Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria would probably not have won the civil war without support from neighbouring Niger Republic.
Speaking as a guest on ‘Soni Irabor Live’ which aired on
News Central, Obasanjo said during the war, Nigeria received materials through
Niger Republic for Nigerian troops.
The Nigerian civil war began on July 6, 1967 and ended on
January 15, 1970.
The former head of state lamented the manner in which the
Nigerian government treated Niger Republic after the country was taken over by
military leaders — who ousted Mohamed Bazoum as democratically elected
president on July 26, 2023.
Obasanjo faulted the Nigerian government’s decision to cut
off electricity to Niger Republic after the coup despite the role played by the
country in the construction of the Kainji Dam.
The ex-military ruler said Nigeria has lost its authority in
influencing and impacting policies and happenings in Africa.
He reminisced on how Nigeria, under the military regime,
assisted Angola and South Africa in the fight against colonialism and
apartheid.
He recalled how Nigeria handed Angola $20 million to assist
the country in the fight for independence in the 1970s.
“Let me put it mildly. Today, Nigeria is not at the table.
What is happening that Nigeria is influencing or impacting or upon whom Nigeria
is impacting?” he asked.
“Look at the way we have handled ECOWAS, something that took
us 50 years to build. Overnight, we mishandled it. We have virtually destroyed
it.
“Niger Republic had a coup. They are our neighbours. The
truth is this — at least 30 percent of the people in Niger Republic have a good
relationship with Nigeria.
“When we were building the Kainji Dam… if Niger Republic
builds another dam, there won’t be Kaniji Dam. So we told Niger Republic, for
electricity, we will give you whatever you ask for. That is our obligation on
our part.
“Three, without Niger Republic, winning the civil war would
have been hard. We used to get materials through Niger Republic to be ferried
to our troops in the warfront.
“For all of these, then they had a coup, the first thing we
did was to close the borders, and the next thing, cut off their electricity.”
Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military head of state from 1976 to
1979 and civilian president from 1999 to 2007.
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