The Federal Government said it has not received any proposal for the establishment of a foreign military base in the country.
Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, said an alarm raised in some quarters on the purported plan was baseless and unfounded.
“The Federal Government is aware of false alarms being raised in some quarters alleging discussions between the Federal Government of Nigeria, and some foreign countries on the siting of foreign military bases in the country.
“We urge the general public to totally disregard this falsehood.
“The Federal Government is not in any such discussion with any foreign country.
“We have neither received nor are we considering any proposals from any country on the establishment of any foreign military bases in Nigeria,” Idris said.
According to the Minister, the Federal Government already enjoys foreign cooperation in tackling ongoing security challenges in the country.
“President Bola Tinubu remains committed to deepening these partnerships, with the goal of achieving the national security objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
On Monday, some northern leaders had warned against allowing the US and French governments to relocate their military bases from the Sahel to Nigeria.
In a letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly on Friday, the northern leaders said accepting such a proposal would pose serious dangers for the country.
According to the letter addressed to Tinubu, the northern leaders claimed the US and French governments have been lobbying Nigeria, and other countries in the region, to sign new defence pacts allowing them to redeploy their expelled troops.
Citing data from the Pentagon, the letter said the operations of the Western forces to uproot terrorists from the Sahel region have so far been “quite unimpressive, if not a complete failure.
“This is for the simple reason that terrorism, far from abating, has, in fact, risen dramatically since the US began its operations in the region,” the letter said.
The leaders also expressed concerns about the economic and environmental impacts of hosting foreign military bases.
“Economically, the presence of these bases could potentially divert the government’s funds and resources away from the critical areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development toward maintaining and securing these military installations. This redirection of resources could stunt economic growth and exacerbate poverty in a country, where much of the population already lives under challenging conditions,” they said.
“Moreover, hosting foreign troops often leads to increased prices and living costs in local areas, disproportionately affecting the lower-income population.
“Environmentally, the construction and operation of military bases can lead to significant degradation of the local environment. This includes deforestation, soil erosion, water contamination, and loss of biodiversity, which are detrimental to agricultural communities and indigenous populations. The long-term environmental damage could further hinder economic opportunities and sustainable development.”
The letter added that the presence of foreign military bases in Nigeria would worsen the already strained relations between Nigeria and neighbouring French countries.
Signatories to the letter include Abubakar Mohammed of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training (CEDDERT); Kabiru Chafe, former minister of state for petroleum resources, from the Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP); Attahiru Jega, former chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Jibrin Ibrahim of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani) of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CCISLAC); and YZ Ya’u of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD).
The leaders urged the government to consider the broader implications of such agreements and to prioritise Nigeria’s long-term peace and security over short-term strategic alignments.