The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says President Bola Tinubu acted in Nigeria’s best security interest when he deployed military assets to stop and reverse the coup attempt in Benin Republic.
In a statement on Monday, NGF Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said Nigeria would have faced serious security problems if the coup had succeeded.
He explained that militants and other hostile groups in the Sahel could have used the situation to further destabilise Benin.
“Apart from admirably acting in support of democracy in the subregion, the President acted in the best interest of our country and West Africa with the intervention. With the Sahel in disarray and dire security conditions, and a significant portion of Benin, especially the W-forest, already infested by the militants, a successful coup would have had devastating effects on our own country due to our proximity to Benin Republic which shares border with many of our states,” the statement said.
The Forum praised the President and the Nigerian military for acting on time and helping restore stability and constitutional rule in Benin.
“It is our position that democracy, whatever its challenges, remains the best form of government for regional peace, stability, and development,” the Forum said.
“Subsuing the coup on the invitation of Benin Republic is a big plus for the collective security efforts by ECOWAS in the region and for Nigeria in particular. For instance, security threats on Porto Novo, Cotonou, or Parakou constitute grave security risk to Nigeria, and the President’s firm action is an effective check to this.”