FG Denies Approving French Military Base In Nigeria Again

The federal government has once again refuted reports claiming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the creation of a French military base in Nigeria.

The denial followed an article published by an online news outlet, which alleged that France planned to establish a military base in Abuja under the guise of setting up a language academy to train Nigerian military personnel in French.

Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the Acting Head of Crisis Monitoring & Public Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, quickly dismissed the claim, labeling it “not true.”

The original report had suggested, citing unnamed sources, that President Tinubu had succumbed to pressure from French President Emmanuel Macron during a recent visit to Paris.

It further claimed that the project was being secretly pushed forward to avoid scrutiny or opposition from Nigeria’s National Assembly, given its sensitive strategic and security ramifications.

The report also linked the alleged plan to the opening of a French language laboratory at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna in January 2024.

The federal government had previously addressed similar concerns. In May 2024, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, firmly stated that Nigeria was not engaged in discussions with any foreign powers regarding the establishment of military bases.

He urged the public to disregard such reports, emphasizing the government’s commitment to strengthening existing international security partnerships without compromising Nigeria’s sovereignty.

Similarly, the French Embassy in Nigeria also denied any involvement in such military arrangements, aligning itself with Nigeria’s official stance. These clarifications followed a letter reportedly sent by northern elders to President Tinubu and National Assembly leaders, urging them to avoid defense agreements with the United States and France.

The elders expressed concerns about foreign lobbying to redeploy troops previously stationed in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger to Nigeria. They warned that such agreements could undermine Nigeria’s strategic autonomy, citing the failure of foreign military interventions in the Sahel to combat terrorism effectively.

France has faced increasing resistance across West and Central Africa, where public opinion has turned increasingly hostile to its post-colonial influence. Mass protests have erupted in several Francophone countries, including Mali and Côte d’Ivoire, with demonstrators calling for a complete break in ties with France.

France’s colonial legacy in Africa, particularly its direct rule policies and post-independence relations with African elites—often referred to as “Francafrique”—has fueled deep resentment.

French military presence, corporations, and influence have remained entrenched in the region, leading to criticism that France continues to economically benefit while contributing little to regional stability.

In recent years, several African countries have expelled French military forces. Until 2022, French troops operated in countries like Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

However, with the conclusion of Operation Barkhane in 2022, France’s primary counterterrorism mission in the Sahel, nations such as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso terminated defense agreements with France, accusing it of ineffectiveness and overreach.

Following President Emmanuel Macron’s June 2021 announcement of a gradual military withdrawal from the Sahel, French forces withdrew from Mali in August 2022, Burkina Faso in February 2023, and Niger by December 2023.

Chad followed suit in November 2024, with France beginning a phased withdrawal of approximately 1,000 troops stationed there, expected to be completed by January 2025.