Big Beast Overseas, Tiny Bug Indoors.

Nigeria’s latest foray into the internal crisis in Benin Republic has once again exposed a troubling pattern in our foreign and domestic posture. we project the strength of an elephant abroad while behaving like a timid ant at home. Reports of the Nigerian military’s participation in aerial strikes against coup plotters in Cotonou, even as Nigerian communities from Katsina to Plateau continue to bury victims of relentless banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping, raise questions too glaring to ignore.

It is one thing to champion democracy in West Africa; it is another to selectively deploy force, choosing muscular intervention on foreign soil while being inexplicably restrained and inconsistent within our own borders. For many Nigerians, it is not just the optics that are upsetting, but the priorities.

In my view, I do not dispute the value of defending democratic institutions. In a region historically plagued by coups, authoritarian resurgence, and foreign manipulation, democracy should be safeguarded. But democracy becomes a threat when it is practiced against the people rather than for them. When elections become rituals of manipulation, when corruption becomes governance, and when citizens sleep with one eye open out of fear, then the moral authority to defend democracy elsewhere becomes questionable.

Benin Republic’s internal turbulence is tied, in part, to long-standing grievances about French political and economic influence that exploits and suffocates the Beninese. Whether or not a coup is the right vehicle for change, the fact remains that some segments of Benin’s population view their uprising as a bid for liberation from neo-colonial chains.

Nigeria inserting itself militarily into this type of struggle, without first resolving its own burning house, raises ethical and strategic concerns. The symbolism is painful: aircraft and ammunition available for Benin, yet communities within Nigeria plead endlessly for protection. Families displaced, farmers killed, highways overtaken by bandits, security operatives overwhelmed, and yet the state finds stamina only when the arena shifts beyond our borders.

This contradiction calls into question whether our leadership truly understands the weight of its primary duty: securing the lives and property of Nigerians. A government that is firm abroad but fragile at home reveal priorities misaligned with the people it serves. Though, the insecurity in Nigeria has become a lucrative industry that many who benefit from it will do their worst to keep it going.

Let it be clear: coups are destructive, destabilizing, and never ideal. But the defense of democracy should not become a dogma used to preserve systems that no longer reflect the will or welfare of citizens. Where democracy has decayed into oppression, where leaders govern without legitimacy or empathy, history shows that people inevitably seek alternatives, and sometimes embrace radical ones. It is not the ideal, but it is a reality that cannot be bombed away.

Nigeria’s moral voice in West Africa will only carry weight when we demonstrate stability, justice, and security within our borders. Until then, Nigeria risks being remembered as the big beast overseas, tiny bug indoors.

– Ambassador Ezewele Cyril Abionanojie is the author of the book ‘The Enemy Called Corruption’ an award winner of Best Columnist of the year 2020, Giant in Security Support, Statesmanship Integrity & Productivity Award Among others. He is the President of Peace Ambassador Global.