Fani-Kayode reacts as President Outarra says Niger invasion is not Nigeria vs Niger conflict

Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, the former Minister of Ation in Nigeria, responded to President Alhassan Outarra of Ivory Coast’s claim that the military intervention plan in Nigeria is not a Nigeria-Niger conflict, but an ECOWAS-Niger conflict, in a tweet this morning.

While Femi Fani-Kayode was reacting to this on Twitter handle this morning, he said, “To the Ivory Coast’s President Alhassan Outarra, who has said that this is not a Nigeria versus Niger conflict but rather an ECOWAS versus Niger one, I respectfully ask the following questions, who will contribute 90 percent of the troops and foot almost all the bills of this force ? Is it not Nigeria ? Whose military hardware and assets will be deployed, mobilised and utilised more than any other ? Is it not Nigeria ?

Who shares her border in the Northern region with Niger Republic and whose Northern civilian population are bound to suffer the most hardship, the greatest degree of collateral damage, the highest number of casualties and accommodate the highest number of displaced people and refugees ? Is it not Nigeria ?”

Further talking, Femi Fani-Kayode said that Nigeria had trod this path before and the country knew where it ended, as we cannot be fooled again. And if any force is deployed and Nigeria opts to participate, Nigeria will pay more than all the other ECOWAS nations put together, in terms of the loss of civilian lives, military lives, in blood and in treasure.”

He said, “Apart from that the ECOWAS force, their military capability is nothing without Nigerian troops.To say that this would be an ECOWAS versus Niger Republic war as opposed to a de facto Nigeria versus Niger Republic one is misleading and disingenuous.”

He later suggested that such a war should be fought, prosecuted and won primarily by the Nigerian forces, even though there may be a sprinkling of a few others just for show and for the record and all.