Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Niger’s capital, Niamey, in support of last week’s military coup.

They condemned West African countries that have imposed sanctions on the country and also demanded the departure of foreign troops.

Both US and France have military bases in the country to help fight Islamist militants.

A similar protest on Sunday led to attacks on the French embassy but Thursday’s demonstration was peaceful.

France, the former colonial power in Niger, had called on the military leader to ensure there was no repeat.

Previous demonstrations had seen some chanting “Long live Russia”, “Long live Putin”, and “Down with France” – the leader of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has reportedly described the coup as a triumph.

But organisers had asked people not to wave Russian flags this time, and there were far fewer on display compared to Sunday. People had Nigerien flags instead.

It isn’t clear if this was because Russia has issued a statement calling for the return to power of the ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum, and negotiations, or because Thursday is Niger’s Independence Day.

Mr Bazoum, the first democratically elected president to succeed another in Niger, was detained by his own guards last week.

Correspondents in the country say there are also many people who are opposed to the coup.

The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a trade bloc of 15 West African countries, has imposed financial and trade sanctions. It has also threatened to use force if President Bazoum is not reinstated by Sunday.

Senegal on Thursday said it would send troops if the bloc decided on military intervention. Foreign Minister Aissata Tall Sall said there had been one “coup too many” in the region. The army has seized power in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea in recent years.

“Senegalese soldiers, for all these reasons, will go there,” she said.

Niger’s electricity company says that neighbouring Nigeria has cut electricity supplies, leading to widespread power cuts, although this has not been confirmed by Nigeria.

On Wednesday evening, coup leader Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani warned against “any interference in the internal affairs” of the country.

Gen Tchiani, a former chief of the presidential guard to Mr Bazoum, seized power on 26 July.

In a televised address on Wednesday, Gen Tchiani said the military regime rejected the Ecowas “sanctions as a whole and refuses to give in to any threat, wherever it comes from”.

He labelled the sanctions “cynical and iniquitous” and said they were intended to “humiliate” Niger’s security forces and make the country “ungovernable”.

Hundreds of foreign nationals have been evacuated from Niger. The US has ordered a partial evacuation of its embassy and more than 1,000 French and Europeans have been flown out of the country.

Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello welcomed a courtesy visit from Okun United 4 Ododo, a political group composed of former PDP members, at Government House, Lokoja.

During the meeting, Governor Bello expressed his appreciation for the group’s dedicated efforts in mobilizing voters to support the APC gubernatorial candidate, Hon Ododo Ahmed Usman, in the upcoming November 11 election.

Highlighting the election’s significance in shaping the state’s future, Governor Bello urged the group to campaign vigorously across the region to secure a resounding victory. He praised the unity demonstrated by the people of Okun land during this crucial time in the state’s political history.

Commander Jerry Omodara, the State’s Security Adviser, spoke on behalf of the group, acknowledging the APC’s strength as a political party in Kogi State. The group has actively canvassed support for Hon Ododo Ahmed Usman and aims to unite all Okun people to deliver a bloc vote for the APC.

Philip Orebiyi expressed gratitude for Governor Bello’s efforts in fulfilling Okun people’s aspirations, citing the establishment of Kogi State University in Kabba as a source of pride. The Okun community is supporting Governor Bello’s administration to ensure victory for Hon Ododo, rather than supporting those opposing him.

Deputy Governor Chief Edward Onoja thanked the Okun United 4 Ododo group on behalf of the State Government and urged them to continue their pursuit of the state’s overall success.

Other members present during the visit included Hon Alfred Bello, Hon Samson Obademi, Niyi Olayemi, Barr James Fagbola, and Hon Eric Fiki.

The leadership of the organised labour have allegedly stormed out of the meeting of the Presidential Steering Committee on subsidy palliatives that was scheduled to take place at the presidential villa, Abuja.

Recall that the Steering Committee meeting had met with the government delegation on Wednesday where the two parties agreed to reconvene on Friday to get a brief from the three subcommittees set up to look into various demands.

The Steering Committee was set up by the government to come up with palliatives that would cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the workers.

According to Vanguard, the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, had led his delegation to the Chief of Staff’s office, the venue of the meeting at about 5 pm on Friday but were soon on their way out of the villa.

But the meeting could not proceed because according to some members of the Steering Committee, there was no quorum.

Organised labour accused the federal government of using the meetings as a pretext to deceive Nigerians.

A source at the meeting confirmed that three subcommittees, the Mass Transit, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Cash transfer subcommittees, were supposed to be present to brief the Steering Committee on the measures put in place to cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on the workers, but labour claimed that government officials, who are members the subcommittees were nowhere to be found.

A visibly infuriated member of the Steering Committee said, “They are not prepared for the meeting. That’s the truth,” maintaining that the government representatives had insisted that the meeting should proceed even though no quorum was formed.

“They are using cover to deceive Nigerians. There are supposed to be three subcommittees, the mass transit subcommittee, the CNG, and the cash transfer, to brief us, the steering committee but the government was not prepared for the meeting.

“In their introductory remarks they made excuses and they wanted the meeting to continue, the meeting did not form a quorum. We are a people that operate on the basis of process. So, if there’s no quorum in a meeting what do you do? You will adjourn for lack of quorum.

“There was nobody to meet with. The Chief of Staff was not there, they are taking us like small children.”

It was, however, gathered that the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila had earlier waited for the labour delegation with other members of the team at his Conference Hall.

He later stepped out to attend to other official matters within the Villa while other members of the government team were waiting for the organised labour to arrive

It was gathered that the organised labour delegation from the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, was delayed at the State House entrance gate otherwise known as Mopol gate for clearance.

Vanguard reports that the names of the labour delegation were not sent to the gate for clearance which led to their delay for the meeting.

Shehu Sani, former Kaduna state senator, has described the ministerial nomination of the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, by President Bola Tinubu, as a tragedy.

The president on Thursday finally submitted the list of his 28 ministerial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

Speaking on the development in an interview on Arise TV, Sani said it is saddening that El-Rufai is given another opportunity to serve the country, considering all he has done and said during his administration in Kaduna state.

According to the Senator, Tinubu rewarded those who betrayed their party and principal, but it was not the best time to please and appease former governors.

He noted that the list falls short of Nigerians’ expectations considering the time taken to reales the list, stressing that the ministerial list was a big disappointment.

Shehu Sani added that President Tinubu must prioritize pleasing Nigerians because the eight years of the past administration were a complete waste.

In his words, “With the nomination I have seen with the one which represents Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai is a tragedy that such a man is given an opportunity to serve this country again with all that he has done and said in office, and I don’t think that if President Tinubu means well.

“This is not the best time to please and appease former governors. It is the best time to appease Nigerians and to bring in competent hands that will deliver. As far as I am concerned, that list, to some extent, is a big disappointment, and it has not been able to meet the expectations of the people considering the time taken for those names to come out.

“I think the best thing for the president to do at this time is to know that the eight years of the last administration was a complete waste, and this is an opportunity for him to prove that he has the vision, the competence, and the capacity to lead this country to a higher level than the way he met it. But with the kind of people he has now brought in close to him, I think there is going to be a problem.

“From what I know, there are people who were brought in because they betrayed their party, and principal, and this is the time to composite them, and that should not be with a serious national position as this.”