch, where are the resources coming from? To depend on the western countries that have their own interests to protect? All our IDPs and refugees are still in camps, we have not been able to resettle them for more than ten years, so how do we handle additional mass of IDPs and refugees that would definitely result from the crisis? Nigeria would be in deep shit if we go for this adventure,” Mr Fani-Kayode wrote.

His comment comes as war bells continue to ring following ECOWAS rejection of the Niger junta’s three-year transition plans.

PoliticsNow had earlier reported that the Economic Community of West African States rejected the Niger junta’s objective for a transition of power presumably to a democratic government within three years.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the military junta, stated on television that “our ambition is not to confiscate power.”

According to him, any change in leadership “would not go beyond three years.”

But in a live interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily Monday, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, said that the West African bloc rejected it.