Vice-President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Cotonou to represent President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of Benin Republic’s President-elect Romuald Wadagni.
The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday at the presidential palace in Cotonou. Wadagni, a former finance minister, won a landslide victory in the April 12 presidential election.
According to a statement from Stanley Nkwocha, spokesperson to the vice-president, the Nigerian delegation joined other African leaders, diplomats, and foreign dignitaries at the event. The statement said Shettima’s visit underscores the longstanding diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and Benin Republic, particularly in trade, border cooperation, and regional security.
Both countries are members of ECOWAS and maintain close collaboration on regional integration and security.
Ahead of the inauguration, Nigerian troops were deployed to strategic locations in Cotonou as part of coordinated regional security arrangements. According to counterinsurgency publication Zagazola Makama, surveillance and patrols were intensified around major routes, government facilities, and the Presidential Palace.
The inauguration program includes official state ceremonies, the transfer of presidential insignia, and a ceremonial procession linked to events in Porto-Novo, the administrative capital. Shettima is expected to return to Nigeria after the activities.
