Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government an Nigerian President has implored a delegation of Islamic scholars (Ulamas), who were previously engaged in discussions to facilitate the restoration of constitutional democratic governance in troubled Niger Republic, to expedite progress in their ongoing dialogue with the military junta.
The President, according to a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale,
received a comprehensive briefing on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, from the Ulamas, who were led into the meeting by Sheikh Bala Lau.
The briefing followed the Ulamas’ two most recent visits to Niger Republic.
The Islamic leaders had informed the President that the military junta was open to deepening dialogue with ECOWAS as more steps are being taken to forestall armed conflict with a more detailed acceptance of the ECOWAS position by Niger military council officials.
Responding to the delegation of Ulamas, against the backdrop of ethnic rumors peddled by domestic political figures inside and outside of the country, President Tinubu emphasized that he is at the forefront of a peaceful resolution of the crisis, even in the mid of more hawkish individuals urging swifter intervention.
“I am managing a very serious situation. If you take ECOWAS aside, other people will react, those who are outside of our control. I am the one holding those sides back. I am the one holding back ECOWAS,” he disclosed.
Addressing the urgency of the situation, the President said: “Even as at this morning, I have been inundated with phone calls on the readiness of countries with their military force and contributions. However, I told them to wait. I am meeting with the Ulamas and I will get back to you.”
President Tinubu told the Islamic delegation that the military junta must be held accountable for putting the entire people of Niger Republic in jeopardy.
”They cannot use the gun given to them to protect the sovereignty of the country and turn it against the people of the country,” he said.
President Tinubu pledged that ECOWAS will remain steadfast in its commitment to diplomatically engage with all stakeholders and seek a peaceful resolution to the impasse in Niger Republic.
“I will draw a line in the sand and ask you to make arrangements to go back to Niger Republic,” he stated.
On the request by the Islamic scholars for the Federal Government to monitor the distribution of palliatives to States, the President promised that more palliatives are coming for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) nationwide.
He also appealed to State governments to ensure transparency and accountability in the distribution and management of these palliatives.
According to President Tinubu: “The people reside in the States. Even if I set up a panel, I will have to go through the governors and the local governments. We will continue to talk to the governors. Nigerians must hold them accountable.
“It’s unheard of that in a constitutional democracy, a president will sit here and give orders to States. I can only appeal to them to implement. The people reside in the states, and if the Governor is not doing well, the people must vote them out”.
Also at Thursday’s meeting with the Islamic clerics, the President encouraged the clerics to continue with their dialogue with the junta, expressing his preference for a peaceful resolution of the, noting though that all options are still on the table.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who made this known while speaking with newsmen after the meeting, said the President urged the Ulama to intensify dialogue, saying he (Tinubu) is interested in exploring peaceful options.
His words: “The Council of Ulamas has returned to the President for the second time, to give a report on their ongoing dialogue with the military junta and other stakeholders in Niger Republic. They have briefed Mr President on the situation and the effort is still ongoing.
“Mr President has listened to them and they’ll continue this dialogue. Mr President is interested in exploring peaceful options in this, but nothing is off the table. He has asked the Ulamas to continue with their dialogue and they will continue to do that”.
On what the next line of action would be, Idris said “the next line of action is that dialogue will continue. Mr President, as the head of ECOWAS, is interested in pursuing resolution of this crisis, but like I said, nothing is off the table. Mr President has said they should continue to engage and the Ulamas will continue to do that.
“By the way, he has appreciated their efforts to finding solution to this issue, he’s encouraging them to continue. He has thanked them and efforts are ongoing”, the Minister said.
Also speaking with reporters after the meeting, leader of the Ulama, Sheikh Bala Lau, called for prayers from the entire West African subregion, explaining that the body of clerics offered to intervene because they do not want war in the subregion.
According to him, the team would be returning to Niger to continue with dialogue and expressed optimism that their peaceful approach would yield the desired results.
He said: “First and foremost, we thank Allah for giving us the opportunity and we appreciate and commend the efforts of His Excellency the President and as you saw, we have just met with him and told him all what went on there in Niger and he appreciated and he still gave us the mandate that we should continue to take this dialogue and discuss with the junta over there because they have our listening ears and we are sure, through peaceful discussions we’ll be able to achieve what we want.
“We are still going back there to ensure that through peaceful and amicable ways, as spiritual leaders, we’ll be able to do and contribute what we can be able to do. What we want? We don’t want war, we want peace to reign in our region. So may Allah continue to bless the President for giving us this opportunity.
“We want serious and fervent prayers from the entire community, across the region so that Allah will grant us that, so that peace and harmony will continue to reign. Without peace and harmony, there’s nothing we can do, we can’t even enjoy the dividends of democracy and you cannot even practice your religion. I’m optimistic, Insha Allah, with this intervention, Allah will answer our prayers”.
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
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