Information making the rounds has it that France has received a go-ahead from President Bola Tinubu to establish a French military base in Nigeria as part of efforts to enhance military cooperation between the two nations.
According to Huhuonline.com, three Aso Rock sources, who preferred anonymity, because of the highly classified and sensitive nature of the issue, confirmed that the French military base will be established in the Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, under the guise of a language academy to teach French to Nigerian military personnel.
The sources said that President Tinubu, who had been under pressure from French President, Emmanuel Macron, finally assented to the deal during his latest visit to Paris, France, early this month.
Asked why President Tinubu would prefer to disguise such a project with significant strategic and security implications for Nigerian sovereignty and national security, one of the sources said that the President is anticipating a huge backlash and strong opposition from the National Assembly, but added with a taint of sarcasm that Tinubu will eventually get his way, saying: “this is Nigeria and nothing no pass arrangement.”
The sources explained that the French military base will be sold to the Nigeria public as an initiative that is built upon previous collaborations, such as the inauguration of a similar French language laboratory at the Nigerian Defense Academy (NDA) in Kaduna, in January 2024.
The emphasis on French language training is strategic, considering Nigeria’s position in West Africa, surrounded by Francophone countries, which are becoming increasingly hostile and belligerent towards their former colonial master, France. The source further explained that Tinubu will make the case to lawmakers that, enhancing French language proficiency among Nigerian military personnel is a means to improve interoperability with the armed forces of neighboring French speaking states; as well as strengthen integration within regional and international organizations where French is an official language.
The Kaduna laboratory, financed by the French Directorate for Cooperation in Security and Defense (DCSD), aims to provide language training for Nigerian military personnel. The facility was inaugurated by the French Defense Attaché, Colonel G. Dujon, and his deputy, Lieutenant-Colonel R. Chauvancy, in the presence of Major General JO Ochai of the NDA.
But the Aso Rock sources explained that unlike the Kaduna academy which focuses solely of teaching French to Nigerian military personnel, the language training initiative of the Abuja academy will complement broader security and defense cooperation between France and Nigeria, which includes support for Nigeria’s army, navy, and police forces. The cooperation focuses on areas such as maritime security, internal security, and civil protection, aiming to bolster Nigeria’s capabilities in these domains, according to a statement on the website of the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
“The proposed language academy in Abuja represents a continued commitment to strengthening military ties and enhancing the operational capabilities of Nigerian forces through improved communication and collaboration with Francophone partners,” the statement noted.
Huhuonline.com however gathered that the planned language academy will be a major outpost of the new French Africa Command (CDT Africa) created by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces in April last year. The CDT Africa, headquartered in Paris is led by Brigadier General Pascal Ianni, former press attaché of the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces. This new command structure, attached to the Joint Operations Staff, is responsible for “the preparation and conduct of joint operations or operational engagements in all environments and in material or immaterial domains,” focusing on Africa. The CDT Africa will oversee all French military bases in African countries, subordinating them to the planned French military base cum language academy in Abuja. This comes despite President Macron’s earlier intentions to reduce the French military presence in Africa.
Huhuonline.com checks reveal that at a recent parliamentary hearing, French Army Chief of Staff, General Thierry Burckhardt said that reducing the military presence in Africa would compromise France’s ability to gather intelligence and exert influence in information warfare, as well as undermine its ability to rapidly deploy military power, if and when necessary. Burckhardt suggested increasing the civilian component of France’s presence to make its military footprint less visible, given the increasing hostility of former French colonies to French soldiers and military bases in their countries.
To which end, France is considering decreasing French military personnel in Gabon from 350 to 100; Côte d’Ivoire from 600 to 150. In Chad, the number will drop from 800 to 300. However, the reductions do not extend to the bases themselves, nor to the naval, air, and special forces installations in these countries. France also maintains a significant military presence in the Indian Ocean, including bases in Djibouti, Mayotte, Réunion, and Mauritius.
French media reports indicate that the newly created Africa Command will focus on providing military and intelligence support to local partners fighting rebel groups. In early 2024, France increased financial assistance to many of its former colonies, including Cameroon, Togo, Benin, the Central African Republic (CAR), Congo (Brazzaville), and Equatorial Guinea. This assistance is provided de jure or de facto free of charge. France already supports the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in its fight against Boko Haram through intelligence and operational cooperation, working from N’Djamena. France is also part of the International Support Group for Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery & Resilience of the African Union and the Chad Basin Commission.
Many experts believe Paris is strengthening its ties with Abuja as leverage as it recovers from the shock of recent events in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, whose leaders have expelled French soldiers from the countries and dismantled French military bases. These experts fear that France will try to leverage its relationship with Nigeria to destabilize the West African sub-region as it is already being accused of arming and backing terrorist groups to destabilize countries that seek to break away from French hegemony. Nigeria is France’s leading trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, and the 4th largest in Africa, behind Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
In 2024, Nigeria accounted for 20% of France’s trade with sub-Saharan Africa, amounting to €3.53 billion. France has a bilateral trade deficit of €2.3 billion.
In 2024, French exports to Nigeria rose steeply, from €528 million to €611 million, or a 16% rise, in the first year of rising French sales to Nigeria in 9 years. Manufactured products represent almost the totality of France’s exports to Nigeria, with agrifood products being the leading export at around 30%. France is Nigeria’s 9th-largest supplier, between Germany and Brazil. Petroleum products represent 95% of French imports from Nigeria. France’s foreign direct investment stock in the country, which stood at €7.2 billion in 2021, is ahead of that of the United Kingdom and the United States.
