French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday that France will withdraw its military presence from Niger and recall its ambassador.

This decision marks the end of a months-long standoff between the two nations, which was initially triggered by the July 26 coup that removed President Mohamed Bazoum from power.

The coup by the Niger military junta, which stirred global calls for action to end the menace of growing usurpation of power by the military in Africa, dealt a lasting blow to France’s legacy in Africa.

The coup has earned Niger several sanctions globally, with a threat of military intervention led by ECOWAS.

France has maintained a presence in its former colonies since their independence, exerting much political influence over them. Its African policy has been described as subjugative, as it controls a significant percent of the countries’ resources – including their currency CFA franc.

Recently, a new pan-African emotionalism appears to be driving apathy toward France’s presence in Africa, particularly, in the territories of its former colonies. This, besides corruption and bad leadership, is believed to have fueled the prevalence of coups across Francophone Africa. All the leaders removed in coups in Francophone Africa are believed to be backed by France.

France has in recent years withdrawn its forces from Mali and Burkina Faso due to coups in those countries. However, following the Niger coup, which saw Major Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani assume power as the head of state, the European powerhouse has refused to withdraw its troops, despite an order to that effect from the junta.

However, Macron’s Sunday announcement is a sharp twist to his previous decision on Niger, where France has maintained about 1,500 troops ready to engage the junta. Macron had earlier defied the junta’s order to expel the French Ambassador, saying he did not recognize the coupists as legitimate and would only listen to constituted authority.

In August, the junta issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the French Ambassador, Sylvain Itte, demanding his departure. When France did not recall him within the specified deadline, the coup leaders took the step of revoking his diplomatic immunity.

The police were instructed to carry out his expulsion.

Also, the diplomatic cards and visas of the ambassador’s families were canceled, according to the communiqué sent by Niger’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, growing support for the junta by the Niger population calling for France to free their country has changed the dynamics.

Macron who recently expressed concern, revealing that diplomats were relying on military rations as they sought refuge in the embassy, said in an interview with the France-2 and TF1 television networks, that he spoke to Bazoum on Sunday and told him that “France has decided to bring back its ambassador, and in the coming hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France.”

“And we will put an end to our military cooperation with the Niger authorities because they don’t want to fight against terrorism anymore,” he added.

He said the troops would be gradually pulled out, likely by the end of the year, in coordination with the coup leaders because we want it to take place peacefully.

He explained that France’s military presence was in response to a request from Niger’s government at the time. That military cooperation between France and Niger had been suspended since the coup.

Niger’s junta said in response that the announcement signals a “new step towards the sovereignty” of the country.

“Imperialist and neo-colonialist forces are no longer welcome on our national territory. The new era of cooperation, based on mutual respect and sovereignty is already underway,” it said in a statement.

Insa Garba Saidou, a local activist who plays a role in assisting Niger’s new military authorities with their communication efforts, stated that they will maintain vigilance and closely observe the situation until the French ambassador departs from the country. Additionally, he has called for a specific and defined timeline for the withdrawal of French troops.

“This announcement from the French president announces the victory of the people of Niger. However, we are going to take it with a lot of reservation because I no longer believe in Mr. Macron,” said Saidou.

Phrank Shaibu, who serves as the Special Assistant on Public Communication to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has revealed ten significant falsehoods that he believes define the administration of Bola Tinubu so far.

This is coming days after the presidency’s false claim that Tinubu is the first African President to ring the NASDAQ bell stirred backlash, forcing them to issue a corrigendum.

In a statement over the weekend, Phrank Shaibu asserted that the recurrent falsehoods were clear evidence that Bola Tinubu’s primary strategy was to employ propaganda to mislead Nigerians, rather than engaging in effective governance to rescue citizens from the prolonged period of poor governance experienced over the past eight years, along with the additional 117 days of the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

Phrank Shaibu, an aide to Atiku, cautioned Nigerians not to be swayed by the apology issued by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, and other members of Tinubu’s team. He suggested that their apologies were prompted by exposure rather than genuine remorse.

Shaibu highlighted the fact that Tinubu had more media aides than economic and security advisers, which he believed was indicative of a policy reliant on propaganda within his administration.

He described the situation as “the height of deception and wickedness,” warning Nigerians to be deceived.

These are the 10 lies of the Tinubu regime I have compiled so far:

1. The first lie that was told by Bola Tinubu was in his inaugural speech, where he stated that the petrol subsidy was gone. With oil prices now at $94 per barrel and the naira exchanging at N1,000/$1, the price of diesel has risen to about N1,000 per liter while petrol remains at about N620 per liter. It is obvious to the discerning mind that petrol is now being subsidized, a position which all oil marketers have espoused. Nigerians should not be deceived. Tinubu’s claim that there is no subsidy is a lie from the pit of hell, and the fact that they are even hiding the information means there is no transparency, and the money is probably being stolen again.

2. The second lie told by these charlatans was that the United Arab Emirates had lifted the visa ban on Nigerians immediately and that all Nigerians were free to visit Dubai. This lie was well celebrated by many undiscerning Nigerians whose only crime was to believe the deceptive words of an illegitimate government. UAE authorities later confirmed to CNN that it was all a lie. What a national embarrassment!

3. A third lie told by this deceptive government is that Tinubu was the first African President to ring the NASDAQ bell. It has since been established that Malawian President, Jakaya Kikwete, rang the bell on September 21, 2011.

4. Another lie was a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale on August 27, 2023, where US Presidential Envoy and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Molly Phee, was quoted as saying, “President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet. It is a mark of his high regard for your leadership.” Well, this has turned out to be another embarrassing lie as Tinubu has departed UNGA and never met President Biden.

5. A fifth lie was a claim made by Tinubu on the floor of NASDAQ where he stated that “We have retooled the exchange rate to a reliable, dependable one figure floating of the naira. You are free to take in your money and bring out your money.” But this is another lie from the pit of hell. The exchange rate on the I&E Window is about N780/$1, while the rate at the parallel market is about N1,000/$1. Besides, foreign airlines still have over $600m in funds stuck in Nigeria. Tinubu, therefore, lied when he said “you are free to take in your money and bring out your money.”

6. On August 14, 2023, the Nigerian government said on its official Twitter handle that the Nigerian Air Force struck terrorists gathering at Kurebe in Shiroro LGA in Niger State. The government claimed that the terrorists were neutralized. Well, Premium Times has now revealed in its latest report that this is nothing but propaganda, as those who were killed were innocent civilians. Is it not tragic that the Bola Tinubu administration has now infected the military with its lies? Indeed, once the head of the fish is rotten, the body cannot escape corruption.

7. As part of Bola Tinubu’s propaganda programme, the Central Bank of Nigeria said on September 6, 2023, that within two weeks, it would inject $10 billion into the foreign exchange market to clear the FX backlog. Days after the deadline passed, not a single cent has been injected into the system as the naira continues its free fall. The institution that Tinubu’s leadership cannot destroy does not exist.

8. In his inaugural speech, Tinubu said, “As your President, I shall serve with prejudice towards none.” But this has turned out to be another bare-faced lie. Tinubu has been running a government of the clannish, by the clannish and for the clannish, with all key appointments in every sector going to a section of the country, including CBN, FIRS, customs, army, police, and immigration while he himself is the petroleum and gas minister. Tinubu appointed 10 ministers from the southwest and only five from the southeast. If this isn’t prejudice, I don’t know what it is.

9. Last month, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited claimed they had obtained an Afrexim loan of $3bn, which would help stabilize the naira. We raised the alarm that it was all a ruse to deceive Nigerians. Now, we have been justified as the naira is now trading at $1/N1,000 on the black market, while Afrexim Bank has refused to speak on it. This was just audio money.

10. Perhaps the biggest scam and deceit of the Tinubu administration was the Student Loan Act, which he signed on June 12. The new law provides loans for students’ tuition only. It doesn’t cover any other educational expenses. After the law was signed, all federal government schools began increasing school fees. But Dele Alake, the Special Adviser on Media as he then was, said in a statement that tuition in all government schools remains free and that the only fees that were increased were accommodation, laboratory, library, and other costs. So if tuition is free and the Student Loan Act covers only tuition fees, that means the Student Loan Act is pointless, and no money will be released. In essence, Tinubu’s government has prodded government schools to increase fees while no loans will be given to the students. This is the height of deception and wickedness.

Signed:
Phrank Shaibu
Special Assistant (Communication) to Atiku Abubakar
September 24, 2023