The Republic of Benin has applied to Nigeria to submit its sovereignty to the latter.
The country President Patrick Talon, has met Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari severally on this and both countries have engaged their Ministers of Foreign Affairs to smoothen the agreement. Bebenois Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Aurélien Agbenonci and Nigeria Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama are on duty daily to shift all diplomatic impediments to make Benin Republic Nigeria’s 37th State.
The Republic of Benin formerly known as Dahomey with land mass of 43,484 sq miles has a population of less than 10 million people. The country was independent in August 1rst 1960. The total population of the country is far less than Lagos and Kano States put together.
Senegal, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin Republic are the West African countries which has French language as their official language and these countries were colonised by France. France has some of his territories in Central Africa, comprising of Gabon, Congo, Cameroun, Equatorial Guinea, Zaire, Republic of Central Africa, Chad, Mali, Guinea-Conakry. France has much stakes in all these countries and domestic governance in them all is determined in Paris.
While some already existing ethnic groups in Nigeria are calling for the country breakup into regional lines, Benin Republic request to be annexed to Nigeria is interpreted in some quarters to their colonial master ( France) intention to have much stakes in Nigeria in order to justify their reasons to be expressly involved in all Nigeria meals time.
France interest in Nigeria may not be unconnected to oil exploration. France went all through and all the ways with Cameroun in her legal struggle to claim Bakassi Peninsula. The Peninsula is said to be naturally endowed with 1/3 of the world quantity of crude oil.
The oil has not been exploited by Cameroun since she won the legal battle against Nigeria in 2002 at the International Court of Justice in Geneva. Analysts say Cameroun does not still see the Peninsula to be safe for business, thus France oil company SONARA located in Limbe a city in Western Cameroun cannot sip the crude in Bakassi Peninsula even by horizontal drilling.
Hence Benin Republic, one of France territories been annexed to Nigeria may facilitate Nigeria rapprochement with his colonial guardian to salvage the latter (Nigeria) a country with multiple foreign debts in search of rescue, bailout and reliable lifeline. And France extra-extra assistance to Nigeria will be help enough for her (France) to negotiate a peaceful exploitation of the crude in Bakassi Peninsula by SONARA.
France is known the world over as a lead country in diplomacy negotiation and very skillful in international and domestic politics.
As Nigeria is admitting Benin Republic as part of her territories, it will be instructive for the host country to know that she is not only admitting Benin Republic. But if one carries a careful search in Benin Republic baggage as soon as they are part of Nigeria, one will definitely find France smart diplomatic negotiators within their baggage.
Passing through Benin Republic to have a thoroughfare into Nigeria is prompted by France believes to lay a tunnel to cross an obstacle or building a bridge to reach a target.
