Norris McDonald | French economic slavery and the ECOWAS ‘water boys’ of imperialism

Twenty million tonnes of radioactive waste have been left behind in Niger by French companies engaged in rapacious uranium mining. Nigeriens are therefore subjected to high French uranium mining, toxic wastes that “will be radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years”, health experts say.

But although Niger’s uranium powers France nuclear energy plants, Niger, in contrast, does not have their own electric supply!

“Many people don’t know that the impoverished mining towns of Niger are keeping the lights on in France … three out of four light bulbs in France are illuminated through Nigerien uranium,” online news site downtoearth.org says.

Meanwhile, only two out of every three persons in Niger’s rural areas have electricity and, “only 10 to 20 per cent of people in urban areas have electricity”.

POVERTY AND CHILD SLAVERY

Niger is one of the world’s biggest uranium producers and yet, under French economic slavery, is ranked as “the poorest country in the world” by the United Nations.

Child slavery is pervasive in Niger as it is in Nigeria and many parts of the African continent. According to a US Department of Labor report, Niger has “some of the worst forms of child labor”.

And let’s remember, my friends, that all this has been taking place under French political economic control of West Africa.

Wahaya is “a form of child slavery that has been found to be illegal by a Nigerien court”, the US Department of Labor reported. And yet, despite America’s awareness of this cruel practice, they have not pressured their allies to get rid of child labour.

Poverty, poor health, environmental pollution, hunger, misery, and destitution are an everyday part of life for Nigeriens.

Mohamed Bazoum was the sitting president in Niger who was booted from office.

He was elected in 2021. And although he inherited many of the problems, instead of trying to solve them, he is accused, in a legal complaint, of allegedly disappearing US$99 million from the 2021 budget!

Haul and pull up and rewind!

Within less than one year in office, Bazoum cannot give a proper account of US$99 million.

Are we truly shocked, then, that when Bazoum was booted from office by the military, Nigeriens cheered and greeted them as heroes?

The new interim leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, and the leadership of the National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland were greeted like rock stars at a recent spontaneous rally. This was held in Niger’s capital, at the Niamey National Stadium.

‘WATER BOYS’ OF IMPERIALISM

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), instigated by France and America, threatened that they would invade Niger if the accused corrupt Bazoum was not put back in power.

Much to ECOWAS and the imperialist shock, Nigeriens poured out in the streets in their thousands to defend the new interim leaders.

Over 50,000 young people have volunteered and signed up to be part of a popular militia aimed at resisting any invasion force.

Mohamed Bazoum’s general election campaign was reportedly financed by a Nigerian billionaire Alhaji Dahiru Mangal. He is a close family friend of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the man who has been pushing this Niger invasion mania.

President Tinubu, the cheerleader for “democracy”, is the richest politician in Africa, with a net worth of US$4 billion. His nephew, Wale Tinubu, “is the richest oilman in Africa”.

This Nigerian cabal, by financing and engineering Bazoum’s rise to power, was establishing, and exercising, political control over Niger.

For what purpose, you ask?

Perhaps, to make money from the US$40 billion ConocoPhillips Trans Saharan gas pipeline from Nigeria to Europe. This was to provide Europe with an alternative source of natural gas because they had ended Russian gas imports.

Niger was to be a key transit hub for the Tinubu family-inspired gas pipeline.

But with the removal of Bazoum from power in Niger, there is now no guarantee that the desperate Europeans and Americans will get the ConocoPhillips pipeline built.

ECOWAS is a loose economic grouping of West African states. By the nature of their treaty – which I have read – they have no mandate to become any military invasion force. And yet we are seeing these leaders making fools of themselves, in my opinion, in the eyes of their own people and the world.

But the very idea that ECOWAS usurped unto themselves arbitrary powers to threaten to invade Niger, egged on by imperialism, makes a mockery of international law and the norms of good neighbour relations between states.

Nigeriens have all right to determine their own fate!

But here we have Nigeria shamefully emerging as the leader of this pathetic ECOWAS group, which, in my opinion, is akin to be mere “water boys of imperialism” in Africa.

PAN-AFRICANIST REVOLUTION

My dear friends, what we are now seeing is a new pan-Africanist, anti-imperialist, political military bloc emerging, as Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have forged a new alliance.

Over the last 10 years we have seen a rapid awakening of black class consciousness in Africa and all parts of the Black diaspora.

Africa is in the throes of a new political revolution.

In South Africa we have seen the rapid rise of the Julius Malema led-Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to become a strong opposition party.

In just 10 years the EFF now controls 44 seats in the South African parliament. And they campaigned under the banner of socialism, with South African characteristics.

Mali and Burkina Faso have sent troops and military equipment to Niger and have formed a common political front aimed at “kicking France out of Africa”.

This new military alliance of progressive anti-imperialist forces has forced ECOWAS, America, and France to stop and think.

That is what pan-Africanism means in its truest sense – political economic and military solidarity.

Africa, too, is a mighty giant awakening from slumber.

Oh, yes!

And that is what the people of West African countries are doing. They are taking charge of their lives to cast off the brutal legacies of slavery, neocolonialism, and imperialism!

As Burkina Faso President Capt Ibrahim Traore has correctly said, “a slave who does not take charge of his own revolt does not deserved to be pitied”.

That is just the ‘bitta’ truth.

Norris McDonald is an economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and miaminorris@yahoo.com.