President Bola Tinubu insists that an ECOWAS-backed military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic following the coup still remains an option.
He also warned that religious and ethnic sentiment would not be tolerated in addressing the danger posed by truncating democratic rule in the West African country.
President Tinubu has also ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to impose financial sanctions against individuals and entities related to the military junta in Niger.
Briefing State House correspondents, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, clarified that no option has been taken off the table as the West African region bloc prepares for another summit on the Niger crisis.
His words: “…While no options have been taken off of the table as we draw the attention of this audience to the upcoming extraordinary Summit which will be holding in Abuja on Thursday, August 10. It is therefore expected that at the extraordinary Summit, far-reaching decisions will be taken concerning the next steps of the regional bloc according to developments as they unfold.
“I can also report that following the expiration of the deadline of the ultimatum and standing on the preexisting consensus position of financial sanctions meted out on the military junta in Niger Republic by the bloc of ECOWAS Heads of State, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an additional slew of financial sanctions through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on entities and individuals related to or involved with the military junta in Niger Republic.
“But President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wishes to emphasize to this distinguished audience that the response of ECOWAS to the military coup in Niger has been and will remain devoid of ethnic and religious sentiments and considerations.
“The regional bloc is made up of all sub-regional ethnic groups, religious groups, and all other forms of human diversity. And the response of ECOWAS, therefore, represents all of these groups, and not any of these groups individually.”
Explaining more on the new sanctions, he said, “The news that Mr. President has directed the acting CBN governor to levy another slate of sanctions against entities and individuals associated with the military junta in Niger public, I said that intentionally I didn’t make a mistake, because I was given permission to make that statement and I emphasized that this is not an individual action taken by an individual President on behalf of an individual nation.
“This is an action taken by the ECOWAS chairman, who is the president of Nigeria, but standing on the authority provided by the consensus resolution of all ECOWAS members and heads of state with regard to financial sanctions being levied by ECOWAS member states against the military junta in Niger Republic.
