ABUJA, NIGERIA — Political analysts in Nigeria say the country needs to be careful after signing a series of agreements with France during President Bola Tinubu’s three-day visit to the European country last week.
Tinubu’s three-day visit to France was the first official state visit to Paris by a Nigerian leader in more than two decades.
During the visit, Nigeria and France signed two major deals, including a $300 million pact to develop critical infrastructure, renewable energy, transportation, agriculture and health care in Nigeria.
Both nations also signed an agreement to increase food security and develop Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
Tinubu has been trying to attract investments to boost Nigeria’s ailing economy. While many praise his latest deals with France, some critics are urging caution.
The deals come as France looks for friends in West Africa following a series of military coups in countries where it formerly had strong ties — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Ahmed Buhari, a political affairs analyst, criticized the partnership.
“Everybody is trying to look for a new development partner that would seemingly be working in their own interest, but obviously we don’t seem to be on the same page,” Buhari said. “We’re partnering with France, who [has] been responsible for countries like Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and the likes, and we haven’t seen significant developments in those places in the last 100 years.”
Abuja-based political analyst Chris Kwaja said France’s strained relationships with the Sahelian states do not affect Nigeria.
“That the countries of the Sahel have a fractured relationship with France does not in any way define the future of the Nigeria-France relationship,” Kwaja said. “No country wants to operate as an island. Every country is looking at strategic partnerships and relationships.”
France has a long history of involvement in the Sahel region, including military intervention, economic cooperation and development aid. Critics say the countries associated with France have been grappling with poverty and insecurity.
Eze Onyekpere, economist and founder of the Center for Social Justice, said Nigeria must be wary of any deal before signing.
“It is a little bit disappointing considering the reputation of France in the way they’ve been exploiting minerals across the Sahel,’ Onyekpere said. “They’ve been undertaking exploitation in a way and manner that’s not in the best interest of those countries. I hope we have good enough checks to make sure that the agreements signed will generally be in the interest of both countries and not a one-sided agreement.”
Nigeria is France’s top trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.
During the president’s visit, two Nigerian banks — Zenith and United Bank for Africa — also signed agreements to expand their operations into France.
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