A group of eminent Nigerians under the aegis of Concerned Citizens has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to consider national interest above the regional interest in the Niger Republic crisis.They urged the President to deploy diplomacy and prioritise the sustenance of the relationship between Nigeria and Niger.The Group of Eminent Nigerians, in an open letter titled: “The Niger Coup d’état: Aligning ECOWAS and Our National Interest,” condemned the sacking of the constitutional government of President Mohamed Bazoum of the Niger Republic.They called for the creation of conditions for the restoration of Trach 1 as well as Trach 2 diplomacy by making a gesture to the putschists through measures such as the withdrawal of the threat of use of force as well as immediate deployment of Track 2 diplomacy through traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society to urge the junta to open doors to diplomatic discussions between the two governments – Nigeria and Niger as well as the Authority of Heads of State of ECOWAS.The group applauded the immediate steps the ECOWAS Chairman has taken in the form of statements, communiqués, missions and consultations with regional, continental and world leaders for the immediate restoration of constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.They equally supported the principle of zero tolerance for unconstitutional change of government as enshrined in the ECOWAS and African Union Protocols and other instruments.“We understand the factors that led to the very strong measures in terms of sanctions, economic blockade and the possible use of force\in re-establishing constitutional order.“We believe that President Mohamed Bazoum remains the legitimate elected President and Head of State of the Republic of Niger recognized by ECOWAS, the African Union and the international community; In this regard, we recognize that only official acts of President Bazoum or his duly mandated officials should be recognized.“Nonetheless, we respectfully observe that the cutting off of electricity supply to Niger, breaking a longstanding treaty obligation, may ultimately harm our national interest especially within the perspective of the Kandadji dam currently under construction by the Nigerien Government,” the open letter read in part.They warned that “The apparent rising wave of popular support for the putschists might create a situation in which the role of Nigeria is seen as being at variance with the interest of the Nigerien people and in support of external interests.“Already, there is an orchestrated campaign in the social and traditional media portraying Nigeria in a negative light as an agent of France and the United States.“The strong presence of French, American and to a lesser extent Italian security personnel and assets, including a large US drone base, creates a situation that could easily transform an intervention for the restoration of democracy into a complex proxy war fought out by foreign interests engaged in the new geopolitical repositioning of world powers.”The Concerned Citizens pointed out that “The current security challenges of insecurity around the Boko Haram insurgency, farmer-herder conflicts, banditry and mass kidnapping might all be exacerbated as the flow of arms, violent extremism and armed banditry spread and deepen in our sub-region.The said Nigeria was already contending with a serious humanitarian crisis, with millions of internally displaced persons and hundreds of thousands of refugees including in Niger, adding that it is important to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis.“It is therefore important that as a nation, we align our approach to the restoration of democracy in Niger to our national interests, provide assurances to the Nigerien people of Nigeria’s commitment to maintaining friendship and fraternal relations with the government and people of Niger.”They also called for the improvement of Nigeria’s strategic communication showing actions undertaken are in tandem with our long-standing commitment to the protection and consolidation of democracy within Nigeria, ECOWAS and Africa, just as they demanded clarification on our collective resolve towards the full restoration of constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.The August 9, 2023 letter was jointly signed by former INEC Chairman Prof Attahiru Jega; former NBA President Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), Gen M. L. Agwai (rtd), Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, Prof M. J .Kuna, Dr Kole Shettima, Hussaini Abdu and Malam Kabiru Yusuf. Mrs Maryam Uwais, Kabiru Adamu, Moufta’u Baba Ahmed, Dr Usman Bugaje and Yahya Hashim.VON