The Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Benin Republic amid a coup attempt.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the upper chamber expeditiously approved the president’s request after consideration of the request at the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had read Tinubu’s letter seeking the Senate’s approval for the deployment.
The president, in the letter, described the crisis in Benin as an ‘attempted unconstitutional seizure of power in the neighbouring West African country’.
NAN reports that the letter was transmitted pursuant to Section 5(5), Part 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires parliamentary consent for external military deployment.
According to the communication, the move follows a formal plea from the Government of Benin Republic for Nigeria’s immediate air support to quell the emerging crisis.
Tinubu informed the lawmakers that the Beninese government was currently grappling with the destabilisation of its democratic institutions, necessitating urgent external intervention.
“The Government of the Republic of Benin is currently faced with an attempted unconstitutional seizure of power and the disruption and destabilisation of democratic institutions,” the letter read in part.
The president explained that the request had become necessary after consultations with the National Defence Council, noting Nigeria’s regional responsibility and long-standing ties with Benin.
“The distinguished senate may wish to note that the Government of the Republic of Benin requires exceptional and immediate air support.
“Considering the close ties of brotherhood and friendship between Nigeria and Benin, as well as the principles of collective security upheld within ECOWAS, it is our duty to provide the support as requested,” he said.
NAN reports that after the approval of Tinubu’s request, Akpabio remarked that he (the president) had taken a step in the right direction.
“He is acting constitutionally. And I also want to thank my colleagues for giving the approval and the consent without much discussion.
“This is because we believe that this is a step in the right direction. So I believe the letter of consent will be sent to the president immediately.
“We thank him (Tinubu) for rising to the occasion because an injury to one is an injury to all. And moreover, the impact this would have had on Nigeria in terms of security of our borders would have been terrible.
“So we congratulate him for rising to the occasion and we wholly consent to his actions,” the senate president said.
