TheCable

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has reacted to the withdrawal of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The three West African countries had earlier announced their decision to pull out of the regional economic bloc.

In a statement on Sunday, Auwal Rafsanjani, executive director of CISLAC, said Nigeria is the “greatest loser in this walk out of ECOWAS by these countries”.

Rafsanjani said Nigeria needs the support of the three countries for its regional and international leadership.

He added that the countries decided after realising that they did not miss being out of the regional body following sanctions imposed on them.

“I think what Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have done is the best response to ECOWAS, who doesn’t seem to understand that it was time for them to begin to engage productively and positively with the military junta in those countries,” the statement reads. 

“Because you are dealing with a situation where the populace is in support of the leadership they are having now. So, ECOWAS doesn’t really have the moral ground to go and start bombing or killing them.

“In fact, there’s no where in ECOWAS protocol where they say you should go and start attacking any country, independent country for that matter.

“So, Nigeria is the greatest loser in this walk out of ECOWAS by these countries. Because Nigeria needs the support of these West African countries for its regional leadership. Nigeria has failed woefully in creating a better way forward without being dogmatic in its own position.

“You did not need to be that strict in the issue that completely you do not have any constitutional binding to push people out. All you need to do is to engage them to ensure that the return of the civilian rule is worked out as soon as possible, otherwise, you are just engaging in a lost battle.

“Now that they have worked out, it is Nigeria who largely will lose because we need them at regional, continental and international levels to support Nigeria in its leadership position.

“Nigeria is looking to be a member in the security council, you need countries to support you and your very neighbours that are supposed to give you that necessary support, you are in this kind of relationship with them, then definitely you are losing.

“So, they have found out that they don’t need ECOWAS to survive and they have been out of ECOWAS for several months and lives go on, their conditions have not worsened without ECOWAS.

“ECOWAS has not helped them in dealing with the poverty, dealing with insecurity and infrastructure. So, they did not see value and they did not see any reason to remain in ECOWAS.

“I think ECOWAS and the Nigerian government have overplayed this and they are now the losers sadly.”