By Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. Nigeria is the largest economy in the West African sub-region with the highest population. All the countries within West Africa consider Nigeria a leader in all aspects.
The three West African nations that include Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are under Military rule. It could be recalled that in 2023 the Military toppled the civilian government in Nigeria’s immediate Neighbour Niger Republic which prompted the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the leadership of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to place sanctions on the landlocked nation which heavily relies on Nigeria economically.
It cut up the electricity supply to the West African country besides other economic sanctions all with the aim to restore democracy. This distorted the long mutual relationship that existed between the two nations under whatever regime.
The three countries under the Junta tagged Nigeria as pro-France, their former colonial master which they see as an economic saboteur to their growth and progress.
France is visibly at the forefront of all economic activities in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
Sometimes in 2024, these countries announced their exit from the regional bloc ECOWAS as they resorted to a conversation to form a new confederation.
The three countries finalized plans to form a Confederation
Recently Mali Niger and Burkina Faso have perfected plans to form a Confederation after turning their backs on their former colonial ruler France to seek closer ties with Russia.
Their Foreign affairs ministers met on Friday 17th of May 2024 in Niamey the Capital of Niger Republic to agree on a text establishing the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
“The objective of the meeting was to finalize the draft text relating to the institutionalization and operationalization of the confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)” Niger Foreign Affairs Minister Ya’u said.
He added that the text would be adopted by the heads of states of the three countries at a summit, without specifying the date.
“We can consider very clearly, today that the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) has been born ” Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop stated after meeting General Tiani, the head of the Nigerian Military regime.
The third Foreign Minister at the meeting was Burkina Faso’s Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore.
The three countries threaten to Quit ECOWAS in January 2024
The Sahel region has been subjected to the deadly Jihadist violence for years which these nations accused France of not being able to cut.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso announced their decision to quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which they said was under French influence, to create their regional grouping.
All of them are the founding members of the bloc established in 1975.
In a joint statement that was read out on state broadcasters in the three countries, they said ECOWAS had drifted from the ideals of its founding fathers and the spirit of Pan-Africanism
under the influence of foreign powers betraying its founding principles, has become a threat to member states and people.
It also added that the bloc had failed to help them tackle the jihadist violence in their countries.
It could be recalled that the relationship between the bloc and the three countries was tense after military coups took place in Niger in July, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Mali in 2022.
ECOWAS had called on all three countries to return to civilian rule.
As part of efforts to bring them back to the regional bloc, ECOWAS has since lifted almost all the sanctions imposed on the three countries.
We won’t stop them -ECOWAS
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has said it won’t stop the trio from forming a new group.
Abdel -Fatu Musah is the ECOWAS Commissioner of Political Affairs, peace, and security. He said during a program tagged Reducing vulnerabilities through partnerships – stakeholders engagement on regional defense and security perspectives organized by the European Union in conjunction with the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja recently that ECOWAS wants the three countries back.
While highlighting other small groups within ECOWAS, he said the trio could form their new group but should remain in ECOWAS, describing the region as a big community.
The three military-led West African nations in January announced their immediate withdrawal from the regional bloc, accusing the body of becoming a threat to its members.
“ECOWAS position is that we want these countries back into the community and we are doing everything to get them back,” Musah said
Nigeria stands to lose nothing
Dr.Abdullahi Gwandu is an economic analyst and a lecturer at Kaduna Polytechnic. He said Nigeria stands to lose nothing economically. They are our neighbors and their Confederation will not stop business with Nigeria or even duty-free commercial transactions, they are still members of ECOWAS. as officially they have not withdrawn, they are still a party to the ECOWAS treaty they were just suspended.
Forming a Confederation will not stop the enforcement of those treaties they signed with the ECOWAS, it is to their benefit too. It is not only Nigeria that benefits from doing business with them they also benefit.
Regarding Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso’s threat of leaving ECOWAS the analyst says it was just a mere threat, remember before then ECOWAS suspended one of them in solidarity with that suspension they said they are going to withdraw but officially they had not withdrawn, they are still members of the ECOWAS but even if they withdraw, the treaty of free movement and suspending custom duty and other business treaties can be done between country to country.
“Don’t forget that all these Countries are landlocked, the three of them don’t have access to the sea, they are surrounded by other countries and they have no way of reaching the world unless through other countries, so if they suspend businesses with Nigeria it is more to their disadvantage than to their advantage.
You know there is the ECOWAS convention which allows for the free movement of goods and services that are produced within the region and the free movement of people without visas..If they suspend it they have more to lose than to gain.
Nigeria has nothing to lose Nigeria is an economic power in the region and most of what they consume and use in the Niger Republic in particular comes from Nigeria even if they form a Confederation, Burkina Faso and Mali have little to give them compared to what Nigeria is giving them. I don’t think and don’t believe that they can suspend any agreement that exists between them and ECOWAS or with Nigeria” Dr. Gwandu stated.
To end this piece is to look at the reality of the situation of these three West African countries that are extremely poor compared to countries like Nigeria.
Their confederation is only important if they can use it as a means for collective business and economic transactions with superpowers like France, China, and their new ally Russia.
Interns of self-sustainability economically they can not do enough economic dealings within themselves.
On the other hand, ECOWAS leadership under Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu needs to intensify the move to reintegrate them by giving them a sense of belonging.Dr. Gwandu said their coup d’etat was not meant to truncate democracy but to resist economic exploitation from their former colonial ruler France.
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