LAGOS, Nigeria – Femi Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation, issued a stern warning to nations such as Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, cautioning them against threatening Nigeria with war.
His words come amidst growing geopolitical tensions in the region.
Fani-Kayode reminded these nations of Nigeria’s track record, which he claims almost singlehandedly confronted and contained the two most deadly terrorist organizations, ISWAP and Boko Haram, along with a separatist movement, the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, with its Eastern Security Network, ESN.
Despite these challenges, Nigeria, he said, still stands undeterred and strong.
The former Minister expressed his displeasure at videos of Nigerien, Burkinabe, and Malian soldiers marching and chanting war songs against Nigeria.
“They were being applauded and egged on by ecstatic French-speaking crowds who reigned curses on our nation’s president,” he explained.
In a statement issued on his social media handle on Sunday, August 6, 2023, Fani-Kayode asserted, “Before provoking our nation into armed conflict and threatening us with war, our traducers should know we are a peace-loving people who are kind, compassionate, hard-working, and accommodating.”
WAKE NOT OUR SLEEPING SWORD LIGHTLY
Over the last two days my Whatsssap has been flooded & phone inundated with an overwhelming number of vexatious, malevolent, irritating & nauseating video clips of Nigerien, Burkinabe and Malian soldiers marching & chanting war songs against… pic.twitter.com/1ZY9ITqdDT
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) August 6, 2023
The ex-Minister also took pride in Nigeria’s economic standing, noting that even the combined GDP of all African countries under military rule, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sudan, Guinea, and Niger Republic, couldn’t match that of Lagos State alone.
“Such is the courage, strength, resilience, fighting spirit, foresight, fortitude, and sense of patriotism of the Nigerian,” he asserted, driving home his point about Nigeria’s ability to stand its ground amidst various adversities.
Fani-Kayode ended his statement with a reminder for those contemplating aggression against Nigeria, “Before you threaten us with war think twice, study our history, and learn about who we are and what we are capable of doing.”
His words reverberate as a testament to Nigeria’s resilience and a caution to its potential adversaries.
