Mr President, this is a continuation of my analysis of the military base ‘request’ by the United States and France that your administration has declared as misinformation. Many Nigerians are still worried. The concern gained a vent through the Northern Youth Leader’s Forum (NYLF), which warned through its leader that the North would not allow “a square meter of its land to be ceded to French or American governments to host military bases under any guise or reason.”
It pointed to the muted point of French subversion of Nigerian security. As the group puts it through Comrade Afiyo Elliot, its leader, “We want to state clearly that we have over the years observed the criminal activities of the French Government against the interest of Nigeria especially in the North East and North West geopolitical zones.”
Another opinion titled “Red Notice: Putin is Nearby,” by Chidi Amuta, sought to cast the current opposition to any military base on our soil as northern-driven. Two, that the exit of the United States and French forces from Niger met a loss of protection against the Jihadists offered by them. And three, the apparent inroad of the Russians, labelled “ambitious global influencer of illiberal order” and whose trade with Africa is about two per cent is counter-productive.
How I wished Mr. Amuta could supply the answer to the question: who created the Jihadists? And possibly if he could offer insight into the role of the United States and British servicemen in the North-east.
Mr President, I do not want to bother myself with such a historical imperial mouthpiece but to reveal to you aspect of the military pact that Ghana, the land of Kwame Nkrumah, had already entered with the U.S. in 2018. The following sections of the nineteen-article agreement are instructive:
Article 2 (3): “United States forces may undertake the following types of activities in Ghana: training; transit; support and related activities; refueling of aircraft; landing and recovery of aircraft; accommodation of personnel; communications; staging and deploying of forces and material; exercises; humanitarian and disaster relief; and other activities as mutually agreed.”
Article 5 (4) reads: “United States forces are hereby authorised to control entry to agreed facilities and areas that have been provided for exclusive use by the United States forces, and to coordinate entry with the authorities of Ghana at agreed facilities and areas provided for joint by the United States forces and Ghana, for purposes of safety and security.” Article 9(2) reads: “Acquisition of goods and services in Ghana by or on behalf of the United States forces shall not be subject to any taxes, customs duties, or similar charges imposed by Ghana or its instrumentalities or subdivision thereof.”
Article 11 (2) reads: “United States contractors may import into, and export out of, and use in Ghana any personal property, equipment, supplies, material, technology, training, or services in connection with contracts or subcontracts with or in support of the United States forces. Such importation, exportation, and use shall be exempt from any license, other restrictions, customs duties, taxes or any other charges assessed within Ghana.”
Article 12 (1 & 3)reads (1) “Aircraft, vehicles, and vessels operated by or, at the time, exclusively for United States forces may enter, exit, and move freely within the territory and territorial waters of Ghana”. “(3) United States Government aircraft, vehicles, and vessels, and vessels shall be free from boarding and inspection without the consent of United States forces authorities.”
This morning, I intend to further let you know why any agreement with the Western powers in whatever guise should be a no-go area. And to ignore the views of reactionaries who believe that the objection to the proposal which your government has denied is coming from a section of the country.
It is not correct. Nigerians are one on this matter. Nigeria being an imperial candidate, must guide jealously its sovereignty. We cannot hand it over to those dominating the world in perpetuity. The United States is focused on maintaining its global dominance; and must undermine all potential challengers. Nigeria is potentially one when the ‘sleeping giant’ ‘learns to walk’.
Condoleezza Rice, then Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution and a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, charted a pathway for U.S. foreign policy at the turn of the century. In her view, humanitarian goals should be for the United States less of a priority.
She says “To be sure, there is nothing wrong in doing something that benefits all of humanity, but that is, in a sense, a second-order effect.” National interest should be the pre-eminent goal of the United States foreign policy, which translates into containing global competitors. The rain started beating Nigeria after our brilliant performance in Sierra Leone and Liberia, which restored stability and democratic governance to those countries.
