Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with the Republic of Benin, describing both countries as nations bound by a shared history, culture, trade and regional security interests.
Shettima stated this on Sunday in Cotonou, where he represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration of President Romuald Wadagni, according to a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Presidential Palace, the Vice President said Nigeria’s participation reflected what he described as President Tinubu’s “unwavering, deep-seated commitment to strengthening ties with our neighbours.”
“Our presence here in Cotonou underlines President Tinubu’s unwavering, deep-seated commitment to strengthening ties with our neighbours,” Shettima said.
He noted that Nigeria and Benin share long-standing historical and cultural bonds, stressing that both countries remain closely connected through communities that span their shared border.
“Our border with the Benin Republic stretches across nearly 600 kilometres, spanning six Nigerian states. Our cultural and historical ties run deep—we intermarry, and our communities overlap,” he said.
Shettima added that both countries are, in his words, “essentially one people tied to a common destiny,” citing shared ethnic and historical linkages across the border region.
“There are Yoruba people on this side of the border just as there are in Nigeria,” he said, noting also that both countries share comparable local administrative and cultural structures.
The Vice President said Nigeria and Benin must continue to work together to promote democratic governance, peace and economic development across the ECOWAS sub-region.
“Because of this, we must show solidarity, empathy and active support toward strengthening democracy in West Africa,” he stated.
Shettima also disclosed that trade between both countries currently stands at about $2 billion annually, adding that around five million Nigerians reside in Benin Republic.
According to him, both countries have deepened cooperation in border security, trade facilitation, grassroots governance and infrastructure development under regional integration efforts within ECOWAS.
He referenced a Memorandum of Understanding signed in August last year to strengthen collaboration among border communities, traditional institutions and local governments in both countries to address cross-border crime and improve socio-economic relations.
The Vice President said the agreement has supported commercial activity, agriculture and local security coordination in border areas, while also enhancing opportunities for residents in affected communities.
He also noted that both countries continue to implement ECOWAS frameworks, including the Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the Common External Tariff system, as well as the protocol on free movement of persons, which allows citizens to travel and stay within member states for up to 90 days without a visa.
Meanwhile, Shettima, who returned to Abuja after the inauguration, was said to be heading to the International Conference Centre, where party leaders and supporters were expected to formally ratify President Tinubu as the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
