The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government has said it is not true that there are discussions between Nigeria and some foreign countries to establish foreign military bases in the country.

The Minister for information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement on Monday urged Nigerians to disregard the “falsehood.”

The relationship between Niger Republic and France became strained after the military coup in the Sahel country.

France condemned the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger Republic and demanded that constitutional order be returned.

After seizing power, the junta prioritized the exit of France’s military, a move similar to Burkina Faso and Mali, both former French colonies, following successful coups.

France, a significant security ally in West Africa, had over 1,500 troops stationed in Niger to combat jihadist groups and prevent terrorism across the Sahel.

Capitalizing on anti-Western sentiments, Russia began expanding its influence in the region. After expelling French forces, the Nigerien junta intensified military cooperation with Russia in January.

In March, the junta revoked a US government accord allowing American troops on its bases. The US also agreed to close its $100 million military drone base near Agadez, crucial in the US-France strategy against jihadists in West Africa.

This shift solidified the Russian alliance, with military instructors arriving in Niger to train its army.

This fueled concerns that the US and France might seek new military bases in Nigeria after being dislodged from Niger Republic.

On Saturday, some eminent leaders in the country as well as civil society organisations cautioned Tinubu against allowing the United States and the French governments to relocate their military bases from the Sahel to Nigeria.

In an open letter to Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly, the leaders had said the Nigerian government should not succumb to such pressure.

Those who signed the letter obtained by SaharaReporters had included Prof Abubakar Siddique Mohammed of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training (CEDDERT), Zaria; Prof Kabiru Sulaiman Chafe, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,  representing the Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP), Kaduna; Prof Attahiru Jega, who is a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Prof Jibrin Ibrahim from the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Abuja; Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani) of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Abuja; and Y. Z. Ya’u from the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Kano. 

According to the letter, the American and French governments have allegedly  been aggressively lobbying Nigeria, along with other Gulf of Guinea countries, to sign new defence pacts that would allow them to redeploy their troops, expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Of the countries in the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria turns out to be the most strategically located, the leaders said in their joint letter. 

Meanwhile, speaking on the development on Monday, Idris said the federal government has neither received nor considered any proposal for the establishment of foreign military bases in the country.

“The Nigerian government already enjoys foreign cooperation in tackling ongoing security challenges.

“The president remains committed to deepening these partnerships, with the goal of achieving the national security objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”