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President Bola Tinubu has said war in any country in the West African region would be detrimental to his economic reforms but insisted that democracy must be protected at all costs.
The President disclosed this when he received U.S. Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, at the State House, Abuja, on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
Tinubu's comments come amid growing tension between the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) and military leaders in Niger Republic over the latter's continued refusal to restore democratic order in the country.
ECOWAS, under the chairmanship of President Tinubu, had threatened to send its standby force after the Niger junta if they failed to reinstate deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.
However, the regional bloc said military action would be its last resort and it will only happen if the ongoing diplomatic dialogue with the Niger military leaders failed to yield desired outcomes.
Speaking on Saturday, Tinubu said he takes a queue from no nation but will only advance the interest of the Nigerian state in his approach toward ECOWAS’ handling of the crisis in Niger.
The President added that the Niger situation would not deter him from carrying through his economic reform programmes for the benefit of Nigerians.
“We are deep in our attempts to peacefully settle the issue in Niger by leveraging our diplomatic tools. I continue to hold ECOWAS back, despite its readiness for all options, in order to exhaust all other remedial mechanisms.
"War is not ideal for my economic reforms, nor for the region, but the defence of democracy is sacrosanct. The ECOWAS consensus is that we will not allow anyone to insincerely buy time,” the ECOWAS Chairman said.
The President also tasked the US special envoy to deepen cooperation and defence of democracy in West Africa.
In a statement by presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu advised Ambassador Phee to ensure that U.S. policy is intentionally collaborative with independent African democracies at a time when they are under assault by anti-democratic forces within and outside of the continent.
He noted that the American-backed development finance and multilateral institutions required comprehensive reforms to meet the developmental requirements of younger democracies in Africa, which operate in authoritarian-crowded environments.
Tinubu said that this must be done with vigour as the institutions designed policies to support war-torn Europe after World War II, adding that this would meet the legitimate yearnings of Africans to use local solutions for its challenges.
“Yes, the private sector will lead the way within an enabling environment we create for them, but the U.S. Government must be innovative in its thinking and systematically create incentives for U.S. industrial investment in Nigeria.
"Under my leadership, Nigeria stands ready to address their specific regulatory, tax and environmental concerns. I am determined to create prosperity for all Nigerian families,” the President said.