President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged plan to host a French military base in Nigeria is a dangerous capitulation to neo-imperialism, signaling a catastrophic betrayal of Nigeria’s sovereignty and its Pan-African leadership. This move, shrouded in secrecy, signals a catastrophic lapse in leadership and national judgment. France’s notorious history of meddling in African affairs, including its support for dictators, exploitation of resources, and destabilization campaigns, should disqualify it from any role in Nigeria’s security framework. The National Assembly should immediately reject any such agreement with France, which considers Nigeria as a strategic enemy, as this amounts to an unforgivable dereliction and a betrayal of Nigeria’s independence. Mr. President, Nigeria’s sovereignty is not for sale. History will not be kind to you if you allow foreign boots to trample Nigerian soil.
Given France’s pivotal role in destabilizing Africa, especially the West African sub-region, Nigeria as the leader of the sub-region and the current chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), should be wary of aligning itself too closely with that country. This profoundly racist country has never hidden its disdain for the African continent and its peoples. More than any other nation, France has been the most ruthless and vicious in undermining African unity and development. France has always schemed to thwart Africa’s quest for economic independence. Just recently, it torpedoed the ECOWAS effort to launch a sub-regional currency, when at the last minute, it pressured its minions in Abidjan to launch a counter-currency with the same name. France’s exploitation of mineral-rich African countries like Niger, and its economic stranglehold of its 14 former African colonies through the colonial relic of the CFA franc regime, has further solidify its neo-colonial grip on the African continent.
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) rightly condemned the move as unconstitutional and perilous, urging Nigerians to resist such plans by every democratic means. CNG highlighted Tinubu’s apparent disregard for constitutional procedures in such sensitive matters, questioning his commitment to the Nigerian people. At a press briefing in Abuja last Friday, CNG national coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, expressed concern over reported agreements allegedly granting France permission to establish a military presence in Nigeria and access to Nigeria’s mineral resources. The CNG also cited France’s controversial involvement in Ivory Coast and its covert role in the destabilization of West Africa, as wells as the pillage, exploitation and plunder of resources in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
Charanchi accused Tinubu of undermining Nigeria’s sovereignty and history of Pan-African leadership by entertaining what the group termed French neo-imperialist ambitions. He said: “It took the collective wisdom and uncommon display of Pan-Africanism by some renowned statesmen and millions of concerned citizens to miraculously quench the incendiary fire ignited by France in her desperate bid to continue the objectionable subjugation of its rebellious former French-speaking colonies in the region, in neocolonial servitude, using Nigeria as a willing tool. It should also not escape our elephantine memory that it was this same France that so boisterously spearheaded the stiff resistance of some powerful Western nations against the imminent take-off of the West African common currency.”
“With all these calamitous catalogues of French imperial meddlesomeness in Africa, it beggars belief that our country, Nigeria, which has a rich and proud record of championing the cause of black people anywhere in the world and is an undisputed leader of the African people, could suddenly stoop so low as to be ordered around, in a manner reminiscent of the abhorrent and detestable behavior of conquered people. We refuse to accept and hereby wish to definitely reaffirm, that…it is our very firm resolve and implacable determination to use all constitutional and democratic means to militantly resist any attempt by this government to invite France or any other foreign power to establish a military base in any part of our beloved country,” CNG vowed.
France’s legacy in Africa is steeped in exploitation and oppression. Its military interventions in Chad, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon and Togo have consistently propped up authoritarian regimes, such as the late Idriss Déby in Chad, Dennis Sassou Nguesso of Congo and Paul Biya of Cameroon to serve its geopolitical interests rather than promote peace and stability. French troops stormed the presidential palace in Ivory Coast and arrested the democratically elected president, Laurent Gbagbo, and imposed their puppet, Alassane Ouattara. The unrepentant racist country also masterminded the overthrow and brutal assassination of Libya’s Mohammad Ghaddafi, whose death destabilized the country and the entire Sahel region.
In Nigeria’s own history, France supported the Biafra secessionist movement during the civil war of 1967-1970, providing weapons and diplomatic backing in a bid to weaken Nigeria and gain access to oil reserves in the southeast. Such interference nearly dismembered Nigeria and exacerbated one of the bloodiest conflicts in Africa’s history. Similarly, France backed Cameroon and rallied its western allies against Nigeria, during the Bakassi peninsular conflict, where a French judge ruled in favor of Cameroon at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, Netherlands. France has always considered Nigeria as a strategic rival and enemy, and the main bulwark against its neo-colonialist designs in the West African sub-region. No other foreign power has organized more coup d’etats in African than France – all to maintain its neo-colonial stranglehold on African resources!
Allowing a French military base on Nigerian soil not only mocks this painful past but also endangers the present. France’s interventions in Mali and the Sahel have been widely criticized for exacerbating instability and failing to address root causes of conflict, instead deepening resentment against foreign powers. Why should Nigeria, the “Giant of Africa,” stoop so low as to pander to a declining power like France, whose influence in Africa is waning? The Tinubu administration’s flirtation with France’s military ambitions exposes a troubling lack of vision and accountability. While Nigeria grapples with insurgency, banditry, and economic collapse, the president focuses on courting foreign powers rather than addressing urgent domestic crises. This is not governance; it is abdication.
We echo the Coalition of Northern Groups’ (CNG) call to reject any plans for a French military base and demand transparency in Nigeria’s foreign policy decisions. Tinubu must prioritize the safety, dignity, and sovereignty of Nigerians above all else. Hosting a French military base risks transforming Nigeria into a puppet of neo-colonial exploitation; a betrayal that history will neither forgive nor forget. Mr. President, Nigeria’s independence was hard-won. Do not squander it by handing over our country to those who once sought to tear us apart. Stand for Nigeria and the Nigerian people or step aside for those who will.
