By Bukar Mohammed
There comes a moment in the life of every nation when silence becomes complicity, when excuses become treasonous, and when failure to act becomes an assault on the very people whose welfare and security a government swore by oath to defend. Nigeria has reached that moment. In a season when citizens expect leadership rooted in loyalty to the homeland, we are confronted with an unsettling reality: our government appears more energetic in shielding the political interests and questionable governance culture of neighbouring Benin Republic than in defending the lives and dignity of its own people.
While blood spills on Nigerian soil, while communities mourn, and while aggressors test our resolve, the nation’s leadership seems disturbingly preoccupied—some would say obsessed—with protecting a lootocratic system beyond our borders. And the question Nigerians whisper in frustration and shout in anger becomes impossible to ignore: How did we become secondary in our own nation’s priorities?
A Disturbing Misplacement of Priorities
No constitution mandates a leader to safeguard the political fortunes or corrupt systems of another sovereign state. Yet our own 1999 Constitution is crystal clear. It imposes on the President the duty to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity, defend citizens against aggression, and uphold national interests above all else. But what do we see instead? Swift diplomatic activism when Benin Republic’s ruling class is threatened; rapid condemnations and interventions to protect a regime many citizens describe openly as a lootocracy—a system where corruption is institutionalised and power is guarded for private plunder.
Meanwhile, when Nigerians face cross-border attacks, when their livelihoods are destroyed, or when foreign actors violate our territorial space, the response is slow, fragmented, and unconvincing. It is a tragic paradox—one that insults our national pride.
Psychological Betrayal: When Citizens No Longer Feel Protected
Security is both physical and psychological. A citizen who cannot trust the government to defend them is already internally defeated. A mother whose community is attacked without consequence loses her sense of belonging. A young Nigerian watching his leaders rush to defend the corrupt elite of Benin Republic while ignoring their own feels emotionally abandoned. This is how nations fracture—not at the borders, but at the soul.
Nigeria Cannot Afford This Emotional Displacement
A government that prioritises foreign comfort over local constitutional duties risks weakening national unity, undermining military morale, fueling domestic insecurity, signaling weakness to aggressors, and eroding the psychological contract between citizens and the state. No Nigerian—north or south, Muslim or Christian—should ever feel secondary to the interests of a neighbouring country.
Leadership Must Return Home
Nigeria does not need a President who plays guardian angel to foreign lootocracies. Nigeria needs a leader who understands the weight of his oath. A leader who stands firm, speaks boldly, and draws a line that no foreign power should cross. We are not demanding miracles—we are demanding the bare minimum of constitutional responsibility.
History Will Judge This Moment
Years from now, historians will not ask how vigorously Nigeria defended the political class in Benin Republic. They will ask: Did Nigeria defend Nigerians? Did the government place its people first? Did leadership uphold the constitution or abandon it in service of external loyalties? No nation rises when its rulers are emotionally invested in a neighbour’s elite more than in its own people.
The Call for a Return to Constitutional Order
It is time—overdue time—to realign our national compass:
Nigeria first. Nigerian lives first. Nigerian dignity first.
The soul of this country cannot continue to be mortgaged to foreign lootocracies. The constitution does not permit it. Morality cannot justify it. History will not forgive it.
A nation that fails to defend its people is not merely weak—it is complicit in its own undoing.
Nigeria deserves leadership emotionally loyal to Nigeria, psychologically invested in Nigeria, and constitutionally bound to Nigeria—no more, no less.
Disclaimer
This article is an opinion piece written by the author, Bukar Mohammed. The views and interpretations expressed are entirely his own and do not represent the official position of Newspot Nigeria or its editorial board.
