Nigeria fighting on everyone’s frontline to defend West Africa against terrorists, says Tuggar

Yusuf Tuggar, the foreign affairs minister, says Nigeria is battling insecurity on behalf of the entire West African region.

Recently, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger exited the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after military coups in those countries.

Speaking at Chatham House in London on Tuesday, Tuggar said the nations that left ECOWAS have repeatedly turned peace overtures down, saying, “every time we extend an olive branch, they wield it as a stick to strike us.”

He warned of the Russian private security firms and jihadist groups filling the void left by French and American forces in the Sahel.

Tuggar highlighted the growing complexity of regional security threats, noting that the terrorist groups aim to expand their influence amid shifting power dynamics.

He said Nigeria takes its regional responsibilities seriously.

“We have shown that ECOWAS has a distinct identity and that, for all its faults, it has made progress that will leave those on the outside literally and figuratively poorer for it,” he said.

“We have seen the departure of French and US forces from the region, with varying degrees of reluctance.

“There’s no ‘security backstop’ that we, as Nigeria and the region, will not provide for ourselves. And that may not be a bad thing.

“But don’t for a moment think that the Russian private security companies or the jihadist groups in the Sahel that are taking the place of the French and the Americans lack ambition.

“Nigeria is fighting on everyone’s frontline. We take our responsibilities seriously.

“Irregular migration is a doorstep political issue in Europe, but it is a huge challenge also for those countries that are haemorrhaging talent and those for whom they pass through.

“That is why we urge a balance in resources deployed to keep people out and programmes and policies around trade and financing that might encourage people to stay in.”

The foreign minister called for a balanced allocation of resources to address the crisis in the region.