Tinubu Government Denies Plans to Establish Foreign Military Bases in Nigeria

The Nigerian government has refuted claims of engaging in discussions with foreign nations to establish military bases within the country. Minister Mohammed Idris of Information and National Orientation advised Nigerians to dismiss these inaccurate reports.

Media sources have mentioned warnings from notable figures and civil society groups to Tinubu regarding the potential relocation of US and French military bases to Nigeria from the Sahel region.

Key figures from the Gulf of Guinea, such as Prof Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, Prof Kabiru Sulaiman Chafe, Prof Attahiru Jega, Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, Auwal Musa, and Y. Z. Ya’u, jointly penned an open letter to Tinubu and the National Assembly, urging the government to resist such pressures.

The letter emphasized the negative economic and environmental consequences of hosting foreign military bases, which could lead to a diversion of essential resources from sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.