The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, on Friday said no foreign nation would be allowed to establish a military base in Nigeria.
This was coming on the heels of an allegation by the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) that permission had been granted to France to establish an expeditionary military base in Nigeria.
General Musa gave this clarifications while unveiling the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) Tattoo 2025 Logo at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
Recalling that no foreign nation had ever established a military base in Nigeria, the CDS insisted that none will be allowed to do so now or in the future.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, National Coordinator of CNG, Jamilu Aliyu, further alleged that the decision was reportedly linked to a bilateral agreement signed between Nigeria and France, granting the latter unrestricted access to Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.
In a statement earlier in the week, the Arewa Consultative Forum urged President Tinubu-led administration to forever refuse to entertain, let alone accede, to requests to site any foreign military base in Nigeria.
But General Musa while unveiling the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), Tattoo 2025 Logo dismissed the alleged move to site foreign military base in Nigeria as fabricated falsehood.
According to him, “Let me speak on Mr. President’s recent visit to France where a lot of bilateral agreements were signed.
“Regrettably a lot of comments have been made on the subject matter. Some people enjoy fabricating falsehood, so I want to clarify some of the insinuations out there.
“No foreign nation will establish military base in Nigeria, not in the North, not in the South, and not anywhere in Nigeria.
“It has never happened before and it will not happen now. Mr. President asked me to make that very clear to Nigerians.
“Whatever that was signed was a bilateral agreement on trade, culture and traditions and cooperation on economy.
“Some said that the President had signed agreement to allow the foreign nation to establish base camps in northern Nigeria, nothing like that.”
The CDS however, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to continue to partner foreign nations bilaterally, especially in the area of training and procurement of military armaments.
“We send our officers and they send their officers here too for training. That is the normal thing that is done, but to build camp and start operating from Nigeria, that was not part of the agreement,” he further explained.
In his address of welcome, the Committee Chairman, Armed Forces of Nigeria Tattoo Logo 2025, Rear Admiral Kabir Mohammed, explained the philosophy behind the Armed Forces of Nigeria Tattoo Logo 2025.
According to him, “The logo we are unveiling today is not just a design, it is a symbol of patriotism, valor and resilience of the military as well as a reminder of our collective history and vision for the future.
“Elements of the logo were crafted to reflect the armed forces’ commitment to peace, security and leadership.
“It is believed that the logo will serve as an emblem of pride and dedication to the members of the armed forces and the public.”
Giving background of the event scheduled for 2025, Admiral Mohammed said, “Following Nigeria’s remarkable participation at the 2019 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the attendance of the 2024 edition, the CDS approves the domestication of the event in Nigeria.”
Linus Aleke
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