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Nigeria, Niger rekindle strategic ties as foreign minister tuggar leads high-level mission to niamey

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Nigeria, Niger rekindle strategic ties as foreign minister tuggar leads high-level mission to niamey

By: Zagazola Makama

In a significant diplomatic overture aimed at restoring trust and strengthening regional cooperation, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, is set to lead a high-level mission to the Republic of Niger on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, where he will deliver a special message from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the Head of State of Niger Republic.

The visit marks a major turning point in Nigeria–Niger relations, which became strained following the July 2023 coup in Niger. Tuggar, who is conveying President Tinubu’s goodwill message, is also expected to engage in deeper discussions with his Nigerien counterpart on a range of critical issues including security, regional trade, economic development, and cross-border collaboration.

The mission comes at a time of intense regional transformation. With Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a new security vacuum has emerged in the region. Yet, the planned engagement between Nigeria and Niger signals a clear intent to transcend these geopolitical shifts and reaffirm traditional bilateral ties anchored in mutual respect and shared interests.

The Nigerian delegation, composed of senior diplomats, policy advisers, and defence liaison officers, seeks to engage Nigerien authorities in charting a new course of strategic collaboration, with emphasis on mutual security, economic resilience, and people-centered diplomacy.

According to diplomatic sources, the Minister will be received by top government officials in Niamey, with a plan to have an audience with President Abdourahamane Tchiani, with whom he is expected to discuss ways of mending fences and restoring structured bilateral dialogue between Nigeria and Niger Republic.

For Niger, this diplomatic overture presents an opportunity to reconcile with a powerful neighbor and longtime ally. As Nigeria’s top diplomat, Tuggar’s visit symbolizes not only continuity in relations but a renewed offer of partnership on behalf of President Tinubu, one that could be instrumental in Niger’s reintegration into regional stability frameworks.

Strengthening security through diplomacy

Nigeria has consistently offered its non-kinetic counterterrorism experience to its Sahelian neighbors, and this visit will spotlight initiatives such as Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and other regional security initiatives aimed at fostering peace and stability and development of the two regions.

Nigeria’s foreign ministry believes that showcasing these strategies could inform Niger’s own efforts to stabilize its territory without depending solely on military action. The presence of top security policy advisers in the delegation underlines the inter-agency coordination Nigeria hopes to export as a regional model.

Reopening trade and people-to-people ties

Beyond security, the visit is equally strategic from an economic standpoint. The trade corridor linking Nigeria’s northern states Katsina, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa with Niger’s Zinder and Maradi regions is vital for the movement of agricultural products, livestock, petroleum derivatives, and manufactured goods.

Increased insecurity, political fallout, and border closures have disrupted this trade flow, hurting thousands of informal and formal traders. Rebuilding trust and establishing security frameworks could lead to the reopening of border markets, establishment of joint border patrol mechanisms, and reactivation of cross-border infrastructure projects.

According to one of the diplomatic dellegate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria’s approach remains one of “peaceful engagement, mutual respect, and shared progress.” The ministry is keen on ensuring that “no Sahelian country is left behind in the pursuit of African stability.”

He emphasized that this diplomatic engagement is not just about bilateral relations, it’s about reshaping regional security through collaboration. The recent visit of the African Economic and Security (AES) Bloc to Nigeria highlighted the country’s leadership in non-kinetic counterterrorism efforts. Building on that momentum, this mission to Niger is expected to consolidate partnerships forged outside traditional multilateral bodies like ECOWAS.

The Foreign Minister’s Advisory Group, which includes senior diplomats, strategic communication experts, and regional analysts, is expected to present a series of proposals to Nigerien authorities focused on border security, economic revitalization, and people-centered diplomacy.

Nigeria’s consistent leadership in the Sahel

Despite geopolitical turbulence, Nigeria has remained a stabilizing force in the Sahel. Its refusal to sever ties with Niger after the coup, and its ongoing humanitarian and development assistance to displaced populations, illustrates a deeper commitment to regional peace.

This visit reflects the recalibration of Nigerian diplomacy under Minister Tuggar’s leadership one that prioritizes quiet engagement over coercion, dialogue over division, and long-term partnerships over short-term political wins.

As the talks is set to unfold in Niamey, many in both countries are optimistic that this could mark a new era of cooperation one where borders are no longer lines of division, but bridges of unity and shared prosperity.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter-Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region.

Nigeria, Niger rekindle strategic ties as foreign minister tuggar leads high-level mission to niamey

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

By: Michael Mike

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.

The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.

The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.

The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.

According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.

The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.

It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

By: Michael Mike

A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.

Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.

Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.

He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.

“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.

“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.

According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.

Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.

He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.

He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.

“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.

“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.

In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.

Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.

He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.

“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.

“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.

“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.

“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.

The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).

He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.

Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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