Benin Republic failed coup: Elders forum faults Professor Soyinka, defends Tinubu’s intervention
Kola Oyelere Kano
The National Elders Forum for Peace and Justice has criticized Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka over his comments on Nigeria’s intervention in the failed coup attempt in the Benin Republic, insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu acted appropriately and in the interest of regional stability.
In a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists in Kano on Wednesday, the Forum’s President, Dr. Bature AbdulAziz, said he expected Soyinka, given his stature and experience, to appreciate the grave implications a successful coup in Benin could have had for Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
“I expected Professor Soyinka, with his years of experience and personality, to understand the implications of a coup in the Benin Republic,” Dr. AbdulAziz said. “President Tinubu did the right thing by swiftly intervening to stop the coup and restore constitutional authority. There are many reasons for this — reasons Professor Soyinka could not see.”
According to him, allowing the coup to succeed would have emboldened military takeovers across Nigeria’s neighboring countries, potentially leaving the region surrounded by military regimes.
“If Nigeria had allowed the coup in Benin Republic to succeed, then all its neighboring countries could fall under military rule. The next thing would be isolating Nigeria and creating more problems for us,” he warned.
Dr. AbdulAziz also argued that Nigeria has historically played a stabilizing role on the continent, offering support to troubled nations from Zambia and Zimbabwe to Mozambique, South Africa and Gabon.
“So it is not new that Nigeria is involved in what is happening in the Benin Republic. I expected Professor Soyinka to appreciate this fact and understand that Nigeria needs democratic neighbors with whom we can make collective decisions,” he added.
The Forum president urged Soyinka to channel his concerns directly to President Tinubu rather than airing them through the media.
“He can write to the President or even see him personally. That would be better,” he advised.
In a related development, the Elders Forum also criticized Amnesty International for what it described as constant and unfair attacks on the Nigerian government under the guise of human rights advocacy.
Dr. AbdulAziz questioned why Amnesty International “would not talk about human rights abuses happening for decades in developed nations but continues to focus on Nigeria.”