President Bola Tinubu was re-elected as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the 65th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday.
The summit took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
The Nigerian leader was elected to the role last year just as he emerged the newly elected president pf Nigeria in May 2023.
He immediately confronted the coup d’etat in neighboring Niger Republic, as well as a wave of coups that had occurred in the bloc in recent years. The leaders of the three countries: Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso appear to have boycotted the summit.
Counterterrorism Funding
During his opening remark at today’s summit, President Tinubu urged ECOWAS member states to make financial commitments to help in the battle against terrorism in the region.
“As we move to operationalize the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasize that the success of this plan requires not only strong political will but also substantial financial resources,” he told the gathering.
“We must, therefore, ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our ministers of defense and finance to counter the insecurity and stabilize our region. Member states must make extra commitments to providing resources for stabilizing the region.”
Speaking further, Tinubu advised ECOWAS leaders to leverage the capabilities of Nigeria’s National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), which has been widely acknowledged as one of the best on the continent.
The President urged the management of ECOWAS to re-align and reposition its priorities by reducing overheads and setting up in-country steering committees.
Regional Economic Prosperity
He stated, “Difficult economic conditions and inconsistent payment of financial commitments to ECOWAS have contributed to the current plight. To ensure ECOWAS has adequate resources for its programs and activities, I urge all member states to ensure full compliance with the Protocol on the Community Levy.
“Nigeria, under my leadership, is committed to leading by example in remitting its collected levies to the organization. Nevertheless, the ECOWAS management must also reduce its overhead expenditures and focus on programs and activities that directly impact the lives of our citizens.
“I know the progress report on implementing the ECOWAS Institutional Reforms. I therefore call on the President of the ECOWAS Commission to resume and expedite the conclusion of the second phase of the Institutional Reforms, aimed at reducing the organization’s operational costs.”
Welcoming New Comer
Tinubu also welcomed a new member of the Authority, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, stressing that the recently concluded presidential election has been widely adjudged as free, fair, transparent, and credible.
He added, “Allow me to further extend warm congratulations to the Government and people of the Republic of Senegal for their steadfastness in the consolidation of democratic governance.
“Their recently concluded presidential election has been widely adjudged as free, fair, transparent, and credible. This achievement is a testament to our region’s commitment to the principles of democracy, good governance, and rule of law.”
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