A section of Ghanaians have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to discard the idea of sending military troops from Ghana to Niger as part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) military intervention initiative because it will affect the resources of the country.
Some individuals are of the view that the government committing troops to support ECOWAS in its military intervention in Niger will lead to the nation investing state resources, especially in terms of finances, which will have dire consequences on the country’s economy which is already suffering.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb TV, some members of the public vehemently opposed the idea of the government sending its military troops to Niger but suggested that resources should rather be focused on resolving the challenges in the country.
“Why should we go to Niger, are we the ones who caused the problem there? We have issues in Ghana here that Akufo-Addo should address. I know that the military signed an oath to be ready to respond to duty whenever needed, but this one is a bad idea.
“For that one Akufo-Addo should not try it at all. If I were a military person, I wouldn’t go” one woman who spoke to Ghanaweb TV noted.
Another person said: “I won’t support this idea because what is happening elsewhere does not concern us. We are struggling as a nation, the funds that will be used to send the military troops to Niger could have been used for developmental projects in the country instead of wasting it. So I would never support this idea,” an individual told GhanaWeb TV.
“I don’t support the idea of the government sending troops to Niger, because our resources will be used to take care of them when they go. And how sure are we that we will get our resources back afterward? So that’s the reason why I don’t agree,” another person added.
One individual urged President, Akufo-Addo to take into consideration the concerns of Ghanaians with regards to sending Ghanaian troops to Niger for military intervention.
“In my opinion, the president has the right to send military to Niger but he should consider the concerns of the people who voted for him. As much as he wants to assist with whatever is going on, I think there are a lot of things happening in the country that he should focus on first. Already the military has some concerns that are not being attended to. So I think is not a good idea to send the military to Niger,” another person told Ghanaweb TV.
Meanwhile another person who spoke to GhanaWeb was in support of the government sending troops to Niger, because he believes it will help to halt the menace of the military takeover in the West African sub-region.
He also attributed the military takeover in Niger to poor governance.
“I support the government sending military troops to Niger because the people living there [Niger] are not comfortable with the way things are going with the democratic rule, which is why they support the military coup. We support the people of Niger because people are suffering a lot so the government should know that,” she indicated.