Côte d’Ivoire’s government swiftly airlifted former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan from Guinea-Bissau on Thursday, where he had been trapped following a military coup.
The move has highlighted a stark contrast in diplomatic responses, with Abidjan acting decisively, while Abuja has appeared slow to react, raising concerns about the Nigerian government’s lack of coordination and assertive engagement.
Sources who spoke with ThisDay revealed that the Ivorian government had arranged to evacuate Jonathan on the country’s presidential jet.
It was reported that some aides of President Bola Tinubu reached out to Jonathan’s aides in Abuja to facilitate the process, rather than a formal communication from the Nigerian government.
“It was the Côte d’Ivoire government that reached out to President Jonathan, and they have provided an aircraft that’s bringing him back,” a source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told ThisDay.
Although the Nigerian government later reached out to coordinate Jonathan’s evacuation, the Ivorian government had already made arrangements and ensured his safe return to Nigeria.
Contrary to initial reports that the soldiers who staged the coup escorted Jonathan out of Guinea-Bissau, sources confirmed that it was actually ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group) forces, comprising soldiers from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, who provided security for the former president’s journey from his hotel to the airport.
“You will see that it was a presidential jet with the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire mark,” the source stated.
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