Eight months after Nigeria placed sanctions on Niger because the army seized power in the country, Mr Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s President, has lifted the restrictions.
Tinubu, the chairman of the regional bloc ECOWAS, led the bloc in demanding that the junta step down. A warning that the bloc could use military strength to dislodge putschists did not deter them.
Nigeria then imposed strict sanctions, including the closure of its border.
Niger and northern Nigerians have praised the lifting of the sanctions.
Meanwhile, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have pulled out of ECOWAS. Military juntas rule all three.
A Nigerian political commentator told the BBC, “It was a huge mistake for President Tinubu to impose those sanctions without fully appreciating the special relationship we have with Niger.”
Mahmud Bawa, a political scientist in Kaduna, said, “Bola is too impulsive. He will act and think later – just like in his inaugural speech.”
