The Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima travelled to Cotonou to represent President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of President Romuald Wadagni, using the occasion to reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to a bilateral relationship he described as rooted in centuries of shared history, culture and economic interdependence that no political boundary has managed to fully separate.
“Our border with the Benin Republic stretches across nearly 600 kilometres, spanning six Nigerian states including Kebbi State. Our cultural and historical ties run deep as we intermarry and our communities overlap. There are Yoruba people on this side of the border just as there are in Nigeria. Benin has a Borgu Province, while we have a Borgu Local Government Area in Niger State. We are essentially one people tied to a common destiny,” said Shettima.
The commercial dimension of that relationship is substantial. Trade between the two countries currently stands at approximately $2 billion annually. An estimated five million Nigerians reside in Benin Republic, representing roughly a third of its population of 15 million. In August 2025, the two countries formalised grassroots cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding strengthening collaboration among local governments, traditional rulers and border communities, a practical arrangement that has already contributed to improvements in commercial activity, agriculture, infrastructure and local security coordination.
Both countries operate within ECOWAS frameworks including the Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the Common External Tariff, and citizens can move freely between the two territories for up to 90 days without visa requirements. For West Africa’s regional integration agenda, the Nigeria-Benin relationship remains one of its most consequential bilateral foundations.
