The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has commended the Nigerian Government for distancing itself from any plan to invite foreign countries to establish military bases in Nigeria.
Recall that some eminent Northern leaders and Civil Society Organisations cautioned President Bola Tinubu against allowing the United States and the French governments to relocate their military bases from the Sahel to Nigeria.
In a letter to Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly, the leaders urged the government to resist pressures from the US and France.
However, the Federal Government, on Monday, clarified that there were no discussions with foreign countries regarding the establishment of foreign military bases in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the clarification in a statement he signed on Monday.
In a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, the ACF said it was relieved that the Federal Government denied any plan to allow the setup of foreign military bases.
The northern group urged the government to forever refuse to entertain, let alone accede, to requests to site any foreign military base in Nigeria.
The ACF also called on northern representatives in the National Assembly to remain alert and be ready to reject any request for approval to set up foreign military bases in the country.
It said the Federal Government must be appreciated for taking such a bold and reassuring stance, describing it as a “soothing balm and a thing of pride worth celebrations.”
It said the development represented a victory for all patriotic Nigerians who signalled the readiness to campaign against the “rumoured” plans to host US and French military bases in Nigeria following their rejection in the Republics of Burkina Faso and Niger.
It, however, called on “citizens, labour unions, professional associations, academia, media organisations, special interest groups, etc., to continue to remain vigilant and ever ready to campaign against the siting ever of foreign military bases in Nigeria.”