The House of
Representatives on Thursday expressed Nigeria’s readiness to offer President
Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia asylum as a possible solution to the looming
political crisis in the small West African country.
It said Jammeh could live
“securely” in a “safe haven” offered to him in Nigeria if he agreed.
The House called on
President Muhammadu Buhari to make this offer to Jammeh as part of the ongoing
efforts by leaders of the West African sub-regional group, ECOWAS, to end the
stalemate in the Gambia.
Buhari is leading the
leaders, who are scheduled to have a meeting with Jammeh in Banjul on Friday
(today).
The motion, which led to
the resolution, was moved by a member from Jigawa State, Mr. Sani Zoro.
He recalled how Nigeria in
the past extended a similar gesture to former presidents like “Felix Malloum of
Chad; Siad Barre of Somalia; Thabo Mbeki of the African National Congress;
Messrs Charles Taylor and Yomi Johnson of Liberia and several other leaders.”
Lawmakers described the
asylum offer as a “cheaper” option to allowing a political crisis to explode in
the Gambia.
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