‘When one has cotton wool on one’s buttocks – one cannot jump over fire.’ (A Ghanaian saying)

The military takeover in Niger on July 26, 2023, of the Bazoum administration has made the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – think of the unthinkable. Military intervention – Really!

This must be an avoidable dangerous consideration of a ‘joke’ by the West African leaders, and gladly – wise counsel is going their way by international security experts, individual citizens of ECOWAS, and a cross-section of global Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) against the intended undertaking.

The pieces of advice are on the spot and they ought to take it and refrain from the considered move to save themselves and the so-called ‘sovereignty’ of their states.

Truth be told – that is what triggered the Nigerien takeover, however different, is not too different from what pertains in the various ECOWAS membership states especially of Francophone origin – if not worse.

Contributing military troops to effect a change or restore ‘constitutional democracy’ will not work, and would open up participants of the intended intervention to consider similar takeovers in the remaining states that have yet to be touched by the second ‘LIBERATION PROCESS’ that is gaining momentum in the sub-region.

What is happening in Francophone West Africa is what can generally be termed: ‘The Arikana Effect.’ This African Patriot of our time, Dr. Arikana Chihombori- Quao was the African Union’s (AU) Ambassador to the United States of America (USA) from 2017 until Oct. 7, 2019, when she was shamelessly relieved of her appointment by the AU. Her crime? Outspokenness against colonial vestiges that still control independent African States – especially the Francophone zone.

In one of her powerful Pan-Africanist deliveries, Dr. Arikana hit hard on Francophone states that have allowed themselves to be pitilessly strangled slowly by the French government since the early days of post ‘independence’ till date. It did not go down well with the stooge AU which immediately after her powerful speech – got her out of her job.

It was not strange. The neo-colonialists have always been at work – having ceded the political control they wielded in the days of their exploitative control of resources of the African continent up until the 1960s.

That is what could be considered a ‘decoy’ concession of political independence – but had their ‘palms deep’ in the natural resources of our so-called independent states. This was how they put in place their neo- colonialists machinery which kept devouring the resources of Africa – the French, being the worst criminals in this unending endeavor.

How did they succeed in this trajectory of exploiting the resources of Africa?

Immediately the Patriots of Africa fought the independence fight for freedom, and the colonialists quickly put in place what can be termed the ‘incubating and hatchery’ machinery to breed the ‘New African of Destruction’ (NAD). They have remained so after they succeeded in wiping out most of the Patriots of old, especially in West Africa – thereby keeping the production line of their neo-colonialist stooges ever-breeding without running shot of them.

Any productive African Patriot must be stopped in his or her way from enlightening and giving Africans – a feeling of meaningful liberation. This is what happened to Dr. Arikana, but unfortunately for the French neo-colonialists, her message had already caught on with the French Africans hence – the recent happenings.

Thus, when a few of these Patriots popped up their heads – they were quickly terminated, and the stooges of the neo-colonialists kept having their way. They constitute all the sub-regional bodies of the Continent – their “Mother Serpent” (apologies: Martin Amidu Esq) being the African Union and the ongoing chicanery speaks volumes of the neo-colonialists ‘behind-the-scenes’ dictates and control of them all.

On the subject matter of ECOWAS military intervention in the Nigerien Crisis – the question is: on what moral grounds is it standing, to engage in the useless and would-be catastrophic exercise? How many of the so-called leaders are there in the true legitimacy of the ‘People’s Mandate’? They are jokers of our time – and must be told so in their faces.

The ‘Arikana Effect’ (or Fever) has caught on with the Francophone ‘colonial’ states and they are up to liberate themselves. Any joker of ECOWAS or the AU who attempts to overhaul the current situation – would themselves be overhauled by the Nigerien Junta, because from there – would spring more juntas for true liberation.

To conclude, let it be emphatically restated – that, all the leaders who are projecting a military intervention would be consumed by the cotton wool in their anus. Do not dare the positive wind that has started blowing – especially in the Francophone ‘neo-colonial’ states.

Send them there, and they will learn lessons, come back and execute what they would have consumed from that engagement. ECOWAS and AU, be forewarned!