FG, France Deny Plans to Establish Military Base in Nigeria
Pro-democracy advocate faults alleged plans by US to set up military base near Niger border
The federal government has said it was not considering any proposals for the setting up a military base from any country.
In the same breath, the French government, yesterday, denied plans to establish a military base in Nigeria.
But a senior fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, has faulted alleged plans by the United States government to set up a military base near Nigeria's border with Niger Republic.
The federal government, in a statement stated that it was not considering any such proposal.
The statement which was also retweeted by US Embassy said, "the federal government is aware of false alarms being raised in some quarters alleging discussions between the Federal Government of Nigeria and some foreign countries on the siting of foreign military bases in the country.
"We urge the general public to totally disregard this falsehood.
"The federal government is not in any such discussion with any foreign country. We have neither received nor are we considering any proposals from any country on the establishment of any foreign military bases in Nigeria.
"The Nigerian government already enjoys foreign cooperation in tackling ongoing security challenges, and the president remains committed to deepening these partnerships, with the goal of achieving the national security objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda," the statement signed by the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, stated.
Also, in response to media reports on the development, the French Embassy in Abuja, stated that there was no discussions with
Nigeria with regards to setting up of a military base.
"Contrary to the claims made in the open letter quoted in the article, no discussions have taken place or are planned between France and Nigeria regarding the relocalisation of military bases," Political Counsellor at the French Embassy, Bertrand de Seissan, said in a statement.
According to him, "The French Embassy in Nigeria would like to point out that contrary to the claims made in the open letter quoted in the article, no discussions have taken place or are planned between France and Nigeria regarding the relocalisation of military bases."
But speaking on Arise TV, a senior fellow at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, faulted alleged plans by the United States government to set up a military base near Nigeria's border with Niger Republic.
Ibrahim stated that US had plans to establish the base in the northern part of the country, near the Niger border, adding that the area was already suffering from ecological problems, particularly desertification.
He warned that, citing a military base in such a location could further harm the fragile environment
"We know the location Americans are seeking, it is in the far north of the country, near Niger border. This is a part of the country that is already devastated by ecological factors and in particular, by the downward march of the Sahara dessert.
"We feel that sending large groups of people there to be playing with weapons in an ecological zone that is very fragile is not the best for our country," he asserted.