Niger Coup: You’re an amateur in International diplomacy – Lamido blasts Tinubu

President Bola Ahmad Tinubu has been labeled a diplomatic amateur by Mr. Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State and a founding father of the major opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party.

In response to ECOWAS’s stance on the coup d’etat in Niger Republic, Lamido made this statement.

On his verified Facebook page, he shared his thoughts in a post titled “Nigeria/Niger face off.”

He explained that President Bola Ahmad Tinubu has been walking a moral quagmire and difficulty about how to manage the Niger problem for the past three weeks.

He suggested that the President use the contacts and experience of Nigeria’s previous leaders in order to better handle the situation.

He claims that President Tinubu has been in a precarious position ever since the coup d’etat in Niger a few weeks ago.

He’s a complete newcomer to the world of international diplomacy, and that’s putting it mildly. He may be the absolute ruler of the most populous and affluent state in Nigeria, but that hasn’t made him any more diplomatically astute than any other ruler.

But if he wanted to draw on the knowledge and experience of the many previous Presidents and Heads of State that Nigeria is so abundantly blessed with, he would be the luckiest Nigerian president of all time.

Before making a major decision that could have far-reaching effects for his country, I assumed President Tinubu would do some research about the ECOWAS cocktail.

Had he done so, he would have learned more about the background of one of the region’s most senior citizens, Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Quattara.

There was a moment when Quattara’s citizenship was in question; some claimed that Mali was his country of origin. President Lauren Ghabbo barred the former prime minister of Ivory Coast from seeking for reelection. Nonetheless, he is now the head of state of Ivory Coast.

The current government of Mali (his ancestral home) is a military dictatorship, and we haven’t heard President Quattara calling for war with Mali to restore democracy. The adage “blood is thicker than water” immediately sprang to mind.

Let’s go back to the confrontation between Nigeria and Niger. The seven neighboring states to the Niger Republic, as well as the rest of Nigeria, are unanimous in their belief that conflict with Niger would be a terrible idea. In any case, the Nigerian Senate, which is required by the country’s constitution to provide the President such powers, has categorically refused to do so.

Someone wisely said on the BBC Hausa service, “The next step for President Tinibu now is to begin on damage control and repair and harvest from the connection and wisdom of our former Presidents and Heads of State.

These leaders enjoy widespread acclaim and confidence across the area and beyond. Although President Tinubu and some of these other leaders have had their differences, rest assured that they will always stand with Nigeria on any issue, no matter how far away it may seem.

Neither country has time on its side right now. What we’ve built up over the past thousand years vanished in a couple of weeks. However, our relationship and affection for one another provide a solid foundation for future growth. Niger and Nigeria, may Allah bless you. Ameen.”