Abuja — Recently, when the nefarious proposal of the formation of a Western Euro-American military base on African soil was mooted by America, many sharp-thinking Africans were sceptical and grasped with fear that America is finally spreading its ugly tentacles of domination, harassment, intimidation and dare-devil terrorism to Africa, after dealing with many lesser countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.

Like the scriptural sign of the doomsday, by the time America would have achieved its goal and would have concluded its terrorism cum expansionist mission on African soils, which would have been the beginning and end of its total collapse and tumble into the fathomless garbage of global history. I foresee this.

The idea behind the formation of AFRICOM by America is twofold. One is on the issue of political domination and expansionism, which leads to reaping unlimited economic gains. And two, it borders on military camping in a permanent base with a view to adequately policing African nations and thereby forcing any one of them into total subservience and obedience in case such a country seems uncompromising to the dominant and dictatorial Euro-American wills and wishes. Particularly alarming is the idea of establishing a military base in one of the African nations. The question here is that for whose benefit and on whose request is American military base going to be established in Africa? Did the African leaders or the African Union first indicate interest in this or requested America for any military protection in the name of "military base?" I believe the answers to these questions are in the negative. Then we have to think twice about it.

It is boldly written in the dictionary of American diplomacy that there's "No permanent friend or enemy, but permanent interest". America is therefore seeking to achieve its interest and score its hidden goals by proposing to camp its army in Africa. When it suggested that it would train the so-called "technical corps" in the Nigerian military to be able to develop and reconstruct our infrastructures, we wouldn't believe that America was concerned about the betterment of our lives, since in the beginning, it didn't intervene in the issue of corrupt African leaders or suggest ways, or even give legal backing towards eliminating corruption and ensuring good governance in Africa. When most African countries are still wallowing in hunger, disease, illiteracy, famine and wars, what does America want Africans to benefit from its military camp on African soil other than to further fight and kill one another or rather fall victim to tight surveillance of the oppressive American bully?

Fortunately, some countries in Africa confronted with this idea, such as Liberia, South Africa and Nigeria, have turned down the nasty proposal and kicked against it, being fully aware of the long-term side effects of venturing into such a precarious deal with America, which in the long run would go contrary to the interest of Africa or any of the African nations, as America is known for putting its interest ahead of any other's. Somebody wrote on the internet and I read it that America or any of the European nations never give something for free without taking back something bigger than what they donated in the name of aids or loan to any country.

This fellow also reasoned that the idea of the formation of a military base in Nigeria or any African country by America or any coalition of European countries is tantamount to re-colonisation of Africa. In as much as I agree with this fellow, I would also add that rather than re-colonisation, it symbolises a culmination of the re-colonisation process which was long ago on course. This time around is the peak of everything coming in the form of military presence, which is going to assume a permanent control over the whole continent. Africans ought to draw a cue from the case of America's military base in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which were formed during the Gulf War with Iraq in 1991, but which the American troops still continue to occupy at the expense of Saudi and Kuwaiti governments who continue to bear the financial responsibilities of the army officers in the camp to date.

Worse still, America would continue to occupy the bases permanently as the foreground of launching its offensive and keeping vigil over all the countries around the Gulf region. If allowed, the so-called proposed military base on any African soil is going to serve the same purpose for America, as it is well-known that America never allows itself to fight any country at its home-front, but always moves away from home and fights from a base faraway in order to avoid recording home casualties and possible conquer of its land. In other words, in spite of it's bragging over the possession of weaponry power, America takes cover under international diplomacy and bargains to reduce its risks militarily through fighting from outside bases, as it is being witnessed now.

On another tone, recent developments of announcement by the State Security Service in Nigeria about their arrest of alleged "Al-Qaeda terrorists" is apparently preparing grounds for the proposed alien military base in the country. The SSS is seen as either consciously or subconsciously working for the imperial nations of the United States and co. in order to give credence to the demand by external forces to bring down their military forces and war paraphernalia to Nigeria with the view to scoring some ulterior and rather nefarious motives.

Although media reports indicated that the U.S. and UK missions in Nigeria denied having any information to substantiate that the suspects were terrorists, hence they lacked interest in the said arrest, yet no one should take it for granted. What is important now is for the Yar'adua-led Nigerian Federal Government to retain its ground and continue to resist this idea from being realised during his tenure, as no patriotic head of a country would like to leave behind a bad legacy for posterity. Nigerians and Africans of all callings should take up this challenge and outwardly oppose the idea of foreign military base on their land, as it is not going to serve them any good; rather, it would serve as a depot for foreign powers to deal with them and continue to subjugate them. They should not allow America's extension of terrorism to reach their already ailing and underdeveloped land.

Inuwa, a journalist in Kano.