Leaders of ECOWAS have been asked to be cautious of the decision they take in resolving the military takeover in Niger.
The call was contained in a statement by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and signed by its President, Joe Ajaero.
Ajaero said that labour advocates for democracy and will do all that is necessary to promote and preserve it.
“However, what will preserve democracy in our territories will not be the threat or use of military force against sovereign nations but the observance of the core values and rules of democracy.
“It is up to our Presidents or political leaders to do the needful”.
At the end of its second extraordinary Summit, the West African regional body directed the Committee of Chief of Defense Staff to activate the ECOWAS Standby Force with all its elements immediately.
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Quoting parts of the directives given to the Chief of Defense Staff of the Body which includes “Deployment of the ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger;
In order to “underscore its continued commitment to restoring constitutional order through peaceful means”, the Nigeria Labour Congress said that the directive “is a euphemism for war, immediate war on Niger Republic, our consistently most peaceful neighbor”.
The NLC President stressed that organised labour is averse to military rule adding that the history of the struggle for democratic rule in Nigeria cannot be complete without mentioning the contribution of the Labour Movement.
“Despite our unimpeachable credentials in the popular struggle against military rule, we would strongly counsel against the use of military force to remove the military junta in Niger Republic as the disadvantages clearly outweigh the benefits…. from putting in danger the lives of the deposed President Bazoum and his family to the destabilisation of the entire region including Northern Nigeria, and loss of many lives in and out of the battle field.
“Equally of significance is the unintended possibility of turning Niger into a fertile territory for proxy wars”, he said.
NLC believes that even after the war is over, the region must brace itself for raised acts of terrorism or insurgency “just as it might signal the end of ECOWAS as it is known today given the scenario of ten members fighting five…
“In the extant matter of Niger Republic, we equally do believe that ECOWAS did not exhaust the process of dialogue before beating war drums”.
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However, different emissaries have been sent to Niger by ECOWAS to interface with the coup leaders with the view to finding a diplomatic solution to the impasse.
The latest information from Niamey on Sunday, states that the coup leaders have agreed to receive ECOWAS delegation for dialogue and negotiation.
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