In a viral video circulating online, some Nigeriens were seen throwing tantrums on President Bola Tinubu over what political analysts see as frosty relationship between the two countries.
While some citizens were seen trekking and thumping Tinubu’s pictures, others seen standing in a moving vehicle were singing derogatory songs. Others were seen moving about with some banners and fliers which the photographs of Tinubu.
Others were raining curses on Tinubu, calling him “EBOLA disease, the illegitimate President of Nigeria.’’
The actions may have been triggered by Economic Community Of West Africa State, ECOWAS, headed by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu pledging to intervene and giving the military junta a seven-day ultimatum to reinstate the ousted President Muhammed Bazoum.
This relationship dipped when on Wednesday Nigerian government disconnecting electricity supply from Niger Republic on Wednesday, August 2.
The protesters, mostly youths ridiculed Tinubu with the nickname to express their discontent over his response to the recent coup in their country.
Recall that Niger President Bazoum, 63, was kicked out of power on July 26 by his elite presidential guard in a coup widely condemned by the United States, European nations, the United Nations, and the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS.
Tinubu, in his capacity as ECOWAS chairman, condemned the coup, stressing that attempt by the military to seize power was unacceptable.
But, on July 28, two days after the coup, Chief of Niger’s presidential mguard, General Abdourahamane Tiani declared himself the leader of the country after removing and detaining Bazoum.
ECOWAS, in response to the coup, slammed the country with sanctions, including enforcing no flight zone, maintaining that Bazoum remains the recognised president.
In addition to the sanctions, ECOWAS also issued seven-day ultimatum to the military junta in Niger, demanding a transfer of power back to the democratically elected government of Mohamed Bazoum.
The 15-member regional bloc, under Tinubu’s leadership also invited all Chiefs of Defence Staff from member states for an emergency meeting in Abuja to strategise on implementing a possible military operation to restore Bazoum to power.
But, as predicted, the Defence from Mali, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Burkina faso, and Guinea shunned the meeting and threatened military alignment against any country that invades the Niger Republic.
Tinubu, on Thursday, August 3 dispatched delegation to the Niger Republic with a mandate to resolve the current political impasse in the restive West African nation.
Despite these efforts, Nigeriens mocked Tinubu with terms like “Precambrian fossil” and “illegitimate,” while expressing their frustration and anger over the stance of the ECOWAS bloc on the matter.
Taking to their respective X handles in reaction to the mockery of Tinubu, Nigerians appeared to approve of the ridiculing of the president.
In another viral video, some suspected hoodlums vandalised and set ablaze French Embassy in Niamey, following the airlifting of French resident in the country home.
